How to Combat a Drafty House This Winter

Older homes are notorious for being drafty, but guess what? Lots of newer homes are drafty too. So whether you have a new or an old home, what's a beleaguered homeowner to do? You're tired of trying to heat your home in winter, knowing the warm air just rises up to the ceiling and seems to be lost in space while your home's occupants shiver at ground level. 

There are some solutions for a drafty house, but be advised, it's not necessarily an easy or cheap fix. Nevertheless, let's take a look at what you might be able to do. 

Why Do I Have a Drafty House?

Quite often, a house is drafty because of minute cracks around window and door frames, at baseboards, around an attic hatch, and because of holes in exterior walls for pipes, wires, and cables. These holes contribute to draftiness but aren't the main culprit. 

As warm air rises, it creates a vacuum and pulls in cold air from the outdoors through the cracks we just mentioned. The warm air is forced upward, where it might heat up a second story, making it stuffy and uncomfortable, and then travel farther into the attic, where it is lost to your efforts to heat your home. 

While air-sealing those cracks with insulation, caulk, and weatherstripping will help diminish the draftiness of your home, it's not the only remedy.

You also need to insulate the attic to stop those warm-air losses. Furthermore, you may also need to add insulation around the foundation of your home. 

Insulating the Attic and Foundation to Prevent a Drafty House

You should bring the R-value of the insulation in your attic up to about 49 — the R-value being a measure of how effective your insulation is at stopping heat transfer. R-49 translates to as much as 15 inches of insulation on the floor of your attic.

You may also need to hire a professional to air-seal and insulate with two-part foam or foam board and apply sealant to the wooden panel where your foundation meets the rest of the house.

For more on fixing your drafty house, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow. 

Keep the Warm Air In and the Cold Air Out

As the weather gets colder, it becomes increasingly important to learn how to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Not only will this improve the overall comfort of your home, it will also help control your monthly energy bills. Here are a few easy draft-prevention techniques for you to follow:

Check Your Home for Drafts

Before you take care of any draft problems around your home, the first thing you must obviously do is locate them. This can be done by running your hand around the edges of doors, windows, electrical outlets, etc. Also, listen for any whistling or whooshing sounds when the wind is blowing outside. If you need help, you can hire a professional technician to perform a blower-door test to identify any issues.

Seal Air Leaks Around the House

The next step is to seal any air leaks that you find around your home. Depending on the size and location of the leak, you'll need to choose between weather stripping, spray foam, and caulking to fix the problem areas. Keep in mind that the areas mentioned above, especially around the edges of your doors and windows, are the most common spots.

Check Air Ducts for Any Damage

After years of use, your ducts may show signs of damage such as holes, tears, and damaged joints. Smaller tears and holes can be effectively sealed by mastic sealant, while larger problems (more than 1/4") should be sealed up with duct tape.

Add Insulation Where It's Needed

If any rooms don't have enough insulation, then it's a lot harder to keep your home warm, because the heat will quickly leak out. Adding insulation isn't difficult, but a qualified technician can help you if you need assistance.

Learning how to keep the warm air in and the cold air out during the winter season will help you improve your household's overall comfort and reduce your energy bills. For more expert advice on draft prevention or any other HVAC-related topic, the technicians at Air Assurance can assist you. We've been servicing the needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding area since 1985.

Checking for Air Leaks Before it Warms Up

Air leaks are at the top of the list when it comes to reasons why homeowners aren't enjoying maximum efficiency from their HVAC systems. Minute cracks throughout your home can let your conditioned air leak out, while allowing unconditioned air inside, compromising your heating and cooling efforts and boosting your utility bills.Learn how to deal with leaking air, and improve your home's efficiency before cooling season arrives.

Where Most Air Leaks Are Found

Cracks in your home can develop anywhere but are most common in these locations:

• around doors and windows

• between the exterior doors and the floor

• around baseboards

• around attic hatch doors (if your attic is unconditioned)

• around openings for wires, cables and pipes in exterior walls

• electric switches

• recessed lighting (again, if the attic is unconditioned)

You can find leaks by lighting an incense stick and waving it in front of these places. If the smoke wavers, you have a leak.

