Detect Colds Drafts in Your Home

Energy bills in the winter months can cause anxiety for many. Improper insulation, old windows, damaged weather stripping, cracks, or attic access’ leaking cool air all create drafts within your home. Paying a professional to come to identify the problem, PLUS fixing it can be rather costly and slow. The typical energy efficiency audit costs between $300 and $500. Waiting for the contractor’s schedule to allow them to come to inspect and fix the problems, may leave you looking at a couple of added weeks with high energy use.

While cold drafts may not seem like too much of an annoyance, you will soon find your comfort at their mercy. Cold drafts can account for up to 30% of your home’s heating costs! If the cold draft is coming in through the walls or floor, it may cause discomfort when you are sitting close to these areas. You might notice cold spots or cold air pooling near your exterior walls or floor registers. This cold air causes the cold floors and cold walls (or other cold areas of the room) to feel uncomfortable.

Additionally, you may be wasting money on energy costs for your entire home because your furnace is running constantly to maintain a warm temperature throughout your home. Your heating bill will be much more expensive (higher energy costs) if cold air is infiltrating your home.

There are many cold drafts to look out for. Some cold spots will not necessarily manifest themselves in cold temperatures but can be felt like a cold area of the room or house that just doesn’t feel right. You may notice some cold areas on your floor, cold air coming from outside (often cold air will enter below doors or through windows), cold doorways (which may be where cold drafts are entering the home), cold walls (that you can feel when you walk close to them) and cold spots on your furniture.

There are four main types of cold drafts:

– cold air coming into your home from the cold exterior cold air, cold breezes or cold spots that are not cold enough to cause discomfort.

– cold drafts where cold air is entering your home through cracks, unsealed seams, and other paths in the house envelope (home insulation).

– cold drafts are caused by the cold exterior surfaces of your home.

– cold drafts are caused by the cold exterior surfaces of your home.

In some cases, cold drafts may be accompanied by condensation on windows. Condensation can occur when warm moist air hits a cold window or cold surface. You may also see a ring of moisture forming on the wall above the cold draft site. The more extreme the cold draft, the more likely there will be condensation on cold exterior surfaces.

Cold drafts coming from cold exterior cold air, cold breezes, or cold spots that are not cold enough to cause discomfort can be located by paying close attention to where you feel cold areas of your home. If you notice a cold area in one corner of your room (especially cold spots near the cold exterior wall), cold drafts may be entering from cracks in seams in the insulation.

Colder exterior cold surfaces of your home can cause cold drafts – especially cold surfaces such as uninsulated areas of your basement and garage floor, and cold exterior walls. If you conduct a thorough exterior inspection and determine that there are no cold drafts entering your home through the exterior cold air, cold breezes, or cold spots that are not cold enough to cause discomfort and check for condensation on cold exterior window surfaces and the cold draft still exists – there is a good chance that cold drafts may be entering through cold exterior walls of your home.

Cold drafts coming from cold exterior walls of your home can be located by first, identifying the cold exterior walls of your home. You may feel cold drafts coming from cold exterior walls when you are sitting close to cold exterior walls in your room. Then, start inspecting the cold exterior wall for cold drafts entering through cold exterior surfaces of your home – there are many potential culprits, especially if your home is older, so be thorough. Some cold exterior wall cold draft sites can be located by checking for condensation on cold exterior window surfaces and cold drafts coming from cold outside walls, particularly in the early morning hours when cold weather is present.

How to Fix a Cold Draft

Now that you have identified the location of the cold draft – there are several methods to fix a cold draft. Fixing a cold draft takes some effort, planning, and work (and cost) but with time you will notice the difference in how much your energy costs for your entire home because your furnace is running constantly to maintain a warm temperature throughout your home. Fixing a cold draft is worth it!

Cold air leaks will not be fixed by simply taping or caulking around windows and doors or adding insulation to exterior walls. Fixing cold drafts requires more than just sealing the cracks – you may need insulation added, drywall replaced, molding installed, covering wiring ducts – this all takes time and money. Fixing a draft can be a big project, but it is completely worth the effort in energy savings! Fixing a cold draft will increase your home’s comfort level, reduce dust and allergens inside your home caused by constant drafts blowing around dust, pollen, and pet dander – which also reduces the number of cleaning you need to do and the amount of dusting you need to perform too! Fix your drafty windows and doors, add insulation in crawl spaces and attic, replace duct board with fiberglass ductwork.

When to Hire a Professional to Fix Your Cold Drafts

Cold drafts may also be caused by aging roofing, flat roofs, or gable end leaks. If you cannot find any cold exterior window surfaces and the problem is not found to be located in your basement or garage, it might be time to call for professional help – especially if the drafty area is located on your roof.

If you are not comfortable fixing a cold draft yourself, you can always hire someone to fix your cold drafts and save the money and headache of trying to figure out how to locate and fix a cold draft. Professionals will often charge by the hour for locating and fixing a cold draft – so finding the location of a cold draft may cost more than just hiring someone in the first place. You can also hire a contractor to find and fix cold drafts in your home for you – where all you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the improved comfort level inside your home.

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