Time is running short for Las Vegas residents to seal up their home and prepare for the coming summer heat. Homes are full of air leaks where your precious cool air simply flows outside. These air leaks within the home can cost homeowners hundreds of dollars each year. As the air conditioner works to cool down the home all the efforts can be lost right out the window. Hal Mechanical wants to share how to stop and reduce air leaks in your home as well as steps towards proper energy management for your residence.
Air Leak Detector; How to Locate Drafts in the House
Most air leaks are located around the doors and windows. Both exterior doors and windows are responsible for 25% of air loss in the home. Windows may not be closed tightly or often the sealing and weather stripping wears down and requires replacing. In determining if your home’s doors and windows have an air leak, you will want to test each one. To test for air leaks in your home you will want an incense stick. You can light the tip and then watch as it begins to burn. The smoke will let you know if you have an air leak. Start by turning off your air conditioner unit and wait ten minutes so the entire system shuts down. With your lit incense stick go around to each door and window and hold the stick close to the seams and edges. If the smoke gets disturbed there is an air leak. Make sure to keep notes of which doors and windows have an issue as well as the spot where the smoke was disturbed. Also with the air conditioning turned off, hold the incense stick up to the air vents in each room. If the smoke is disturbed then you also have a leak in the duct work. This can also waste cool air and energy. You can also check around outlets, light fixtures, and anything that has a hole in a wall for a fixture should be tested.
How to Stop Air from Leaking Around a Door, Window & Other Places
After you have located all of the air leaks in your home you will want to stop the air leaks. One of the best tools or methods of stopping air leaks is with a weatherproof caulking. The area where the smoke was disturbed often will have a small crack where you will want to use the caulking to fill in and seal. Begin sealing all of the areas where you found the air leaks with the caulking. Windows and doors often use weatherstripping to seal them when they are shut or closed. The weatherstripping may need to be replaced to prevent leaks through the doors and windows. There are different types of weatherstripping. When replacing it, make sure to use the proper types of weatherstripping to ensure the doors and windows are sealed. For outlets and fixture holes in the home you can uses a foam gasket to act as a sealer to reduce air leaks through the walls.
Duct Work Sealing, Repair of Window & Door Seals, HVAC Energy Management & More in Aliante, Anthem, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Enterprise, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson, Inspirada, Mountain’s Edge, North LV, Peccole Ranch, Paradise, Providence, Rhodes Ranch, Seven Hills, Silverado Ranch, Spring Valley, Summerlin, Sunrise Manor, The Lakes, Tuscany Village & Las Vegas Nevada
For additional and professional aid in managing your home energy and HVAC system, contact Hal Mechanical for quality services today.