Fixing Air Leaks

1. Fix air leaks around doors and windows by applying weatherstripping, caulk or insulation.2. Apply a door sweeper to the bottom of exterior doors. Make sure the door moves freely along the floor without hanging up.3. Apply thin beads of caulk between baseboards and drywall.4. For attic hatches, attach foam board to the door, and weatherstripping around the opening perimeter.5. Use weatherstripping or insulation around wires, cables and pipes running through exterior walls.6. Install foam gaskets inside switch boxes.7. Install fire-rated, insulated covers over recessed lighting canisters.

Don't Forget the Ducts

If you can access your ductwork, check it for leaks, particularly if it is located in an unconditioned space such as the attic or basement. Fix leaks or disconnected segments with metal screws, foil tape (no duct tape -- it won't hold up) and mastic sealant.You might also think about insulating your ducts to stop heat or cooling loss in the unconditioned spaces.Boost your home's efficiency by fixing air leaks. Then, how about putting the money you save on utilities toward an upgraded HVAC system from Air Assurance of Broken Arrow?

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air leaks and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Ways to Detect Air Leaks

Air sealing your home's shell is one of the most practical and cost-effective home efficiency upgrades you can do. When you consider all of the potential benefits -- better comfort, improved IAQ, energy savings and less HVAC wear -- put a star next to it on the top of your home improvement to-do list! Read through the following tips to get started.

Ways to Detect Air Leaks

Air bypass and leaks may occur anywhere two (or more) different home building materials meet. So, that's a lot of ground to cover.

• Outside your home: Note any gaps between the materials of your home's exterior, such as walls to foundation, walls to windows and doors and cladding to cladding. Note any pipes, cables and vents that protrude the walls.

• Inside your home: Use a smoke pencil or incense stick to detect air movement by wavering smoke. Check around windows, all entry doors to the living spaces, wall switch plates, electrical outlets and your attic hatch.

• Basement: Note cracks and gaps in the floor, walls and ceiling of your unconditioned basement. Check for gaps around pipes, ducts and cables.

• Attic: Look for dirt marks on insulation. Note gaps around pipes, ducts, cables and the flue. Does the attic door seal tightly? It should.

• Garage: Sealing off an attached garage is a matter of safety and health.

Sealing Up Your Home

• Outside your home: Potential air leaks through gaps and cracks can be sealed with silicone caulk or a can of expanding spray-on foam.

• Inside your home: Replace brittle, damaged or missing door weatherstripping with silicone tubing. Caulk of various types, such as squeeze tube and rope, is great for sealing windows. Foam strips generally work well for sealing off your attic door. Gaskets are used to seal wall switch plates and outlets.

• Basement and attic: Use caulk and expanding spray-on for gaps and cracks in your attic and basement. Seal loose ductwork with metal tape.

• Garage: Finish, seal and paint unfinished walls.

If you need a professional's touch detecting and sealing air leaks in your Broken Arrow area home, contact us at Air Assurance today!

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air leaks and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “geralt/Pixabay”

Find and Seal Air Leaks in Your Home Envelope

Your home's envelope is what separates your indoor living space from the outdoor elements. Since the envelope is made up of many different building components, there are lots of places where air can infiltrate. Finding and fixing air leaks is an effective way to curb your energy costs and increase your comfort.

Tips for Finding Air Leaks

You can find many leak sources on the exterior by thoroughly inspecting it for obvious cracks, gaps and holes. Be sure to check these leak-prone areas:

• Around punctures through the shell, such as plumbing lines, outdoor spigots, wiring, exhaust and HVAC vents.

• At the juncture of two different building materials.

• Along the foundation where it meets the siding.

• In exterior corners, and around window and door frames.

Inside in your living areas and attic, you can use a burning stick of incense or a smoke pencil to help locate leaks. Common problem areas include:

• Attic knee walls and floor penetrations such as recessed lights, plumbing pipes, wiring, the flue or chimney and the access hatch.

• Exterior wall light switches and electrical outlets.

• The fireplace damper.

• Baseboard moldings, and exterior-wall window and door trim.

Tips for Sealing Sources of Air Leaks

Air sealing your entire home can be a lengthy process, but you can make the task more manageable by focusing on one problem area at a time. You'll find a variety of fairly inexpensive sealing products available at most building supply stores, including:

• Weather stripping — Self-adhesive foam weather stripping is available in different widths to suit most needs. It's the best choice for stopping leaks around movable components like doors, window sashes and attic hatches.

• Caulk — Available for both indoor and outdoor applications, caulk works well for sealing narrow gaps and cracks around window frames and other stationary components.

• Spray foam — This foam expands to fill holes and gaps wider a 1/4 inch, so it's well suited for sealing leaks around penetrations through the exterior walls or attic floor.

