Air leaks in your home are a big waste of energy, since they allow heat to escape in the winter and infiltrate your home in the summer. If you find and seal air leaks in your home, you can save a lot of money on your energy bills.
Finding air leaks in your home is a fairly straightforward task. One good method is to take a lighted candle or incense stick and stroll around the interior side of your home’s outer envelope. Watch for places where the smoke or flame wavers. That will signal an air leak. This will be most effective if you close all doors and windows beforehand, and turn on all exhaust fans, in order to depressurize the home. Likely spots for air leaks include windows and doors, places where utility wires, pipes or vents come into the house, and areas where building materials are joined.
Sealing air leaks
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Use caulk or weatherstripping to seal air leaks around windows and doors.
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Seal air leaks where plumbing, electrical wiring, conduit or ductwork comes through the walls.
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Foam gaskets will help to seal up air leaks in switch and wall outlets.
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Look for dirty spots in the insulation for leaks or mold and seal them with low-expansion spray foam; then you may also need to install flashing.
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If you see any dirty spots on the ceiling or carpet, this may be a sign of an air leak as well, especially at the joints of the floor and wall, or ceiling and wall. Simply caulking them should seal air leaks.
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The best way to prevent leaks from single-pane windows is to replace them with double-pane windows or install storm windows.
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For bigger gaps around window or moldings, use spray foam sealant to close air leaks.
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When not in use, cover your kitchen exhaust fan.
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Be sure that your fireplace flue is closed when you aren’t using it.
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Replace door sweeps and threshold with flexible ones.
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Seal around any chimneys that go through your ceiling and roof with fire-resistant materials such as sheet rock, sheet metal or furnace caulk.
If you have any questions or concerns about sealing air leaks in your Lorain area home, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning, so one of our trained professionals can help you out.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about sealing air leaks and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area