Brrrr! Everyone just wants to stay warm in the winter, especially when you’re at home. One of the biggest culprits of heat loss are windows, especially in older houses. Leaky seams, loose panes, and cracked glass force your furnace to run constantly. Don’t know whether you should update your windows? Try performing these six simple tests.
1. Give ‘em a shake.
Window components should be tight and secure. Try shaking them gently. If any window pieces rattle, it means they’re not sealing tightly – which means they’re letting air seep in. Storm windows in particular are key culprits. When they get loose, they don’t protect as well as they should.
2. I spy light.
Look for daylight around the window frame. Whenever you see light coming from the outdoors, you can be sure cold air is coming in too. You can fix this yourself by caulking or weather-stripping the seams.
3. Cracking up.
Examine the windowpanes themselves. Make sure none of the glass is cracked. Even tiny fissures can leak air. If you’re finding cracked panes, it’s a big sign the windows need repaired or replaced.
4. Under pressure.
While you can have a professional perform an air pressure test on your home, you can do an informal one yourself. Seal all doors, windows, and vents, and turn on all kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. Light an incense stick (it needs to smoke, so you can’t just use a candle). Pass the incense near all openings in windows, doors, outlets and watch the trail of the smoke. Leaky areas will draw the smoke.
5. Brown Gravy.
Look around the inside of your windows for light brown stains. Single pane windows, or poorly caulked windows allow for more condensation to form and drain to the bottom of your windows.
6. Check your locks.
Make sure your windows close and lock properly. The locking mechanisms help the windows form a seal by putting pressure on them. This ensures they’re fully closed, with window edges coming into full contact with their seals.
Do you cringe when you see your winter energy bills? Save yourself the stress by performing these five tests on your old windows. If you’re seeing cracks or feeling drafts, it’s a sure sign you should get them replaced, leaving you to cozy up in your warm home.
For a Free Evaluation and Assessment of your current windows, give us a call we will come out and check your windows for free.
Call us at 678-528-7115 or aladdinhomepros.com