September 21, 2009

Door and Window Draft Problems

Even though it can be nice to live in the sunny south, the summer months can be very tedious due to those high temperatures and high humidity percentages. Even worse, especially for those who do not have much money, the utility bill associated at the end of the month really reminds them about all that air conditioning. How long will it be before the winter comes? You can see how those door and window draft issues really hurt.

Whether you live in the hot south on the cold north, the chances are that you will have to spend quite a lot of money to artificially alter the temperature inside your home, to either cool or warm it. If you have a door and window draft issue then you are wasting quite a lot of money, even though you may not be able to physically see it. You must take steps to address this problem before it eats you out of house and home.

It is true to say that there are a number of different places around your home prone to leakage, including the attic, the roofing and even the flooring to a certain extent. However, the biggest potential for savings comes in the area of door and window draft issues. You may have to consider caulking or weatherstripping, but the simplest solutions are often appropriate.

Many people tend to panic when they see the size of the utility bill and think that they have to spend considerable amounts of money to double glaze their windows, for example. When they identify the problem areas, door and window draft fixes can be as simple as purchasing snakes, specially designed stoppers that just fit in place snuggly and do the job perfectly.

The moment you get the next outrageous electricity bill, take action to find out where door and window draft issues are the biggest problem. You will need to detect where the leaks exists around the frames. So, on a windy day, turn the furnace off, put all bathroom fans on and close all windows and doors. The effect will blow air outside and suck outdoor air inside. Then, all you have to do is take a lighted match and pass it around the edges of the door and window frames to see where you have an issue.

There is no need to consider capital projects when you have leaking problems around the home. If you get draft stoppers, you can manipulate them so that they fit every area where there is a leak. As they are filled with ground corn cob which is an efficient insulator and made from polypropylene, they are durable and resistant.

Sometimes settling in older homes or other issues can cause larger air leak problems and these locations may have to be caulked. Note that this can be a tricky operation and the finished result may not look very good. In most cases you should be able to put purpose made draft stoppers in place which will be more cost effective and a lot simpler.

If you have just passed through your expensive utility season or are just about to head into it, this is the best time to sort out all your window and door draft problems. Just make sure that you do something!

About the Author:
StumbleUpon It!

Filed under Saving Money by .

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Login.

Register Login