As the weather cools significantly in north Texas, the professionals at Designer Door and Window encourage you to prepare your home for this significant change in the weather.
One of the most important steps to ensuring that your residence remains warm, comfortable and energy efficient is to identify and seal the air leaks around your home’s windows and doors. Air leaks can lead to drafty cold spots in your, resulting in discomfort and higher energy costs.
Periodically inspect your windows
You can guard against drafty windows, which make it harder and less efficient to heat (and cool) your home throughout the year, by inspecting them periodically and keeping them in good condition. Be sure to look for gaps between the window or door frames and the siding of your residence to see where the existing caulking has failed.
Check caulking around windows
Next, check the caulking on the outside window frame and the glazing around all of the panes to ensure there has been no drying in the heat of summer, which causes gaps and cracks that let air and water into your home. Window glazing also needs to be replaced periodically. As the putty ages, its seal along the glass loosens. You can often tell if glazing needs to be replaced when you tap on a pane of glass and it rattles in its setting.
Check beneath doors
Back inside your home, inspect the threshold beneath each door with an eye toward daylight or related signs of an opening that is too large and needs to be sealed shut. Ensure that the weather stripping around windows and doors is still in decent condition, and replace any that is damaged or shows excessive wear.
As the weather turns cold, you can determine if air is flowing through your closed windows by feeling for obvious drafts of cold air, which indicates air movement pushing through from outdoors. You may also opt to use an infrared (or non-contact) thermometer to measure the ambient air temperature around window and door frames. If cold outside air is leaking into your home, this type of thermometer will register a colder temperature, which indicates an area that may be wasting energy and increasing your energy bills.
Before replacing the caulking
Before replacing the caulking, you may choose use caulk softener to help remove the old caulking. Apply it the softener at least two hours before removal so it may soak in and be easier to adhere to your putty knife. Remove as much of the old caulk as possible to ensure that the new caulk will attach properly and give the window a good seal.
After removing the caulking
After removing the old caulking, clean those surfaces to ensure that the glazing will have a dust-free area on which to adhere. Use a paint scraper to compress the glazing into a tight, compact seal, and paint over the glazing after it has hardened.
Apply the caulking
Now you are ready to apply the caulk. One tube of caulk should be enough to seal a whole window. Be sure to let the caulk dry and set (between 12-15 hours), and your windows should be well-protected for the cold weather. Be sure to use 100% silicone caulk because it is permanently waterproof, flexible and shrink- and crack-proof.
Come Visit Designer Door & Window’s Showroom
Designer Door & Window invites you to visit their 2,700 square foot showroom at the northwest corner of Parker and Custer Roads (2109 W. Parker Road, Suite 202-A) in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas. The company’s trade professionals will help you realize your artistic vision, and provide a large selection of styles to help achieve the unique look that you desire. We also welcome your ideas and concepts.
You May Also Visit Our Website or Call
Homeowners may also visit Designer Door & Window at www.designerdoorsandwindows.com to request a consultation or a quote, or call us at (972) 424-0031.
