Dealing With Drafts In Your Home
Everyone wants a comfortable, warm home throughout the wintertime. Unfortunately, many homes don’t feel this way because they have a hard time maintaining warm indoor temperatures. Many homeowners compensate by turning up the temperature. However, your home becomes less energy efficient. It also results in a higher energy bill. As a consequence, an inefficient home is very expensive to maintain.
By detecting and preventing drafts and air leaks in your home…
you can enjoy greater energy efficiency. This also improves the comfort of your home throughout the whole year, not just in the winter. Air sealing your home is one of the best ways to reduce your home heating costs. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the best ways in which you can find the common air leaks found in homes in Toms River NJ.
Tips And Tricks For Air Leak Prevention
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There’s an old saying that mentions how a small amount of prevention is worth a large amount of cure. This is definitely true, especially when you’re trying to prevent a drafty home.
The first step in preventing air leaks from invading your home requires some research. You need to know how to seal air leaks in your home. You also need to know how to locate drafts in the house. When you know where to find the most common air leaks, you’ll be able to find your home’s biggest energy drains.
Start Smart
Start with the areas that are actually the biggest and most expensive culprits when it comes to energy loss in most homes. These include:
- Attic: Your attic needs to have the proper insulation. Look for any noticeable cracks or gaps there and fill them with squirt foam.
- Basement: Your basement shouldn’t have any cracks, not even hair-thin ones. Locate and seal these so that you can prevent any cold air from invading the upper levels and bedrooms of your home.
Remember, in larger homes, you’ll probably find several small leaks that will add up to a lot of money over the long term.
Run Air Leak Tests In Each Room
A good option is to hire a contractor…
with the proper air leak detector tools. They’ll find any areas in your home that have problems. Once found, your technician will offer you suggestions on how to improve your home’s energy efficiency. You will be surprised to find out home many areas of your home lose energy!
There are also some easy air sealing techniques that you can do yourself. Once you no longer have any air leaks in your home’s attic or basement, make sure to go through each room inspecting those areas where leaks are most likely to occur. Be sure to check cracks along doorways and window frames.
Recognizing The Common Culprits
Research shows that one of the leading causes of air leaks are recessed lights. There are two easy steps for preventing this:
- Buy lights that are labeled as being ‘ICAT’ (insulation contact and air tight)
- Add an airtight baffle to seal your existing lights
- Plug any open-stud cavities in your walls with insulation-stuffed garbage bags so that you stop the airflow in these areas.
- Close off any gaps that surround your chimney and flue.
- Properly caulk your windows and door frames’ edges to prevent small leaks, which will have a big impact in the long term. If you don’t know how to check for air leaks around windows, then be sure to ask a professional or do some research.
As a homeowner, you probably don’t realize how hard your furnace must work to compensate for air leaks.
When you cover your home’s drafts and air leaks, you’ll notice a major difference in your home’s heating costs. This is because your heater doesn’t have to work as hard. By reducing the amount of stress you place on your furnace, you extend its lifespan, decrease repair costs, enhance the comfort levels of your home, and much more.
Common Air Leaks In Homes Toms River NJ
Oftentimes home maintenance feels like a drain on both your time and your finances. When you stay on top of any potential issues, you’re being proactive in minimizing the emergence of larger home issues in the future. When you have the right knowledge, such as where air leaks are typically found, you can protect yourself by preventing a lot of the air leaks that cause an inefficient home.
Air leak prevention doesn’t only enhance your home’s energy efficiency, giving your home’s heating system a tune-up also helps. You need to maintain your heater annually so your home stays nice and warm throughout the wintertime. This also helps cut down on the amount of money you pay each month in energy costs since your heater doesn’t have to work as hard.
Contact Point Bay Fuel to schedule an appointment today. We have NATE certified HVAC contractors who can enhance your system’s performance and suggest alternative ways to improve your home’s energy use as well. The money you spend now is saved in the future. Call our office today to schedule an appointment.
Some of the areas we service include: Beachwood, Brick, Ocean Gate, Toms River and these zip codes: 08722, 08723, 08740, 08753 as well as all surrounding areas in Jersey Shore.
Contact us now by calling (732) 349-5059 to speak to one of our home comfort specialists!