Air leaks can be a big problem for homeowners. It’s common to see doors that don’t seal tightly, windows situated in the wrong spot, and vents with cracked seals around them. If you’re noticing a draft coming from your home or through any of the windows, it could mean an air leak is present. This post discusses how to stop air leaks around doors and throughout your home.
When it comes to air leaks, doors are common culprits that permit cold air to enter your home in the winter and hot air in the summer. If you’re noticing cold or hot spots throughout your house during different seasons, a drafty door may be the problem. To fix an area where cold/hot outside air is leaking into your home through your door, follow these steps:
1. Remove the door from its hinges and set it on a flat surface
Removing door hinges will give you easy access to all the areas around the door that may have air leaks. Removing the door from its hinges will usually make the door more convenient to handle, especially if it’s a heavy one.
2. Inspect all visible areas of the door for air leaks
Inspect around the edges of the door and underneath where it’s mounted on your door frame or threshold plate. You can also check along any cracks or crevices that may be present in hinges or around where screws hold together different parts of the door. If you find visible signs of an air leak, follow these steps:
- Fill in small holes with caulk. Apply caulk into small holes and allow time for it to dry before moving on to other steps in this process.
- Reattach loose hardware. After completing the first step, inspect along with the hinges and around screws for areas where the paint is chipped, or hardware is loose. If you find loose screws, tighten them down with a screwdriver to seal these possible air leaks.
- Replace weatherstripping. Weatherstripping is a common issue that leads to a door not sealing tightly. It can wear out after time, or it may have been installed improperly from the start. Either way, replacing weatherstripping on your door is an excellent way to stop possible air leaks from happening in the future.
3. Examine all the seals on the exterior side of the door
Sometimes, cracks or gaps exist around windows and doors because they weren’t installed properly in the first place. If this is the case with your door, you may be able to fix the issue by resealing the seams yourself. However, if the problem is more severe or beyond your level of expertise, you should call a professional to help with the repair.
4. Close and latch the door
After completing all the steps above, close and latch the door to see if it seals properly, if there are any leaks still present after completing these steps, go back and inspect for any areas that may have been overlooked.
Air leaks can also happen around windows, which can be even more frustrating because they’re often out of reach. Luckily, most of the same techniques used to stop air leaks around doors can be used to fix air leaks around your windows.
To stop air leaks around your windows, follow these steps:
1. Removing the window from its frame
This will give you easy access to all areas around the window that may have air leaks. When removing a window from its frame, it’s best to try and take down your entire storm window system or any hardware attached to the exterior side of the glass pane.
2. Inspect for any visible signs of an air leak
Inspect along each corner of the window, near cracks/crevices where screws hold together different parts of the window and surrounding sealant. If there are any cracks or gaps around the window, proceed to step 3.
3. Fixing visible air leaks
If you find any areas where your storm windows or hardware are missing sealants or not properly attached, use caulk to fill in the gaps and reattach hardware as needed to fix these issues. When filling in small holes with caulk, always let them dry before moving on to other steps in this process for best results. After completing step 3, proceed onto step 4.
4. Inspect all the seals on the exterior side of the window
Sometimes cracks or gaps exist around windows because they weren’t installed properly in the first place. If this is the case with your window, you may be able to fix the issue by resealing the seams yourself. However, if the problem is more severe or beyond your level of expertise, you should call a professional to help with the repair.
5. Reattach storm window system
After completing all of these steps and finding no air leaks around your newly repaired window, reattach any storm windows/hardware that was removed at the beginning of this process to seal up any possible air leaks around your exterior windows for good.
Ultimately, there are a few different steps you can take when it comes to figuring out how to seal air leaks in your home and stop air leaks around your exterior doors and windows. By following the instructions in this article, you should be able to find and fix any air leaks that are causing your home to lose heat or cool air.