Heating energy flows to a cooler place from a warmer place. The warmth in your house wants out. In hotter seasons, warmth is currently trying to become in. Both scenarios result in heating and cooling costs. One of the principle ways heat moves in or out of your house is through gaps around the surfaces of windows or doors by direct air infiltration. More than 20 percent of the air leakage in your house occurs in these areas. Easy, inexpensive methods such as the installation of weatherstripping can shut these leaks and improve the energy efficiency profile of a house. You first have to find the leaks to fix the leaks.
Do It Yourself
A DIY leak detection procedure begins by narrowing the focus. Close all windows and doors, then switch the air conditioner or furnace off. Turn on any exhaust fans that push air. Light a stick of incense and transfer it around the perimeter of a suspect door or window. Observe the behavior of the smoke stream. This suggests air movement, if the smoke deflects at areas. Install adhesive-backed plastic or foam weatherstripping around the perimeter, not just at the place once you find leakage at a door or door.
Turn Out the Lights
Darkness may be an ally in bringing small air leaks. When multiplied, gaps too small to be discovered by DIY smoke methods have a significant cumulative effect on the airtightness of a house. Turn all the lights inside the house at night out. Have a helper hold a bright flashlight near the perimeter of windows and doorways, and gradually move it around the perimeter. Stand outside and watch through cracks and gaps for rays of light emitting. Insert these sources.
Call in the Pros
To get a more comprehensive evaluation of air leakage, an HVAC technician may perform a blower door test to find out the quantity of leakage and pinpoint the locations. The mill door is made up of temporary door comprising a mill fan that mounts in a backyard frame. The fan depressurizing the interior and sucks air out of the house, is activated and causing outside atmosphere to infiltrate through gaps and all cracks. A computer tracking the air pressure and airflow calculates the quantity of air leakage in the structure. The tech may use a smoke pen around windows and doors to identify the location of leaks, while the house is depressurized.
Take an Image
Infrared thermography is often used to determine air leaks. A camera utilized by an HVAC technician pictures the flow of heat into or out of the house. On a color thermographic display, warmth energy appears as plumes, while warmer regions are blue. Thermography is used to depressurize the structure. This causes air so it can be imaged to float through leaks, and the location of leaks revealed.