As the hot, humid temperatures from summer begin to cool in north Texas, the team of professionals at Designer Door and Window encourage you to prepare your home for the approaching change in 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 home, resulting in discomfort and higher energy costs. Window and door maintenance is not cheap so here is a checklist to keep them in good condition.
First, make a visual inspection of your home’s exterior doors and windows. Be watchful for gaps between window or door frames and your homes siding to determine areas where the old caulking has failed.
Second, 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.
Third, window glazing 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.
Fourth, 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.
Fifth, ensure that the weather stripping around windows and doors is still in decent condition, and be sure to replace any that is damaged or shows excessive wear. Also, when 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
Sixth, Check the caulk on the outside window frame and the glazing around all of the panes to ensure it has not dried out in the heat of summer. This can cause gaps and cracks that let air and water into your home.
This checklist will help ensure that your home is running efficiently and cost effective this winter season!
If you have any questions, contact or visit Designer Door & Window at their beautiful showroom located at the northwest corner of Parker and Custer Roads (2109 W. Parker Road, Suite 202A) in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas. You can also visit their website to request a consultation or a quote, contact them via phone (972 424-0031), or connect with them via E-mail (Steve or Debby).
