electric switches

[Bob W]

I have cold air coming in through the electric plugs on the exterior walls of my home. Does anyone have a solution.

[Steve]

Hardware stores carry foam gaskets that install behind the cover plates. Very inexpensive, but pretty effective and easy to install. It can also help to caulk around the outlet (behind the cover plate) – that little gap between the outlet box and the wallboard. More complex, is to pull the outlet receptacles out and caulk the openings in the back of the outlet box, including where the wires enter the box – you must shut off the power to do this! Be real careful working around outlets.

[JT]

Bob, you can go ahead and gasket the outlets, but
unless this is wind-driven infiltration, the only
thing you will accomplish is to move the draft
somewhere else and make it even stronger. If you
were incredibly diligent and took this to an extreme,
you could even succeed in back-drafting your fireplace
or combustion appliances (fortunately this would be
a hard level to achieve). There is a very simple but
vitally important concept to remember when dealing
with air movement in buildings: AIR-IN = AIR-OUT,
i.e. for each cubic foot of air that exits the house,
one cubic foot of air will enter the house.
Air would not be entering through the outlets if air
were not leaving somewhere else, most likely through
your attic. This is why the draft will be stronger in
it’s new location. You will have decreased the leakage
area, but not the volume of required make-up air, hence
the velocity of the infiltrating air must increase
to make up the differance. So, you can chase the drafts
from outlets to windows, to doors, etc. or you can
plug the leaks where the air you paid to heat is
escaping, i.e. air seal the attic-floor/ceiling
boundry. For more information take a look at
http://www.weatherization.com.

[Rick]

One simple reason for the draft coming through the electric boxes is poor air barrier installation.
The solution may not be as simple. I’m not all to familiar with gaskets, however, an expandible foam insulation may be your easiest solution.
You would have to remove the cover plate, then insert the tip of the foam container..(looks much like a hair spray bottle, upside down)..through an opening
in the outlet box and spray short blast of expandible foam behind the box. Too much isn’t a good thing necessarily, however you’ll need enough to seal off the
space behind the box.
You can ask for expandible foam insulation at your nearest supply yard…

[Judy Baker]

I work in a school where there is a faculty bathroom. We are instructed to turn off the switch each time we are finished with the bathroom. However, there are people in and out of this bathroom every 5 minutes. Doesn’t it take more electricity to keep turning it on and off than it does to just leave it on all day? I know this is not an earth-shattering question but I’d really like to know.

[Author]

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