How to Tell if Drafts Are Impacting Your Home’s Comfort Levels
While damaged and worn-down windows are one issue that can cause drafts, there are several other ways drafts can start impacting your home. From faulty roofing, siding, and doors, there are a number of ways your home can become cool and chilly. Fighting back against drafts involves understanding their potential formation points and, more importantly, how to know if they’ve begun to infiltrate your household.
Below, Haggerty Windows & Siding, your replacement window and door installers, dives into a few telltale signs that you need an exterior contractor’s help for your draft problem.
You’re Relying on Space Heaters
Your home should be insulated so that your HVAC system should be able to keep it cozy without any supplemental heat. Aside from potential HVAC malfunctions, needing space heaters can be a sign that outside air is getting into your home from an unknown source.
Contrary to popular belief, not all drafts are detectable by watching for a breeze in the room; in fact, many of them begin their lives small enough to simply chill a space. If you’ve got to haul out the heaters, it’s a sure sign something is amiss.
You’ve Got Pest Problems
What do pests have to do with drafts? Quite a bit, in fact! Not only can they cause drafts in your home, but their presence could be a sign that there are already holes and air leaks somewhere else. Mice, in particular, can chew through worn-down exteriors, which in turn punctures your building’s envelope—the collection of features designed to keep your interior weathertight. Even if they don’t cause drafts in a given situation, you can bet mice will find their way into any tiny hole and take up residence in your home.
If you’re noticing pests running around your home, call out a pro out to the premises to determine the root of the cause.
Your Home Doesn’t Pass Draft Inspections
There are a variety of ways to determine if your home is a victim of drafts. The United States Department of Energy details a few indications of air leaks on its official website. Regardless of the method which you choose, if you find out that your home isn’t airtight, be sure to phone a pro ASAP. While quick fixes like caulk can be useful in a pinch, they usually don’t permanently fix the problem or determine the cause of damage the way a pro can.
Haggerty Windows & Siding: Busting Drafts Since 2006
With staff ranging from insulation contractors to roofing pros, we’ve got all the pro help you need to keep your home weathertight. Give our Urbandale office a call now at 515-953-6999.