How To Seal Air Leaks In Your House
Posted on: 19 July 2018
An unregulated exchange of your indoor and outdoor air is bad for your HVAC efficiency. Having air leaks in your house means you will be losing heated and conditioned air to the outside environment, making your HVAC system work harder or run longer than usual as it tries to maintain the set temperature. Fortunately, the following measures will help you plug air leaks in your home:
Installing Back-Draft Dampers
Ideally, all the holes connecting your house's interior to the outside air would be sealed to prevent air leaks. However, that is neither practical nor efficient, so you just have to know how to deal with the openings so that they don't leak your indoor air. For example, dryer and fan exhausts can leak indoor air when they are not being used, but installing back-draft dampers is an easy way to deal with the problem. Just ensure you inspect the dampers regularly for damage, so that your indoor air doesn't leak without your knowledge.
Ensuring the Weather-Striping Is Intact
The old-age method of dealing with air leaks on the edges of doors and windows is to install weather stripping. This is necessary because even if your door or window has a perfect fit, there will still be small spaces between the window or door and the frame that can leak air. Unfortunately, the weather stripping material deteriorates with time and needs to be replaced after some time because deteriorated weather stripping may leak air.
Seal Spaces around Fixtures and Installations
It's a common mistake for homeowners to over-focus on their insulation, doorways, and windows at the expense of other sources of air leaks. The tiny spaces around fixtures and installations, for example, are easy to forget even though they can add up to considerable air leaks. This includes areas around plumbing pipes, light fixtures, and electrical outlets, among others. Confirm that all these areas have been sealed to ensure you are dealing with air leaks in the right manner.
Plug Leaky Roofs
Roof damage is another thing that can contribute to hidden air leaks. This will be the case if the roof is damaged and admitting water. In such a case, the water leak will also damage the insulation, allowing air in your house to escape through the roof. You should suspect such an occurrence if you can notice stained areas on the ceiling or the insulation.
If your HVAC system is inefficient after plugging all the leaks, then the problem may be something else. Consult an AC services technician for a professional diagnosis and solution.
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