Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

I have placed electrical plate insulators on my outside wall outlets,
and I still have cold air coming thru the actual electrical plug holes!
Although the cold air is piercing thru these small slits/gaps, would
this still be too negligible to have an affect on my heating costs? If
so, I certainly won't bother with anything else past the insulators,
which are surely helpling somewhat, or, perhaps they are simply
blocking one route and therefore the air coming out of the electrical
holes themselves is now escaping with slightly more force, making the
whole effort a waste of my time?

I have Water based heat running thru copper with small radiant fins,
which I really like for quickly heating my house.

Just wondering what I can do at this point, if the airflow in NOT
neglible for my heating costs, then I'll consider continuing my crusade
for energy efficacy ;-).

Thanks in advance.

bd

Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

I doubt the exchange of air via the plug/socket holes is costing you
much in heating. But, you can get some cheap plastic plugs to put in
them; they're designed to "child-proof" outlets.

bd420 wrote:
I have placed electrical plate insulators on my outside wall outlets,
and I still have cold air coming thru the actual electrical plug holes!
Although the cold air is piercing thru these small slits/gaps, would
this still be too negligible to have an affect on my heating costs? If
so, I certainly won't bother with anything else past the insulators,
which are surely helpling somewhat, or, perhaps they are simply
blocking one route and therefore the air coming out of the electrical
holes themselves is now escaping with slightly more force, making the
whole effort a waste of my time?

I have Water based heat running thru copper with small radiant fins,
which I really like for quickly heating my house.

Just wondering what I can do at this point, if the airflow in NOT
neglible for my heating costs, then I'll consider continuing my crusade
for energy efficacy ;-).

Thanks in advance.

bd

Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

bd420 wrote:

I have placed electrical plate insulators on my outside wall outlets,
and I still have cold air coming thru the actual electrical plug holes!
Although the cold air is piercing thru these small slits/gaps, would
this still be too negligible to have an affect on my heating costs? If
so, I certainly won't bother with anything else past the insulators,
which are surely helpling somewhat, or, perhaps they are simply
blocking one route and therefore the air coming out of the electrical
holes themselves is now escaping with slightly more force, making the
whole effort a waste of my time?

I have Water based heat running thru copper with small radiant fins,
which I really like for quickly heating my house.

Just wondering what I can do at this point, if the airflow in NOT
neglible for my heating costs, then I'll consider continuing my crusade
for energy efficacy ;-).

Thanks in advance.

bd

try using Great Stuff spray foam. Just be carefull how much you use, it
expands uncontrollably. Test it first.

--
"you can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"

Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

bd420 wrote:
I have placed electrical plate insulators on my outside wall outlets,
and I still have cold air coming thru the actual electrical plug holes!
Although the cold air is piercing thru these small slits/gaps, would
this still be too negligible to have an affect on my heating costs? If
so, I certainly won't bother with anything else past the insulators,
which are surely helpling somewhat, or, perhaps they are simply
blocking one route and therefore the air coming out of the electrical
holes themselves is now escaping with slightly more force, making the
whole effort a waste of my time?

I have Water based heat running thru copper with small radiant fins,
which I really like for quickly heating my house.

Just wondering what I can do at this point, if the airflow in NOT
neglible for my heating costs, then I'll consider continuing my crusade
for energy efficacy ;-).

Thanks in advance.

bd

If you're not constantly plugging things in and out, I'd certainly get
those "safety" outlet plugs and stick them in the outer wall outlets.
Lots of folks who previously had toddlers have a pile of them somewhere
you might take off their hands, too. (they're useless for toddlers of
course, who develop the ability to take them out very early, then
decide to stick them in their mouths).

Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

try using Great Stuff spray foam. Just be carefull how much you use, it
expands uncontrollably. Test it first.

Note, they do make different kinds of this foam. Using just the 'regular'
foam may not be a great idea. It expands QUITE a bit. They make another
variant that expands with less pressure. This is the sort you'd use around
windows. If you used the regular stuff you run the risk of having it expand
such that it causes the window to bind.

When insulating an outlet be sure NOT TO PUT THE FOAM IN THE WIRING BOX.
The foam is permanent, it does not lend itself to ever being removed.
Certainly not without wrecking whatever it covered. If you put it inside
the electrical box you not only ruin any chance of ever fixing the wires,
you may also be introducing an added fire hazard. So DO NOt spray it into
the box that contains the wires and the outlet. And if/when you did spray
it around the outside of the box be sure to NOT use too much such that it
squeezes INTO the box.

