Stick and seal insulator

Abstract

A method and a system for reducing energy consumption, preventing excessive humidity and preventing contaminated air. The method includes locating the respective penetrations, applying an insulator sheet across the penetrations and sealing the surface of the sheets around the penetrations. The system includes a set of insulator sheets which prevents or substantially reduces the leakage of treated air from a home or other building through penetrations. Each insulator sheet in the set of insulator sheets in the form of a flexible, impervious cellular sheet with a fire retardant adhesive for sealing the respective sheets around the respective penetrations.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]This invention relates to a system for reducing energy consumption, excessive indoor humidity and indoor and outdoor air pollutants in a home or building.[0003]2. Description of the Prior Art[0004]Heat is lost through homes and other buildings in two ways—through thermal conduction and through air infiltration. With thermal conduction, heat is lost through the exterior envelope or “shell” of the house. This shell consists of the wood studding, sheathing, insulation, drywall or sheet and the external siding, i.e. brick, stone, or vinyl. The seal between the exterior environment and the interior living environment includes footings (and sub-surface drainage), below ground floors and walls, above ground walls, wall penetrations including windows, doors, etc. and the roof system. Air infiltration is the uncontrolled leakage of air through these seal openings in homes or buildings and can account for a large part of heat los...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0027]An object of the present invention is to prevent or substantially reduce the leakage of treated air caused by air infiltration from an entire home or other entire building through openings which the present inventor has found should be sealed, such as openings for electrical apparatus, including sockets, switches, telecommunication devices and speakers, and openings for pipes and other conduits.

[0028]Another object of the present invention is to prevent or substantially reduce excessive indoor humidity from an entire home or other entire building.

[0029]Still another object of the present invention is to prevent or substantially reduce contaminated air from entering an entire home or other entire building.

Problems solved by technology

With thermal conduction, heat is lost through the exterior envelope or “shell” of the house.

Air infiltration is the uncontrolled leakage of air through these seal openings in homes or buildings and can account for a large part of heat loss in a typical home or building.

When discussing air infiltration and energy savings, it is actually a substantial portion of treated air in homes and buildings that is often wasted.

Due to the ever increasing cost of energy, this substantial portion of treated air which is wasted is having a larger and larger economic impact on homeowners and building owners.

Likewise, properly dehumidified air can inadvertently leave the home or building, and air untreated for humidity can inadvertently enter the home or building.

Similarly, contaminated air can inadvertently enter a home or building.

The drafts from outside that flow through the inside walls via electrical, cable, telephone and plumbing penetrations, leak through the interior outlets and switches which contaminate the treated air of a home or building.

Thus, sealing electrical penetrations are not seriously considered for reducing air infiltration.

Another problem besides air infiltration in a home or building is excessive indoor humidity.

Some new high efficiency air conditioners can contribute to excessive indoor humidity which can lead to unhealthy mold growth in homes.

Many new air conditioners simply do not remove the humidity that the old air conditioners did.

High levels of indoor mold can cause serious health problems, including allergic reactions, toxic reactions, asthma episodes, infections and respiratory damage.

Comfort inside a home or building also suffers when an air conditioner cannot control indoor humidity.

It is not uncommon for occupants in a home or building to find that they are not comfortable at various times of the day or cooling seasons.

Although the air conditioner is controlling the temperature, the indoor humidity is bouncing up and down, typically from 45% to 75%, which affects the comfort of a home or building.

When indoor humidity levels are too high, a person's skin cannot evaporate moisture as well, which leads to discomfort.

Some air leaks in a home or building can also bring in contaminated air rather than fresh air.

Air pollutants such as mold spores, crawlspace moisture, insulation fibers, carbon monoxide, automobile exhaust, radon gas or volatile organic chemicals can contaminate this incoming air, and negatively affect the health and safety of the home or building's occupants.

However, most homes or buildings are too leaky, which causes excessive summer heat and humidity, dry air and cold drafts in the winter, creating uncomfortable rooms, excessive dust, and high heating and cooling bills year round.

These flexible cellular sheet products or insulators are typically made of petroleum products which are not environment friendly and cannot be recycled because they are not fabricated from renewable resources.

However, Close only discloses gaskets for electrical sockets and switches.

Therefore, preventing air infiltration can only be achieved by sealing all of the penetrations of an entire home, which is not taught or suggested by Close.

The reason for this is because no one has ever specifically measured the amount of air infiltration coming from these penetrations because it was thought to be insignificant.

Thus, no one bothered to expand or improve the product.

Thus, Close (which issued in 1979) combined with what is known in the art, does not teach or suggest sealing all of the penetrations of an entire home or building.

Furthermore, for almost 30 years, no one is believed to have attempted to focus on the result of sealing all electrical penetrations, since sealing electrical outlets appears to have only a very small effect on reducing air infiltration.

Thus, Close is silent on a process for sealing the entire home and lacks a device to seal all of the penetrations of a home or building.

Additionally, Close does not disclose the prevention of excessive indoor humidity and contaminated air from indoor and outdoor pollutants, which can have a significant impact on the health of the individuals residing in a home or occupying building.

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