Drafts, Cold Floors, and Poor Insulation—How Inspectors Find Heat Loss
🌬️ Drafts, Cold Floors, and Poor Insulation—How Inspectors Find Heat Loss
Thermal-imaging insights + cost-saving fixes to tackle before December
Chilly rooms, cold floors, and a furnace that never seems to quit are classic signs of heat loss. Before winter locks in, a targeted inspection—anchored by thermal imaging—can pinpoint exactly where warm air is escaping and cold air is sneaking in. Here’s how we find the leaks and what to fix now for comfort and lower bills.
🔎 What We See Through a Thermal Camera (Real Patterns)
Attic Bypasses: Hot streaks at recessed lights, attic hatches, duct penetrations, and chimney chases.
Drafty Rim Joists: Cold bands along the basement perimeter where the framing meets the foundation.
Leaky Windows/Doors: Blue (cold) plumes at sash corners, meeting rails, and worn weatherstripping.
Knee-Wall & 1.5-Story Homes: Patchy insulation and wind-washing near eaves show up as mottled cold zones.
Duct Loss: Supply trunks in crawl spaces or unconditioned attics glowing cold on camera—heat lost before it reaches rooms.
Floor Chill Over Garages/Porches: Uniform cold plates under bedrooms or sunrooms built over unheated spaces.
Bonus tools: We pair thermal scans with moisture meters (to rule out hidden damp) and airflow checks (register temperatures, pressure imbalances) for a complete picture.
🧊 Why It Feels Worse on Windy Days
Wind pressurizes the exterior and depressurizes the interior, forcing cold air through gaps at siding penetrations, rim joists, and attic bypasses. Thermal imaging during a breezy day makes these leaks light up—perfect timing for a late-fall scan.
🛠️ Cost-Saving Fixes You Can Do Before December
Air-Seal First (highest ROI)
Attic hatch: Weather-strip, add an insulated cover.
Recessed lights: Use IC-rated airtight trims or sealed covers.
Top-plate & penetrations: Foam/caulk around plumbing/electrical stacks and bath-fan housings.
Rim-joists: Cut-and-cobble foam board + sealed edges, or closed-cell spray foam.
Then Insulate (after air-sealing)
Attic top-up: Even, continuous coverage—no low spots over exterior walls; add baffles to keep soffit air paths open.
Floors over garages/porches: Dense-pack or foam the joist bays; seal the subfloor seams from below.
Knee-walls: Insulate the wall and the sloped ceiling; install baffles to stop wind-washing.
Tighten the Envelope
Weatherstrip & sweep: Doors, attic access, and hatchways.
Window tune-up: Replace brittle gaskets; add interior film kits for drafty sashes (fast, inexpensive).
Duct fixes: Seal joints with mastic; insulate runs outside the thermal envelope.
Low-Cost Comfort Boosters
Redirect/fully open supply registers, clear furniture from returns.
Balance dampers for even temperatures.
Add programmable setbacks that won’t overwork the system.
🧭 What a Heat-Loss Inspection Includes (City Home Inspectors)
Thermal scan of walls, ceilings, floors, windows/doors.
Attic & rim-joist audit for bypasses, insulation depth, and baffles.
Duct and register check for losses and imbalances.
Targeted report with annotated thermal images and a priority fix list (DIY vs. pro).
📋 Pre-December Checklist
☐ Seal attic hatch, can lights, plumbing/electrical penetrations
☐ Foam/insulate rim-joists around the basement perimeter
☐ Add/repair weatherstripping on 2–3 draftiest doors
☐ Install window film kits on leakiest sashes
☐ Top-up attic insulation after air-sealing
☐ Seal & insulate any ducts in unconditioned spaces
✅ The Bottom Line
You don’t have to live with cold rooms and high bills. A thermal-imaging inspection reveals exactly where heat is escaping so you can fix the highest-impact spots before December—for a warmer, more efficient home all winter.
👉 Book your late-fall Heat-Loss Inspection with City Home Inspectors and get an action plan with thermal photos.