For expert advice about how to find and seal air leaks in the envelope of your Broken Arrow home, contact us today at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Norman Pogson/Shutterstock”

Are Your Ducts Tight Enough to Keep Heat Inside Your Home?

Most people know how to locate their furnace. Fewer people know where to find heating ducts or how to tell if they are working properly. Unfortunately, without basic knowledge about the HVAC system, recognizing problems can be difficult. Here are some signs that your ducts could be in need of routine care or repairs:

• Uneven heating or cooling

• Unexpected increases in heating costs

• Frequent shaking or rattling noises

• High-pitched or "whooshing" sound

When the HVAC system is working properly, cool air is brought to the furnace to be heated, then the warmed air is sent back through tight ducts to heat your home. However, if air is having trouble moving through the ductwork, the problems may be caused by blocked ducts. Blocked ductwork can also cause noises or create hot and cold spots. Leaks also make it hard to warm your home evenly.

If you suspect problems, first check that none of the registers are blocked by furniture, then move on to looking for a solution to your heating problems. While you can compare temperatures in different areas of the house or other very basic tests, a technician is required to perform most tests. HVAC experts look for air leaks, determine whether the ducts are the correct size for your living space, and check to see if you have tight ducts or if they need repair.Many people believe that repairs can easily be done with duct tape, but this does not give secure results. For reliable, long lasting repairs, a technician should always be consulted. Professionals replace unusable segments of ductwork and use high quality, durable supplies such as sheet metal screws, mastic, joint collars, metal tape, and fiberglass to repair less seriously damaged parts of the ductwork.

Air Assurance has been taking care of HVAC systems in homes and businesses in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma since 1985. If you have any concerns about whether your tight ducts will keep you warm this winter, call us today!

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Kichigin/Shutterstock”

Why You Should Have a Pro Seal Your Air Ducts

You may not think about your home's ductwork often since it's hidden from sight, but deficiencies in this critical HVAC system component can erode your comfort. If ducts aren't properly sealed and insulated, up to 40 percent of the system's conditioned air output can escape before it reaches the registers. Duct sealing can solve this problem and prevent other serious issues as well.

Benefits of Professional Duct Sealing

When you hire an experienced professional, you'll have peace of mind that the air ducts in your home are thoroughly inspected and any damaged or disconnected sections are repaired. A pro seals the seams with fiberglass mesh and mastic and then wraps the ducts with R-8 insulation. Taking these steps is especially important in hard-to-access areas like the attic, garage, and crawl space where air losses often occur. Some of the major benefits you'll gain from the process include:

• Greater comfort — When duct deficiencies are corrected, conditioned airflow from the registers improves. You'll experience fewer hot and cold spots in different rooms, and you'll find it easier to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the house.

• Lower energy bills — Heating and cooling devours roughly 45 percent of the energy used in your home each year. Reducing air leakage in the duct system by 30 percent can result in energy savings of up to 16 percent and help curb high yearly heating and cooling costs.

• Better indoor air quality— When the ducts are properly sealed, unhealthy contaminants can't enter the air supply from the attic, wall cavities, or other unconditioned spaces.

• Enhanced safety — Eliminating leaks in the duct system lowers the risk of carbon monoxide exposure from a back-drafting gas water heater or furnace.

• Longer equipment life span— Compensating for air leakage puts added strain on the HVAC equipment, which can shorten its service life. Sealing and insulating ducts reduces this unnecessary wear and tear, and it also helps keep out debris that can build up on sensitive components and cause a premature failure.

To learn more about the many benefits of duct sealing, contact the Broken Arrow HVAC pros at Air Assurance today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Lopolo/Shutterstock”

Not Detecting Air Leaks Can Cost You

Winter is coming, and with it the promise of yet another stretch of cold Oklahoma weather. So what is a homeowner to do when they feel as though their furnace isn't heating their home as well as it should? There's increasing the amount and quality of insulation, for starters. But homes can lose heat in a number of ways without us even realizing it. One of those sources of heat loss is air leaks.Detecting air leaks can go a long way toward improving your home's energy efficiency. There are well-known ways for air to leak, of course, such as under-door drafts. But air leaks occur in many other places than that. There are steps you can take in detecting air leaks yourself:Conduct a visual inspection outside your home. Keep an eye out for gaps or cracks in any of the following areas:

