How to Check a House for Air Leaks

Heating and cooling your house is such a huge expense that no one can afford to overlook air leaks. Follow these guidelines to finding the places your air conditioning and heat are seeping out and eating up your budget.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Two people
• Flashlight
• A piece of paper
• Screwdriver
• A damp cloth
• An incense stick

1. Wait until after dark and get a friend to help you. Shine your flashlight from inside the house while your friend stands outside. Shine it slowly around the window and door frames keeping the light close to the frame so that light coming through the windows doesn't interfere with seeing the air leaks.

2. Close a door on a piece of paper. If you can pull it through the door without tearing it, the door isn't sealed enough and your heat and air conditioning is being wasted.

3. Check for drafts by baseboards and ceiling molding along the outside walls. Wet your hand with a damp cloth and run it along the moldings slowly, feeling for air leaks. The dampness will allow you to feel them more easily. Use a lit incense stick to check for the ceiling air leaks if you can't easily reach up that high. Don't forget to check for leaks around the attic openings and ceiling fans as well.

4. Check for drafts behind outlet and switch plates. Sometimes drafts come in under sinks around the fixtures, too. Often these are a bigger source of escaping heat and air than people realize.

5. Do a thorough check and you'll be ready to weatherize your home to run more efficiently.

[Meri]

on 7/11/2008 These are wonderful tips! Thanks so much.

[missforty]

on 6/19/2008 Very helpful and practical.