Spotting And Correcting Costly Air Leaks In Your Home

If you are having a hard time keeping your home cool, you may have leaks that are letting the cool air escape. Not only is this going to make it harder for you to control the temperature in your home so you can keep it at a comfortable level, but it can also lead to other problems.

Leaks in your home will cause your air conditioner to run much more than it should have to. This puts a lot more wear and tear on its internal and external parts. The more your air conditioner is running, the larger your energy bill will be as well. Follow the tips below to put an end to leaks around your house.

Find all the leaks

You want to go around each room in your house and look for any obvious signs of leaks. Check all the walls, the door jams and the window sills. You should also check under any cabinets. Look for cracks or holes in the walls as well as worn or missing weather stripping around the doors and windows.

If you are having a hard time locating the leaks in a room, you can take an incense stick (or cone) and light it. Walk very slowly around the sides of the room and watch the smoke. If it starts to turn toward a certain spot, that will be where your leak is.

Listen to your AC and ventilation system for a whistling sound. This sound lets you know that there is more than likely a leak in your ducts. Another indication of this is if you have a hard time getting one of the rooms in your home to get as cool as the others.

Repair the leaks

You can take care of leaks around doors and window sills by removing the worn weather stripping and replacing it. You can purchase a simple-to-install weather stripping that allows you to remove the paper on the back and stick it in place.

You can use putty to repair any large holes or cracks and caulking to repair small cracks, such as those you may find near the areas where pipes come into your home.

If you think there are leaks in your ducts, you should call out an air conditioning services professional to investigate. They will be able to seal the leak and get you up and running as well.

By taking care of any and all leaks, you will be able to keep your whole house cooler at a lower cost.