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Keeping your home a comfortable, yet cost
effective, temperature each season is something
every homeowner battles with each year. Did you
know that any air leaks in your home work
against its energy efficiency? Doors and windows
can be a major source of heating and air loss if
they are not sealed properly and ultimately
result in higher utility bills. So as the heat
of summer and the cold of winter approach, you
need to make your doors and window a top
priority in your energy efficiency check list.
Begin with your doors. When a door is
installed in a new home it is sealed very well
against the elements outside. But, as time goes
by several things occur which begin to let air
leak to the outside. In a thorough inspection,
which you can do yourself, you need to check the
following things:
•Caulking
around the exterior of the door where it meets
the material used to clad the exterior.
•Weather
stripping around the opening of the door.
•Weather
stripping sometimes attached to the bottom of
the door.
•Seal
around any panes of glass the door may have.
•Interior
seal between the casing and the wall.
First let’s examine the caulking around the
exterior of the door. Throughout the seasons,
the caulking has a tendency to expand and
shrink. Many times in winter this will shrink
and pull away from its original position. In
this instance you need to re-caulk with a
weather proof exterior caulk, usually silicon
based, and paint with the trim color. In some
cases clear caulk may be applied to small areas
where no painting would be necessary. That is a
cosmetic issue on which you will have to make
the judgment call.
Next, check the weather stripping around
the opening of the door. Has it lost its shape
from use? Is it torn anywhere? This must be
replaced in order for air not escape past the
damaged areas. Also you should check the bottom
of the door. Is there a piece of weather
stripping attached? Many times this is the first
piece to go as it is constantly making contact
with the door sill. While materials today are
good, they just will not last forever.
Now, let us check the glass panes. This
will probably give you the least trouble, but
depending on the construction and age of the
door, the panes may become loose allowing air to
escape around them. Sometimes a touch of clear
silicon caulk can be used to seal the leak, and
once dried the excess can be removed with a
razor blade.
Finally, inspect the interior door casing.
Over time, from movement and settling, the
casing of a door may move away from the wall and
a crack will develop, leaving a route for air to
escape to the exterior. For this problem you
need to get interior latex caulk and re-caulk
between the wooden casing and the drywall. Once
you have done this, you can paint it with trim
paint and then later, after proper drying time,
tape and cut the wall paint back into the trim.
It will be as good as new. Sometimes a rubber
mallet and thick cloth is just the two tools you
will need to tap the casing back closer to the
wall before you reseal it. Also, depending on
the age of the doorway and the severity of the
problem, you may want to remove all of the old
caulk and start with a fresh bead.
For windows
you need to follow the exact same procedures.
You must check the exterior caulking, the
weather stripping, the seal of the glass and
interior seal between the window casing and the
wall. Follow all the same procedure as detailed
for doors. As your house ages, you will notice
that these things begin to happen. Once you
think about how many windows and doors you have
in your home, you will realize just how much air
can escape from your home.
Additionally, it
causes your heating and air conditioning system
to work harder than it has to, which reduces its
lifespan. So save money on your monthly power
bills and increase the life of your HVAC system
by maintaining a proper seal on your doors and
windows. If you do not want to tackle this
project by yourself, you can call a local window
and door company for a referral or locate a
handyman service. It will be well worth your
time. |
