Include Air Leak Sealing in Your HVAC Maintenance Schedule

If you want to lower your energy bills this summer, start by addressing the air leaks in your home that allow the air in your home to escape. Air leak sealing should be a standard part of your annual HVAC maintenance if you want to keep your air quality high and your cooling bills low.

Where air leaks reside in your home

While you could check every part of your home for leaks, it would be a waste of time. Instead, focus your efforts on the areas that most commonly have significant leaks in homes, which are:

• Doors

• Windows

• Fireplaces

• The garage

• The attic

You have many options to find the leaks, pick one that works for you. Some find it easiest to simply feel for leaks with their hands, while others prefer visual solutions like lighting an incense stick and seeing where the smoke gets disturbed. You can try to find and mark all the leaks at once, or fix leaks as you find them.

Air leak sealing 101

Most leaks are just as easy to fix as they are to find. The tools you will likely need are caulking, weatherstripping and in certain situations spray foam. Any leaks on stationary parts of your home, like the frame of a window usually call for caulking. A leak along the edge or joint of a door or window typically calls for weatherstripping. Spray foam behaves a lot like caulking, but is often more versatile. It can be used on large cracks or holes that you find on the exterior of your home.

Large leaks or drafts coming from your attic or garage are different than normal leaks. To fix these you need to improve the insulation in both these places. While it is possible to do it on your own, if you really want it done right to maximize your benefits, call an HVAC professional.

If you are looking for help sealing the leaks in your Northeast Ohio home, feel free to contact the experts at Stack Heating & Cooling.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air sealing and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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