That's why I suggested NOT using the regular variety. If you use the less
expanding foam most likely the worst thing that'd happen is you'd end up
needing more of it. I'd rather use another can instead of having one expand
too much, become impossible to remove and ruin things.

Whichever foam you use be prepared to use the whole can, right then. They
don't keep. Get all your outlets prepped before starting. Along with any
other cracks leaking air.

Read the instructions on it carefully and be prepared for a mess.

-Bill Kearney

Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

bd420 wrote:
I have placed electrical plate insulators on my outside wall outlets,
and I still have cold air coming thru the actual electrical plug holes!
Although the cold air is piercing thru these small slits/gaps, would
this still be too negligible to have an affect on my heating costs? If
so, I certainly won't bother with anything else past the insulators,
which are surely helpling somewhat, or, perhaps they are simply
blocking one route and therefore the air coming out of the electrical
holes themselves is now escaping with slightly more force, making the
whole effort a waste of my time?

I have Water based heat running thru copper with small radiant fins,
which I really like for quickly heating my house.

Just wondering what I can do at this point, if the airflow in NOT
neglible for my heating costs, then I'll consider continuing my crusade
for energy efficacy ;-).

Thanks in advance.

bd

Hi,
Every air leak counts but too air tightness has draw back too. You have
to get fresh air from outside now and then. If you really want to plug
up the air leak there, spray foam out of can will do. Bit messy tho.
My house is VERY well insulated. Cool in summer, warm in winter.
It is so called R2000 spec'd house.
If you really want to, have expert come in and do an assessment on
energy efficiency at a cost. There are many ways to save energy but one
is better than another in cost.
Tony

Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

Bill Kearney wrote:
try using Great Stuff spray foam. Just be carefull how much you use, it
expands uncontrollably. Test it first.

Note, they do make different kinds of this foam. Using just the 'regular'
foam may not be a great idea. It expands QUITE a bit. They make another
variant that expands with less pressure. This is the sort you'd use around
windows. If you used the regular stuff you run the risk of having it expand
such that it causes the window to bind.

True. The regular stuff expands **quite a bit** even after you think
it's stopped expanding. The introduction of the low expansion stuff
opens a lot of applications;.


When insulating an outlet be sure NOT TO PUT THE FOAM IN THE WIRING BOX.
The foam is permanent, it does not lend itself to ever being removed.
Certainly not without wrecking whatever it covered. If you put it inside
the electrical box you not only ruin any chance of ever fixing the wires,
you may also be introducing an added fire hazard. So DO NOt spray it into
the box that contains the wires and the outlet. And if/when you did spray
it around the outside of the box be sure to NOT use too much such that it
squeezes INTO the box.

That's why I suggested NOT using the regular variety. If you use the less
expanding foam most likely the worst thing that'd happen is you'd end up
needing more of it. I'd rather use another can instead of having one expand
too much, become impossible to remove and ruin things.

Whichever foam you use be prepared to use the whole can, right then. They
don't keep. Get all your outlets prepped before starting. Along with any
other cracks leaking air.

Read the instructions on it carefully and be prepared for a mess.

Yeah, aside from everything else this is the stickiest stuff in the
universe,.

-Bill Kearney

Even with electrical plate insulators, cold air is leaking thru...
 

Thanks, the toddler plugs idea seems to be the best and cheapest, since
I still have those in my possession, if that doesn't work sufficiently,
the low expanding foam outside/behind the box is a great idea as well.

Thanks everyone for the quick replies :-)

bd
z wrote:
bd420 wrote:
I have placed electrical plate insulators on my outside wall outlets,
and I still have cold air coming thru the actual electrical plug holes!
Although the cold air is piercing thru these small slits/gaps, would
this still be too negligible to have an affect on my heating costs? If
so, I certainly won't bother with anything else past the insulators,
which are surely helpling somewhat, or, perhaps they are simply
blocking one route and therefore the air coming out of the electrical
holes themselves is now escaping with slightly more force, making the
whole effort a waste of my time?

I have Water based heat running thru copper with small radiant fins,
which I really like for quickly heating my house.

Just wondering what I can do at this point, if the airflow in NOT
neglible for my heating costs, then I'll consider continuing my crusade
for energy efficacy ;-).

Thanks in advance.

bd

If you're not constantly plugging things in and out, I'd certainly get
those "safety" outlet plugs and stick them in the outer wall outlets.
Lots of folks who previously had toddlers have a pile of them somewhere
you might take off their hands, too. (they're useless for toddlers of
course, who develop the ability to take them out very early, then
decide to stick them in their mouths).