Seal house's air leaks while it's still warm

August 19, 2007

I was thinking about doing a few things around the house to get ready for winter. Where would you suggest I get started?

It's not too early to think about getting your home ready for winter. After all, doing some of the outside chores while the weather is still good makes a lot of sense. No one wants to be working out in the rain in November.

One of the first things you should do is to eliminate as many air leaks as possible.

Sealing those leaks can significantly reduce heating costs and increase the comfort of your home. A quarter inch gap up one edge of a standard door has about the same effect as a 4-inch by 5-inch hole all the way through your wall.

Air sealing is generally an inexpensive way to reap many rewards. It helps reduce or eliminate cold drafts coming into your home during the winter. It also improves the efficiency of air-cleaning devices operating in your home, which is especially helpful to people who are sensitive to dust and pollen.

Air sealing can also reduce moisture problems. Perhaps most significantly, it can also reduce your heating and cooling costs. Your home may lose between 20 percent and 50 percent of its heat through air leaks.

Air leaks are caused by pressure differences inside and outside the building, such as those caused by temperature differences and wind. Mechanical pressures such as operating bath and kitchen fans, fireplaces, and clothes dryers can push air out of your home forcefully enough to cause outdoor air to be sucked inside to replace the removed air. These pressures often occur simultaneously, resulting in a complex, constantly changing pattern of air movement.

The shell of your home serves as the dividing line between ­conditioned and unconditioned space. However, there are many places in the shell where air leaks can occur, including around windows and doors, attic hatches and pull-down ladders, plumbing pipe entrances and electrical service panels. You can't eliminate all air leaks, but you can reduce them significantly.

After you find the leaks, apply the appropriate sealants, foams, weather stripping and other materials to seal them shut. Several kinds of sealing materials are available; the kind you use will depend on your specific situation. You'll find them at home improvement or hardware stores.

There are other things to do as well.

Now's a great time to take a close look at your home's heating system. If you have a forced-air heating system, such as a furnace or heat pump, you'll want to vacuum dust at each register. Also check the airflow at each register. If you have a register with little or no air flow, you probably have a disconnected or blocked duct.

It's also a great idea to have your system serviced by a professional, if you haven't done so in the past year or so. Clark Public Utilities and Northwest Natural each recommend getting your system checked out now, before cold weather sets in and makes big demands on your heating system.

Proper maintenance ensures your system will run at peak efficiency and also extends the life of your equipment.

And this is a good time to call a heating and cooling contractor before the busy season begins.

If you have baseboard heaters or wall heaters, it's a good idea to carefully vacuum the dust that accumulates in them. Be sure the circuit breaker is turned off before you do this. Also check to make sure they're still in working condition.

If you have a fireplace, check the chimney for loose bricks, missing mortar and stains where smoke may be escaping. You might also want to have the chimney inspected and cleaned by a professional chimney sweep.

Make sure the fireplace damper fits tightly, and remember to close the damper when all the coals from the fire are cold after you have a fire burning. Open dampers can be a major source of heat loss.

You'll also want to be sure your water pipes in unheated areas, such as crawl spaces and garages, are insulated to prevent freezing and heat loss. In addition, foundation vents should be closed.