Stay warm this winter while keeping your energy bill down:
Check your home inside and out for air leaks, finding and filling cracks or gaps.
In most cases the leaks can be sealed by caulking, weather stripping and/or spray foam.
EXTERIOR:
Inspect all areas where two different building materials meet:
· All exterior corners
· Outdoor water faucets
· Where the siding and chimneys meet
· Areas where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding meet
· Mail slots
· Windows & Doors: (see if you can rattle them, movement means possible air leaks). If you can see daylight around doors or window frames, then they leak.
· Fill any cracks or gaps in your siding and foundation.
INTERIOR:
Inspect around the following areas for any cracks and gaps that could cause air leaks:
· Electrical outlets
· Switch plates
· Door and window frames
· Electrical and gas service entrances
· Baseboards
· Weather stripping around doors
· Fireplace dampers
· Attic hatches
· Wall or window mounted air conditioners
· Cable TV and phone lines
· Where dryer vents pass through walls
· Vents and fans
· Openings around electrical and plumbing fixtures & furnace ducts
· Check the top of the basement walls where the foundation meets wood
DIY LEAK DETECTION METHODS:
Building pressurization test: Turn off all combustion appliances such as gas furnace and water heaters on a cool, very windy day. Shut all windows, exterior doors and fireplace flues. Turn on all exhaust fans that blow air outside, such as your clothes dryer, bathroom fans, stove vents or use a large window fan to suck the air out of the rooms. Light an incense stick and pass it around the edges of common leak sites. Wherever the smoke wavers or is sucked out of or blown into the room, there is a leak.
Shining a flashlight at night over all potential gaps while a partner observes the house from outside. Large cracks will show up as rays of light. (Not a good way to detect small cracks)
Shut a door or window on a dollar bill. If you can pull the dollar bill out without it dragging, you’re losing energy.
On a cold day with the heat on inside use a damp hand to place around edges of windows, doors, vents, fans and electrical outlets. If you feel cold air on your hand, then you have an air leak.
If you are unable to perform these tests or you simply do not have time, call Ashmore Home Improvement, we will be happy to check your home for air leaks and make repairs where necessary!
