Caulking And Weatherstripping: Use Them To Keep Your Home Comfortable
The Florida Suncoast may be known for its mild weather, but those of us who live here know it still takes effort to keep our homes at comfortable temperatures. In many Florida homes, one of the biggest threats to comfort is leaking air. In winter, air leaks subject you to chilly drafts. In summer, they allow air conditioned air to seep out while letting in hot outdoor air. Caulking and weatherstripping provide simple yet effective ways to stop the leaks so you stay comfortable and save on your energy bills, too.
Common spots for air leaks include:
- Door and window frames
- Baseboards and interior trim
- Electrical outlets and switches
- Entrance points for utilities (gas, electricity, water and phone)
- Fireplace and chimney
- Where vents and fans pass through exterior walls
- Between the foundation and siding, bricks or stucco
To accurately pinpoint air leaks for caulking and weatherstripping, contact an HVAC company for a professional home energy evaluation that includes a blower door test.
Weatherstripping is appropriate for joints designed to move, such as the top and bottom of window sashes, window stops, inside tracks of sliding or double-hung windows, tops and sides of doors, and in door jambs. For most household uses, self-adhesive rubber, foam or vinyl weatherstripping is sufficient.
The type of weatherstripping you’ll need depends on where you plan to use it. For instance, vinyl can work well on the inside tracks of double-hung windows, but foam may be better for casement window sashes. Because there are so many types of weatherstripping available, check the manufacturer’s directions before you buy.
Caulk creates a permanent seal on joints not intended to move, such as window and door frames and your home’s foundation sill. Consider acrylic latex or synthetic rubber caulk as your go-to product for most indoor sealing jobs. As with weatherstripping, though, there are different types of caulk for different uses, so always check the product label.
For more expert tips on caulking and weatherstripping, as well as other ways to improve your home’s comfort level, talk with us at Symbiont Service Corp. Since the early 1980s, we’ve been providing competitively priced HVAC services around the Englewood area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Englewood, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about caulking and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
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