• Outdoor water faucets

• Where the siding or brickwork and foundation meet

• The area where the siding and chimney meet

• Exterior corners

Then take a look around your home's interior, again watching for gaps and cracks in the following:

• Window and door frames

• Air conditioners mounted in walls or windows

• Baseboards

• Switch plates

• Electrical outlets

• The area where your dryer vent meets the wall

• Fans and vents

• Weather stripping around doors

• Areas where cable and phone lines enter the house

Pay special attention to windows. If storm windows rattle, there are possible air leaks. Air leaks are also possible if light can be seen coming through around the frame. Check the condition of caulking and weather stripping both inside and outside, and repair if necessary. Check, too, to be sure that all doors seal properly.Detecting air leaks can take time, but it is time well spent. Sealing these leaks can go a long way toward increasing your comfort as well as lowering your energy bills in both winter and summer.Since 1985, Air Assurance has been making sure customers in the Broken Arrow and Tulsa area are more comfortable in their homes. If you have questions about air leaks or any other HVAC concerns, please contact us.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Credit/Copyright Attribution: “dny3d/Shutterstock”

Tips on Stopping Air Leaks in Your Home

Your Broken Arrow home may be plagued with air leaks, which can lead to a wide array of unpleasant problems. Poor indoor air quality, reduced home comfort, and increase in energy bills are just a few of the troubles that air leaks can cause. Fortunately, the following tips on stopping air leaks can increase your home’s energy efficiency, improve your indoor air and save you money on your heating and cooling costs.

Locating Air Leaks

Before you can stop the air leaks, you must first find them. Homes typically have leaks near windows, doors, floors, ductwork, baseboards, fireplaces, walls, outlets, rim and floor joints, ceilings, switch plates and the home’s foundation. Air leaks can also occur near pipes and vents that exit through basements and attics.

Stopping Air Leaks

Depending on where the air leak is located, it may only require a simple fix. For example, leaks around doors and windows can usually be fixed by installing inexpensive weather stripping available at hardware stores and home improvement centers. Expanding foam can fill in small holes and cracks in your foundation.

Homes with forced air heating and cooling often experience leaks due to damaged ductwork. If the problem area is located at an easy-to-reach location, you may be able to fix the problem with duct sealant. For areas that you cannot get to, such as behind walls and under floors, you will need the help of a professional to repair the damaged.

Energy Audit

Obtaining a whole-house energy audit from a respectable HVAC company is the first step in ensuring your home is running at maximum energy efficiency. During the audit, a highly trained technician will use the latest equipment to test your home’s efficient level. These tests will determine exactly where you are wasting energy and provide you with the information to go about stopping air leaks.

For more information about stopping air leaks, contact the experts at Air Assurance. We are a family-owned business providing heating, cooling, plumbing and air quality services to the Broken Arrow area since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

After The Long, Hot Summer, Seal Air Leaks And Save This Winter

With the winter months around the corner you will want to keep your home as energy efficient as possible. One way to do this is to seal air leaks around your home and keep warm air inside. Not only does this create a more comfortable environment, it will save you money on your heating costs. Some air leaks are obvious and present at the usual problem areas, like window and door frames. You can easily seal air leaks in these areas yourself with caulk or weatherstripping which can be purchased at your local home improvement store. When purchasing caulk, make sure you select the correct formula for either indoor or outdoor application. You will also want to measure the length and width of weatherstripping to ensure that you get a good seal when replacing.Less obvious air leaks are found around outdoor water faucets, air vents and ducts, electrical outlets, and outlets for cable and telephone lines. Make sure you check these areas, and create an airtight seal to keep the warmth in and the cold out.If you have a home with a forced-air heating and cooling system you will also want to check ducts for leaks. Some of the ducts may be in the walls or floors making them difficult to access; however, you can check ducts in attics, basements, crawlspaces and garages. You can seal air leaks with duct sealant and wrap ducts with additional insulation, especially if they are in areas that are not climate controlled for increased energy efficiency.If you are concerned that you have several small leaks or the repairs will be overwhelming, you should contact a heating and cooling professional to run an energy audit and conduct a blower door test. The blower door test will depressurize the home and detect the majority of small leaks. The energy audit will also let you know if areas of your home require additional insulation to assist in maintaining comfortable temperatures and reduce energy consumption.For more information on how to seal air leaks and create a more energy-efficient home, contact Air Assurance. We serve the Broken Arrow area.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Image courtesy of Shutterstock