With winter just around the corner, now is the time to take stock of your home, and addressing any potential issues before the snowfall begins. One of the most important aspects of your home’s exterior to examine each fall is your windows. While they are often overlooked by homeowners, your windows are easily one of the most important aspects of your home, offering not only light & ventilation, but also energy efficiency and insulation, protection from the elements and pests, and more. Considering how important your windows are for the health of your home, keeping the units in good repair is essential, particularly during the winter months when damaged windows can end up causing significant energy loss. Are you interested in learning more about window drafts and how you can address them to help keep your home energy efficient this winter? Keep reading below for more information!
How To Find A Window Draft
Before we discuss addressing a window draft, we first need to cover how to find them in the first place. Sometimes, window drafts are incredibly subtle and difficult to find unless you know what you’re looking for.
When it comes to identifying a window leak, one of the oldest tricks in the book is to use a candle or match and run it along the frame of your closed window. If you notice at any point that the flame flickers in the wind, this is a sign that the frame is leaking and will need to be sealed. This method tends to work well for any small leaks, and anything that is leaking significant amounts of air will be easy to feel!
How To Seal A Window Draft
Next, lets discuss how to address a window draft after you’ve identified it! If you’ve successfully located your window draft, and it’s absent of any major structural damage, the solution can be quick & easy!
First of all, you will need to seal the leak in some capacity. There are a couple of different methods for sealing your windows. The first method is to add weather-stripping around the windows. You can simply visit your local hardware store and buy weather-stripping to install around the drafts, which, as long as the leak is relatively minor, should stop it in its tracks!
The next method you can use to seal your windows is caulking. Every window is caulked upon installation, but over time the seal can wear away and it needs to be reapplied. If the draft is significant, you may need to enlist the help of a professional, but any minor window leaks can be caulked and sealed yourself!
Lastly, if you’ve added weather-stripping & caulking, and you’re still finding the window to be drafty, you can consider adding heavy-duty curtains over the window to help mitigate heat loss. While this isn’t a long-term solution, heavy curtains will help limit your energy loss until you have the time & money to replace the window unit, helping to reduce your bills in the meantime!
Contact Us Today
If you need to replace your home’s windows this fall, our team at RIHI is ready to assist! Give our team a call today at (866) 563-7293 or by filling out our online contact form! We look forward to hearing from you and assisting with your window replacement needs!
