Your Daily Dose of Building Science
We recently started work on a remodel. When we attempted to perform a blower door test, the house had so many air leaks we couldn’t achieve a measurable number. Once the internal wall finishes were removed, I saw this and thought I’d pass along a lesson learned.
One of the interesting things about spiders is that they prefer to build webs where there is air flow. It makes sense when you think about it. The air blowing through the web acts as a highway to bring a greater amount of food into the web. In the photo you can see a great example of this. In the stud bay at the center of the photo you can actually see daylight coming in through the wall. As a result, this was the favored bay for the spiders to build their webs. You’ll notice the bay to the left has a minimum air barrier of just tar paper, and far fewer webs. When you walk through the house, you can spot the air leaks quickly by looking for the spider webs. Fewer spiders and webs — yet another side benefit of air sealing.
