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Window air leaks can cause a variety of problems in your home. Air leaks can lead to drafts, hot spots and cold spots in your house, depending on the time of year.
Air leaks also cause discomfort and ultimately can cause your heating and air conditioning systems to run longer and harder than necessary as they attempt to keep your house at a comfortable temperature. If you believe that your home is affected by air leaks, it’s important to check your windows and, if air leaks are discovered, to take steps to fix the problem.
There’s more than one right way to check your home for air leaks. The simplest is to do it yourself, but you can also hire a professional who should take a more comprehensive approach.
Walk around your home’s interior and exterior, checking for areas where you can see cracks or seams that are uncaulked, or protected by caulk that has begun to wear away.
Inside your home, you can also feel for drafts. This works best on days when the weather outside is windy or blustery. You may also see your curtains blowing slightly. If you hold a lit candle up to a drafty window on a windy day, the flame will likely flicker. These are all signs that your home may have air leaks around its windows.
A home energy auditor is someone who is trained to identify areas where your home’s energy efficiency could be improved. Hiring a home energy auditor will help you determine whether your home’s windows are leaking, and will also help you identify other problem areas in your home.
Often, a home energy auditor will set up a fan at a door in your home. This is often called a blower door. A blower door is a powerful fan that temporarily mounts into the frame of an exterior doorway in your home. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed gaps, cracks and openings such as gaps, cracks, or wiring penetrations. A blower door can starkly show the extent and size of air leakage problem. They may also use an infrared camera to locate air leaks.
When the energy auditor is done, they’ll provide you with a report with actions you can take to improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce your utility costs.
Once you’ve identified air leaks in your windows, it’s time to perform repairs. Sealing your windows can eliminate air leaks, help you maintain a consistent temperature indoors, lower your heating and cooling bills and generally make your life more comfortable.
The first line of defense is to replace any old, cracked caulking that has past its life expectancy and is no longer providing protection from air and water penetrating your home. Remove old caulk that’s showing signs of wear. Look for cracks, gaps and mold on your caulking. Caulk can be removed with a caulk removal tool, then replaced with a fresh tube of caulk and a caulk gun. To ensure adhesion, be sure to clean the area of any dirt or mold before installing the new caulk. If you’re replacing caulk outside our home, use exterior grade caulking to do the work.
Install weatherstripping to help seal your windows and close gaps between the window sashes and the frame. Choose the appropriate weatherstripping that is thick enough to fill the gaps, but not so thick that it will make opening and closing your windows more difficult.
Renewal by Andersen of New Jersey and New York Metro sells energy efficient, high-performance windows that don’t leak. Renewal by Andersen window frames are made from energy-efficient Fibrex, a composite material that never needs to be refinished or painted, and high-performance low-E4 glass. They’re designed to last. To learn more about how Renewal by Andersen windows can improve your home’s energy efficiency, call the toll-free number today: (866) 609-5033 or fill in the short form on this page.
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