This is an entry point for cable TV coax, phone lines and a couple of grounds. They exit the basement of this home through a hole drilled in the foundation.
The air infiltration at this opening is significant. There is effectively a open path to the outside between every cable. If you flex the cables a bit you can see sunlight.
I'm struggling with how to stop the airflow. My first thought was expanding foam but that could be a mess and not guarantee that the leaks would be filled.
I searched the web but mainly came up with industrial products for outdoor utility boxees.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help,
Johnny
Johnny on Energy - Helping you improve your home energy efficiency.
Tags:
Permalink Reply by Ben Stallings on January 29, 2011 at 9:56am Gosh, that's a lot of wires. If there weren't quite so many, I'd suggest making a foam gasket so that each wire passed through its own hole.
How about if you attached a zip tie to the bundle of wires on one side of the wall to immobilize them, and then on the opposite side peeled the wires apart one at a time and injected caulk between them, then bundled them back together (squishing the caulk) and zip tied that end? That would seal all the gaps between wires, leaving you with only the outside of the bundle to seal. Of course, getting any wires in or out after that would be nearly impossible.
Looking forward to hearing other people's suggestions.
With access like that, I'd try pushing into gaps appropriate lengths of wooden dowel of various diameters, to function like shims and fill those gaps. Clean and reversible. If it doesn't work, pull them out and try another's suggestion.
Home Energy Pros was founded by the developers of Home Energy Saver Pro (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and brought to you in partnership with Home Energy magazine.
Bud Poll replied to Bachi Brunato's discussion Boxing and Insulating Around Non-ICAT Cans
Sean Lintow Sr replied to Bachi Brunato's discussion Boxing and Insulating Around Non-ICAT Cans
Bachi Brunato posted a discussion
Dennis Heidner replied to Patrick Michaelyan's discussion Hot Upper Stories
Bob Blanchette replied to Jose Macho's discussion Why Are Energy-Saving Home Inprovements Down??
Bob Blanchette replied to Jose Macho's discussion Why Are Energy-Saving Home Inprovements Down??
Dennis Heidner replied to Jose Macho's discussion Why Are Energy-Saving Home Inprovements Down??
Edward Foskey commented on Edward Foskey's blog post Preparing to Update the Heat Pump
Gustavo Melo commented on Edward Foskey's blog post Preparing to Update the Heat Pump
Dennis Heidner replied to J.C. Martel's discussion Disasters & sustainable energy
Tom Delconte commented on Edward Foskey's blog post Preparing to Update the Heat Pump© 2013 Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.