Easy Ways to Detect Air Leaks in Your Home
A leaky house is significantly less energy efficient than a tightly sealed one. Being familiar with how to find air leaks in your house, sealing those leaks and scheduling a home energy assessment when needed can help you maintain a cozy living environment and decrease your energy bills.
Detecting Air Leaks from Inside Your Home
Initiate your air leak inspection on the inside. Here are four reliable ways for looking for air leaks in your house:
- Conduct a thorough visual inspection, looking for gaps and cracks around windows, doors, electrical outlets and baseboards. Pay special attention to the corners of rooms, given that gaps can often be found there.
- Hold your hand around potentially leaky locations on a cold or windy day. If you sense a draft, you’ve discovered an air leak.
- Do a smoke test by lighting an incense stick or smoke pen. Then, slowly move it around the edges of windows, doors and other potential problem areas. If an air leak is occurring in this location, the smoke will blow around or get sucked toward the gap, revealing the site of the leak. The smoke test is most effective when conducted on a windy day.
- Utilize an infrared thermometer or thermal camera to identify temperature differences around your home. These devices help you locate locations with major temperature variations, which often are caused by air leaks.
Detecting Air Leaks from Outside Your Home
Examining the home’s outdoor structure can also uncover potential leaks. Here are two methods for detecting air leaks from the outside:
- Conduct a visual inspection, paying close attention to corners and places where different materials meet. Search for gaps or cracks that could lead to air leaks, as well as deteriorated caulk or weatherstripping and poorly sealed vents and exhaust fans.
- Conduct the garden hose test on a cool day. This is where someone sprays water from a garden hose onto the outside of the house while another person stands inside close to a suspected air leak. If there’s a leak, the person inside ought to feel cold air or moisture entering through the gap.
Sealing Air Leaks
After identifying significant air leaks, it’s time to address the issue. Here are the best ways to sealing air leaks in your home:
- Use caulk to seal small gaps and cracks around windows, doors and other areas where air is escaping. Pick a top-quality, long-lasting caulk made for indoor or outdoor use and the specific materials you’re using to ensure a durable seal. Follow the manufacturer’s details for proper application and curing time.
- Apply weatherstripping to doors and windows to help them close tightly. Various types of weatherstripping are on the market, such as adhesive-backed foam tape, V-strip and door sweeps. Select the ideal style for your needs and follow the installation recommendations.
- Use expanding foam to fill and seal larger gaps and holes. Expanding foam comes in a can with a spray applicator for quick application in hard-to-reach spots. Wear protective gloves and stick to the manufacturer’s instructions to make sure you stay safe.
- Install insulation to newly sealed walls and attic floors to further reduce heat transfer. Whether or not you already have some insulation, consider upgrading to a higher R-value or adding more insulation where you need more.
- Add door sweeps along the bottom of external doors to prevent drafts. Door sweeps are made in various materials and designs to meet your desires and aesthetic preferences.
Considering a Comprehensive Home Energy Assessment
A home energy assessment is invaluable for identifying sneaky air leaks and identifying areas of improvement. A professional energy auditor does this inspection, which includes the following:
- A blower door test entails setting up a temporary door with a powerful fan over an exterior door opening. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the inside air pressure and pulling in outside air through unsealed openings. This test measures your home’s air tightness and makes thermal camera images more pronounced.
- Infrared imaging helps the energy auditor locate temperature discrepancies in the walls, floors and ceilings, revealing unseen air leaks and insulation deficiencies.
- A combustion safety test makes certain your home heating system, water heater and other combustion appliances are operating safely and effectively, reducing the risk of potentially harmful carbon monoxide buildup.
- A homeowner interview is when the energy auditor analyzes your energy usage habits, home maintenance history and comfort challenges to identify additional energy-saving possibilities.
Schedule a Comprehensive Home Energy Assessment
While doing your own air leak tests is a good launching point, talking everything over with a professional is far more thorough. Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help you improve your home’s air tightness with an extensive home energy assessment and personalized solutions to maximize effectiveness and comfort.