|
While most
home-maintenance projects will save you money over time, few will
produce an immediate effect of measurable return.
Maintaining your
home's 'energy envelope' is one. Floors, walls, ceilings and exterior
doors and windows make up the energy envelope of your home. Properly
maintained, this envelope will increase your comfort level. You can
exert a finite amount of control over heat and cold with insulation in
the walls, ceilings and floors. You can seal air leaks and make all
exterior walls more air-tight.
Sealing gaps at
doors and windows is an annual must-do. Weather-stripping comes in
vinyl, rubber, foam, metal and wood. You don't need a lot of tools to
install it, either. A screwdriver, razor knife, and perhaps a hacksaw
complete the list of required tools. Depending on your needs and
financial limitations, you can choose from a number of
weather-stripping configurations. There's metal V-strip, vinyl
V-strip, integral vinyl V-strip and adhesive-backed foam (for little
used doors and windows) and hollow rubber beading on a metal flange.
Interlocking metal should be installed by a professional.
Metal V-strip
weather-stripping is durable and easy to install. It comes with a
pressure-sensitive adhesive backing that allows you to install it with
no tools. The V-strip is mounted on the door frame and comes into
contact with the face of the door when the door is closed. The V-strip
is then flattened when the door is closed. The built-in spring tension
that creates the V-shape closes the gap between the door and the frame
so that air can't pass through. V-stripping is available in vinyl
which performs as good as the metal type. Vinyl V-stripping is
available in a type that is built directly into the door frame. It
snaps into a groove in the door frame and you press to lock it into
place. There is no adhesive.
Adhesive-backed
foam is installed in the same way and in the same location as the
V-style weather-stripping. This type of weather-stripping is
inexpensive but it's not very durable. Installed on a busy door, it
won't last three months. For frequently used doors, stick with the
metal and vinyl styles.
The best
weather-stripping is the interlocking-metal type. It's also the most
expensive. Small metal flashings are attached to the door and frame.
When the door is closed, the metal flashings interlock. Used primarily
at doors and on casement windows, installation requires notching the
surface with a router.
The special tools
and tedious process often require a professional. This type of
weather-stripping is installed around the entire perimeter of the door
and a special threshold is installed that interlocks with the metal
flashing across the bottom. With all other types of weather-stripping,
a door shoe is installed at the bottom of the door. The shoe is
adjusted to close snugly against the threshold. Sometimes the rubber
weather-stripping is mounted on the door shoe and other times directly
on the threshold. When the rubber is mounted on the bottom of the
door, it wears much better than when it's mounted on the threshold.
Regardless of the
kind of weather-stripping you select, you should check every opening
to see if a problem exists. A lot of air passes through walls and
ceilings, as well as the floor. There are several methods you can use
around light switches, drain pipes, electrical outlets, water pipes,
registers, thermostats, light fixtures, smoke detectors, floor
outlets, door bell chimes and all your doors and windows.
The first
method is called the candle or incense method. All you do is hold a
lit candle or burning stick of incense, next to the suspected point of
the air leak. If there's a leak, the flame will flicker or the thin
stream of smoke from the incense will waiver. You can also use the
'wet finger' method. When air passes over water, it causes it to
evaporate. If your fingers are wet, they'll get colder as the flow of
air passes over them. The flashlight method is a bit more complicated
and you can only use it at night. You'll also need someone to help.
You shine the light on interior walls, windows and doors. The person
on the other side notes any light passing through. Where there's
light, there is a leak.
While checking
for leaks and repairing them is a tedious process, it's a great
investment of your time and little expense with immediate results in
your utility bills. Annual checks around the house for leaks will keep
you cool in the summer and warm in winter, and the savings will warm
your heart year-round.
Copyright 2004
PropertySource Network |
