Stormguard Around Loft Attic Hatch Door Draught Excluder Seal Strip Weather Proofing Insulation. (4 x 685mm, Brown)

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Draught proofing an existing hatch is simply a matter of attaching a self-adhesive foam strip (sometimes called weatherstrip) or EPDM door and window draught proofing strip. If you’ve got a draught of cold air coming into your top landing then it could very well be from your loft hatch. In this post, we’ll look at the causes of draughty hatches. And then talk about some ways to insulate and draught-proof your hatch. Awesome! What causes a draughty hatch? The amount you'll save on your bills means that your draught proofing is likely to pay for itself in a few years. Alternatively, a piece of rigid foam insulation could be glued to the hatch but this will tend to leave gaps around the edges, allowing draughts.

And finally, if you have the very old style of loft door that isn’t hinged or even attached to anything fear not! You should be able to use the techniques we’ve talked about above to draught-proof and insulate that too. What's more, insulating a loft hatch can help to prevent possible issues with condensation in the loft space. Warm, moist air can be drawn into a loft space through a loft hatch. When this air hits cold surfaces, such as the roof timbers, it will condense. Condensation on timbers can result in rot and decay over time, damaging the roof structure. Even if you're eager to draught proof your whole home, it’s important not to completely seal your property. There needs to be some air flowing in and out. The simple lift-out hatch (those without a hinge) can be insulated by gluing a plastic bag to the hatch, filling it with insulation material and taping the bag closed. It is effective, cheap and the bag prevents the insulating fibre from getting disturbed.Foam sealant: This special foam can be sprayed into gaps around windows or doors. It’s more expensive than foam tape. Existing drop-down hatches with attached ladders can be treated in the same way, with care being taken to ensure the insulation does not interfere with the ladder operation. Foil insulation might be a good alternative in this instance, as a thinner layer is required as compared with rigid foam. As heat rises, it can escape upwards through small gaps around your loft hatch. Insulate these using foam strips, as you would for doors or windows. There are different types of loft hatches in every home. So you’ll need to consider what kind of insulation is the best for you.

If you don’t use as much energy in your home, you are naturally lowering your carbon footprint as well. Less heating means using less energy, so you can do your bit for the environment by draught-proofing your loft too. Increased Comfort Most new products also include built-in draught proofing.Any new loft hatch will have adequate airtightness for all but Passivhaus levels of thermal efficiency. How to Insulate a Loft Hatch If you don’t want to install double glazing, you can still cut down on draughts by trying the following: By draught-proofing your loft hatch, you can help to make your home more energy efficient. If you constantly have to put up with a cold draught coming through your ceiling, particularly in the winter, you’ll no doubt be tempted to crank up your heating. This could lead to much higher energy bills. So draught-proofing your loft hatch could save you money. Better for the EnvironmentAnd likewise, if you have a hinged hatch that swings downwards but rests against a post within the hatch casing/frame when shut then you’d apply the strip around that post. So the strips would be facing downwards. We’re happy to show you how! If we’re not installing something like a Fakro loft ladder that comes with a fully-insulated hatch and frame then we build one bespoke. And in that scenario, we usually opt for a hinged swing-down hatch with a post surrounding the inside of the hatch frame. The hatch then rests against that post when shut and it’s on that post that we apply a rubber ‘P’ seal as illustrated in the diagram below. Cross-section of a hatch and casing with ‘P’ seal What’s the difference between a draught-proof and an insulated hatch? However, the better the insulation and draught proofing to the rest of the house the greater the impact of an uninsulated hatch. Should I Insulate the Loft Hatch in My Home?