Do you feel that chill in the air? That’s right; winter has come! And as we bundle up in our homes, trying to stay warm, we want to do everything we can to secure our homes from the worst winter will bring. But, now that you’re inside, why are you still feeling that winter breeze? You might not know it, but cold air could be leaking into your home! Drafty houses are typical and require a little work to seal up. However, the first step to sealing your home is finding the source of potential air leaks. And with these DIY solutions from Doerr Siding & Window, you can quickly pinpoint where drafts are coming from.
Where Are Air Leaks Most Common?
Before you start looking in every nook and cranny for potential leaks, you ought to start in the most likely locations where air can escape into your home. If you start in these locations, you’re likely to find the source of air leakage quickly. As such, the most common locations for household air leaks include:
- Attic Knee Walls
- Attic Hatch
- Fireplace Well
- Wiring Holes
- Plumbing Vents
- Furnace Ducts
- Windows
- Doors
- Basement Rim Joists
While air leaks can be found at other locations around your home, these areas are where you should begin your search.
Prep Your Home for Leak Hunting
The next step in your quest to find air leaks should be eliminating any extraneous factors that might result in a draft (or prevent one). Check all your windows and doors, ensuring they’re all tightly closed and secure. Next, turn off all combustion appliances and exhaust fans. And finally, plan on doing your search for leaks during an especially windy day, so you can best determine where a leak might be.
Check for Leaks
Now you’re ready to pinpoint the location of that pesky draft! There are several methods you can use to find air leaks, some that work better than others. However, depending on what you have available to use, here are some of the best DIY methods for locating household air leaks:
- Cracks and Gaps – Leak locations aren’t always the most obvious. However, on rare occasions, you can find a crack or gap that’s the source of a draft. Checking for cracks and gaps should be the first thing you do to see where an air leak is most likely to be. After the initial check, there are additional methods to test potential problem spots.
- Flashlight Check – Through the power of light, you can locate cracks or gaps in your home. For the flashlight check, be sure you have two of you to perform this test. The first of you will shine a flashlight on areas you suspect to be the source of an air leak. The person on the outside (or inside) will then check the area you’re shining to confirm if the light is reaching through. If it does, you have a leak!
- Paper Test – This basic but effective test is best done during a windy day. You can use any “single” piece of paper to see whether there’s airflow at some of the most common leak spots. For example, if you hold up your piece of paper in front of a window frame or electrical outlet and it doesn’t move, those areas should be secure. However, if your paper does move, you’ve found an air leak.
- Dollar Bill Test – For this test, you don’t necessarily need a windy day to perform. The purpose of this air leak check is to determine the nature of seals on your windows and doors. Place a dollar bill onto an open frame and shut your window or door on it. If you cannot slip the bill out of the frame, your windows or doors have enough seals to prevent airflow. However, if that bill comes out easily, it might be time to consider replacement windows or doors.
- Smoke Test – With your house secured and the wind blowing, you can attempt a smoke test. This air leak check is one of the more popular DIY options for finding a draft, especially for windows and doors. However, for the best results, be sure to use an incense stick as your smoke source. After you light the incense, hold it up to a window or door and observe the smoke. If nothing happens, everything is good! However, if the smoke stream is interrupted by a draft, sucked toward the window/door, or blown away, you’ve found an air leak.
You Found a Leak! What Now?
Once you’ve located the source of a draft, you, of course, want to seal it up. Otherwise, why would you have been looking in the first place? Depending on where the air leak is, there are different ways to resolve your draft issue. For example, cracks or gaps can be closed up using caulk. Or, weather stripping on your windows and doors might be enough to stop airflow. However, when it comes to windows and doors, weather stripping sometimes isn’t enough. It might be time to make an update to new, energy-efficient windows and doors for your home. And nowhere in the Greater Peoria area can you find better products and installation than from the experts at Doerr Siding & Window.
If interested in selecting new doors or windows for your home, you can give the Doerr team a call today! Contact us at 309-694-9561. Also, we are located at 603 Pinecrest Dr, East Peoria, IL 61611. After you find air leaks in your home, Doerr Siding & Window can provide you with the best solution!