How to find where cold air is coming in basement?

[dufass]

have spent some time caulking cold drafty basement.....still cold and drafty though....how do I track down where cold air is coming in?

[tbasc]

Try smoke to trace air path. Punk or a candle might work. T

[marson]

hands. The high tech way is to rent or hire a thermal imaging camera. My basement was drafty too because it was uninsulated concrete block.

[S. Barker]

check where your sewer vent stack goes up. Sometimes air is channeled right down from the attic.

s

[ransley]

The best way is get a Blower Door test done on your house, all leaks will be pinpointed with smoke and you will get a printout of air exchanges your home has, maybe a 300$ test

[Mari]

hands. The high tech way is to rent or hire a thermal imaging camera. My basement was drafty too because it was uninsulated concrete block.

It might be worth using a lit incense stick to see where the drafts are. Although I hate the smell of incense myself. Maybe a candle would work.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Or for an in-between option a infrared-no touch- digital thermometer.

0-220 or so models are available for $10.

I'd spend $30-40 and get one that has a greater range. See ebay or froogle for the hundreds of models.

First place I'd check is where the sill meets the foundation.

Cold, yes, but unless the mortar fell out from between the blocks, not drafty.

Jim

[SteveB]

A piece of small cotton twine will smoke a bit. You can light it, and walk around and watch the smoke from it. Cheap and easy.

Steve

[marson]

[marson]

Well, it was my basement, so I would know whether it felt drafty or not. Concrete block is such a poor insulator that it used to feel like I was walking outside when I went down there (it's insulated now). I didn't spend a lot of time looking for leaks. I just covered it with 2" foam and was done with it.

[Joe]

For a real smoke generator, get a bee smoker from your local farm supply store. The output is substantial and the devices are much safer than lit candles and such. A local beekeeper might even loan you one for short time, but IIRC they are not too pricey. HTH

Joe

[Max]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 11:12:25 -0800 (PST), Joe graced this newsgroup with:

or, just buy a stick of inscense.

[Stormin Mormon]

Walk around the perimeter of the cellar, holding your hands out, palms forward. Feel for cold draft coming in.