Fall is here, Is your home ready for the Seasons!
Feel Drafts?
First, check around your windows to see whether they’re letting a lot of air in and out. How do the edges look? How is the base of the window? Is your sliding storm window collecting moisture on the inside? Close your windows and place a thin piece of paper near the edges. You can also place a draft snake across the leak. Draft snakes are tubes that are stuffed with fabric. You can place these across the bottoms of windows are doors, but they aren’t as efficient as caulking the actual leak.If it moves, you have air moving in and out of your house. You can usually seal window leaks by caulking around the window.
If you notice a lot of moisture around the window and rotten wood, or the air motion seems to be very large, it might be time to call in a professional to make sure that your windows and frames are structurally sound.
Placing Barriers Across the Windows
To prevent heat from moving out of the windows, you can place a barrier across the windows. If you have blackout blinds from the summer, these thick blinds work well as a window barrier during the winter. Keep them closed as much as possible. Cellular shades also act as a window barrier, providing some entry for the light while keeping windows from losing a lot of heat. You can also place a thick layer of window film plastic across your windows. This plastic acts as a temporary barrier to seal up the window for the winter and can be removed when the weather warms up.
The Blower Door Test
Perhaps your windows aren’t your biggest source of energy leakage. If you’d like to determine how to make your entire house more energy efficient, you can find the sources of leaks using a blower door test. This test is done by a professional and reveals where air moves in and out of your house.
Take the time to do these 3 basic checks, you will be happy you did. This season don't let your heat go out the window!
