Homework

                                                          

The first day of Spring is right around the corner! Now we can spend a little time outside instead of looking out the window and saying, “boy it looks cold out there”. As bad as I hate to admit it that is what happens at my house. I tolerate cold weather, but the novelty does wear off eventually and I hate it. So get outside and enjoy the warmer weather and when you have a little free time…how about some energy saving homework!

Rebates and incentives are available from the power companies to throw you in gear, but if you’re like me you would rather do it yourself and not have a stranger looking at your junk. I can only say that my wife is collecting stuff for a yard sale so many times before it begins to sound stupid even to me, so let’s minimize outside labor. Here is a good way to get started. Turn on every appliance that exhausts outside the “envelope” of your home. This would be bath fans, range hood and clothes dryer. This will put your home under negative pressure (more air going out than is coming in) similar to what a blower door will do, but on a smaller scale. With a lighted stick of incense in hand walk around your home and test areas you suspect air to infiltrate. Suspect areas would be:

1.       *Doors and windows.

2.       *Plumbing penetrations in cabinets.

3.      *Fireplaces.

4.       *Light switch and receptacles.

5.       *Attic access.

6.       *Whirlpool tubs and shower stalls. (this will be covered in another blog about     dealing with the giant hole under bath tubs)

7.       *Duct registers and return grills.

If you don’t like using the smoke, just use your face. The skin there is very sensitive and you will feel the air moving against it, but the smoke is a great visual aid.

If you choose to use spray foam to seal some of the leaks you find, be careful. It takes a little practice to not get it everywhere, and once it’s on your skin, you will wear it for a while. Latex caulk is much easier to use because you can wash away your mistakes. If you choose to caulk larger holes, go at it in stages by allowing the initial application to harden and apply in layers.

This is the basic premise of air sealing. It is a homeowner friendly sport and it will save you dollars. Keeping the conditioned air in your home is very important and will save you money. Insulation alone will not hold the air in your home; it will only filter the escaping/infiltrating air. I will add that an official blower door test is a good idea for everyone. This will insure that you home is not too tight, but it has been my experience in the hundreds of homes that I have tested that few are too tight! In a future blog I will cover homeowner friendly duct sealing, attic and knee wall sealing and large hole repair. Until then….enjoy the changing season!