Prevent Cold Air From Entering Your Home

 

Your house could be costing you money. It’s always the little things that you barely notice. One example is the cracks in the house that could let in cold air. You might not even know it either. How is this even possible? Do you ever wonder why your house feels so cold when you have the heat on? That is because cold air is leaking into your house. Because of that, you are always turning up the heat and not really getting any warmer. This is not good. You could be throwing away money without even knowing it. When winter comes around, things can get worse. By the time spring comes around, you could be spending up to hundreds of dollars that you didn’t need to. This could be a nightmare if money is tight. Don’t waste your money on heating bills. There is a way to stop cold air from coming into the house. You might think it might be difficult, but it’s much easier than you will believe. Just follow these tips.

Why is This a Problem?

No one wants to stay in a cold house during the winter. People will spend money on heating services. But do they really need to do that? If you need to turn up the heat, you might want to take a step back and look at what the real problem is. Do you feel cold air when you walk by the front or back door? How about the windows? There are even places where cold air comes in where you don’t even know it. When cold air comes into the house, you might feel really cold. Naturally, you will go and turn up the heat. When you do that, you could end up with higher energy bills without a clue about how that happened. It is not a good thing when you have to do it every day. You don’t have to go down this road. We are here to help you track down the source and fix it. After all, you shouldn’t be throwing away money on heating.

Another reason to make sure you’re keeping your home warm by preventing cold air from entering is to save the environment. Do you remember your parents saying, “We can’t afford to heat the world,” when you left the front door opening? They might have been talking about how leaving the door wide open was eating the money out of their wallet, but they could be talking about the environment without thinking about it. When you turn up the heating system in your house, you are burning more energy from your furnace. This could lead to burning more green that could cause more harm to the planet. This goes especially true for older houses. If you are looking to live a green life, you will want to listen up. These tips can help you save the planet.

Where is the Source of the Problem?

First, you have to find the source of where the cold air is coming from. The ideal place to start is the door. Not just the solid front door, either. Your glass door can let cold air into your house. You could feel the cold air from a gap in the side that you don’t notice until you really look at it. Same with your garage door. It would be best to check at the bottom. (It might be time to get a new door by then.) What exactly are you looking for? Do you see gaps around the frames of the door? Does it feel cold when you stand by the door? If the answer is yes, then you are going to want to get that fixed. But what if you can’t see the cracks? Can you still feel cold air but can’t see where it’s coming from? There is another way to find the source. The Air Assurance blog suggests trying the “smoke test”. Turn off your furnaces and your heating devices during a cold and windy day. You go outside to the potential leak spot and light up a stick of incense. If you can see the smoke coming from the crack, then you found the sight.

Doors aren’t the only thing that leaks out cold air. Go around your house and check your windows. Not just the windows for this either. Your window shutters can leak cold air as well. Check your floor and roof. You are going to be shocked how many leaks that you have all around the house. The task might seem overwhelming on the surface. But rest assured, there is some good news. You can see the leaking of cold air through the cracks fixed.

How Can I Fix it?

Now that you found the leaks in your house, how are you going to fix them? You could do it yourself. There are some tricks that will work and help save money in the process. Or you might want to move aside and let the professionals do the work. They could help you same money in the end. Which one is right for you? It will depend on what you are comfortable with. We will take a look at both options.

Let’s say you want to do it yourself. Where should you start? Do you need expensive tools to help you get the job done? Not really. You might not even need to take a trip to your local home improvement store depending on what needs work in the house. For example, you can just block cold air from the hard surface floors with rugs. Just by doing that, you have cut down on ten percent of cold air coming into your house. For your walls, just put up pictures and mirrors. You will be blocking out cold air from the outside. For the windows, you have to make sure they are closed all the way. You might have to push down as hard as you can. Once you make sure that the window is closed all the way, make sure they are latched shut. Owning thicker curtains can also be a big help in keeping out the cold.

Another tip to prevent cold air from entering your house is to close the doors to unused rooms. For vents, go around and make sure the flap is covering them up when they are not in use. The biggest offenders are over your clothes dryer and your bathroom vents. Think of it this way, they are big holes that you are allowing cold air to come into your house like an open invitation. One more tip to protect the house from cold air getting inside is to place plastic covers over the vents. It would make sense for cold air to get in through there due to the holes for the air and heat.

Sometimes, there are some cracks that are going to need more than simple tricks to prevent cold air from going inside. The first thing you would need to do is to get everything that you are going to need. You are going to need a door sweep, tape insulation, weather strips, plastic covers, and a silicone-based filler. You can pick up some of the things listed in your local hardware store. Afterward, go around and measure everything just to make sure you do everything right. Your doors fall under this category. You are going to have to use a door sweep for that. In order to do this right, you have to measure the door just to make sure that you get the right size. Once you have that down, get the door sweep and slide it underneath. Make sure it is in place and secure. A door sweep can work for the glass door and the garage door.

Speaking of doors, you are going to need to use weather stripping to keep out the cold. They aren’t that expensive either. You can even find them in your local hardware store. Next are those annoying cracks in your floor. How are you going to go around and fill them up? There’s nothing like a little silicone-based filler can’t fix. Another tip to keep out cold air from your house is to invest in insulation. Think of the fluffy colored material as a thick, cozy blanket for your home. It can be easy to put up just as long as you remember to wear a mask, goggles, gloves, and protective clothing. Finally, if you have a chimney, you will want to take care of that too. All you have to do is get yourself a chimney balloon to block out the draft. They aren’t that expensive, and you can pick one up at your local hardware store. The only thing to keep in mind is to remove the balloon when you are ready to light a fire in the fireplace.

Now, we will look at hiring a professional to come and do the work. You might not be confident in your DIY skills. So, you decide to call in the experts for help. That might seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to worry. Just take a breath and do your homework. When you are ready, you can make the call. There are plenty of services that can help. They can do anything from roof repair to heating services. If you need a seamless floor, you can call up people to help you out there. They will take the time to lay down the floor with great care. Cold air can come in from the floor without you knowing it. If you need a siding contractor, you can call up someone and they will be over to help you. You might not know how to do siding properly. They can even help out with HVAC installation if you call them. The workers will take time to talk to you and figure out what needs to be done. Is the cold air coming from the roofing? The roofers will take the time to look through every crack in the roof to try and patch it right up. The cold air can get in much easier that way. Will these services cost much? Yes, but you want nothing but the best with services, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be better to spend your money then and there than to end up paying more money with the heating bills? All you have to do is to go ahead and make the call.

How Can I Make Sure That I am Not Getting Duped?

If you decide to go with professionals to do the work for you, how do you know if you are getting your money’s worth? You don’t want to end up getting ripped and end up losing money. The last thing you need is someone doing a poor job and making the situation worse than it already was. The best way to prevent this is to do your homework. Look up the service you are looking to hire. Start by looking at the reviews with the company. What are the customers saying about it? Do you see more positive or negative reviewers? Depending on what you see, you will know if you should give the business a call or not.

What if you are tight on money and you aren’t sure if you can afford something like a new roofing job? This goes back to the old additive by doing your homework. Shop around for the best, affordable prices. There are plenty of affordable home renovation services that you can find online. Don’t forget to read reviews in the process.

You Don’t Need to Throw Away Money

Heating your house should not make your heating bills skyrocket. Your house should not have to drain your wallet. You can do it yourself or hire professionals to do it for you. When you keep all of the cold air out of your house, you will be saving yourself money and the planet all the same.