Sealing the air leaks in and around the exterior of your Los Angeles home is a cost-effective way to reduce cooling and heating costs, improve indoor comfort and help to create a cleaner, healthier environment for your family. Let’s take a look at some simple tips that will help you stop those costly air leaks in their tracks.
Air Sealing Tips for Your Home
Check for air leaks: Use strong outdoor winds as a guide by lighting a stick of incense or smoke pen and holding it next to windows, doors, attic hatches, electrical boxes and outlets, ceiling and plumbing fixtures and any other areas where air may get into your home. If smoke is pushed horizontally or in odd directions you’ve likely identified an air leak that requires sealing.
Caulk and weatherstripping: Even when you don’t detect leaks it doesn’t hurt to add an extra layer of protection. Small amounts of air can still leak into, and out of, your home. Seal all doors and windows and consider filling in gaps around ceilings, walls and floors as needed.
Install and replace insulation: Check your home from top to bottom for existing insulation, checking for signs of mold and gaps in your home’s insulation barrier. Fill gaps in walls, ceilings and floors as needed and replace damaged insulation as you go.
Use foam gaskets and sealant: Install foam gaskets around wall outlets, fixtures and switch plates and close larger gaps around baseboards with foam sealant for better energy efficiency around your home.
Close unused openings: Shut the flue damper in your fireplace and cover up the exhaust fan in your kitchen when they aren’t in use.
Use heat-appropriate sealants: Furnaces, fireplaces, chimneys and vents for gas-fired water heaters should be sealed with materials that are fire-resistant, such as furnace cement caulk, sheetrock or sheet metal.
Upgrades: Replace normal windows with double-pane glass or cover them with storm windows. Add sealing gaskets to the bottom of your doors for a better overall seal.
For professional assistance sealing costly air leaks in your home contact Around the Clock Air Conditioning and Heating.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air leaks and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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