© 2009 Anderqual Handyman & Remodeling Service

Save Big Money By Sealing your Homes Shell with New Weather Stripping and Fresh Caulk

Do you like saving money? Of course you do and don't we all. A small draft through a window costs you a lot more money than you think, it also makes you cold or hot! A slight draft around a door due to worn weather stripping puts a lot of stress on your furnace or air conditioner causing premature equipment failure...more money lost. Half  of  a homes energy loss can come from drafty windows and doors. It doesn't matter if you have 6 inches or 6 feet of insulation in the attic, if you have drafts, the inside air in your home changes with the outside air at such a frightening rate that your furnace or air conditioner my never be able to catch up to the thermostat setting!

Think your safe because your house is new? Think again! I have been in 1-2 year old million dollar homes that have windows that wont close tight, poor insulation, cheap cracking caulking, and (I don't know how this got past inspection) recessed lights in ceilings adjacent to the attic that are not air-tight!It seems that in the housing explosion in the early 2000's contractors built to the bare minimum so they could build as many as possible. Now its time for you and me to fix there mistakes and save you money in heating and electric bills!

The hardest part of weather stripping installation is making sure you have the correct kind of product. Most of the time you can get the correct stripping at the big box stores but occasionally you might have to order from the window or door manufacturer. Whichever the case it is certainly worth the cost and time. With older doors and windows you might not be able to find the exact product however older designs were much simpler and it should be easy to adapt one of the many types of weather stripping you will find at the store.

Windows and doors must also be properly caulked around the exterior to prevent moisture and air penetration into the walls of your home!

If you find you have non air tight recessed lights in your ceiling that adjoins the attic floor you have a couple of options available to you but first you must find out if they are IC or NON IC lights. IC stands for In Contact and means that insulation may contact the housing of the recessed light. There are special kits for sealing recessed lights that are not air tight which usually involves placing sticky foam stickers over the various holes on the housing. If it is non IC then the insulation must be pulled back from the fixture to the specifications of the fixture manufacturer. In theses situation larger foam boxes made from 2 inch foam insulation can be manufactured and set over the fixture in the attic then sealed to the drywall and/or ceiling joists giving you a nice insulated air tight barrier around the light. Just make sure the dimensions are such that the light has proper clearance.

If you would like to have a free estimate to have these and more tasks done for you feel free to give Anderqual a call!