Help for When Your House Is Drafty – 13 Simple Solutions
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Is your house feeling drafty? Cold breeze flowing in from unknown sources? A drafty home sure is uncomfortable, especially in the coldest days of the year.
We understand your plight – and for eight years, have been slowly but surely been identifying and halting the drafty feeling in our house.
Our heating bill has drastically dropped using these strategies – and we are certainly more comfortable during the winter time!
Keep reading to learn what to do if your house is drafty!
How to Find Drafts in a House
The first thing to do if your home is drafty? Find the source of the problem! It’s like an air mattress that keeps deflating – identify the leak, and patch it ASAP.
Here’s how to locate a draft.
Cheap Fix : Use a Lighter
Here’s how to find drafts in your house.
Grab a lighter and (safely) walk around the doors and windows of your home. Hold the lighter up to the suspected source of the breeze.
If the light moves, you’ve found a draft!
Find a Professional Home Energy Auditor
Check with your state or energy provider – some will provide complimentary draft checks!
Here in our area of New Jersey, we have PSE&G as our service provider. They have several programs (based on income) where they will send a pro at no cost to do an “energy checkup.”
In addition to identifying places where you’re bleeding heat, they’ll ensure your boilers are up to snuff, the water pressure is efficient, and more!
Check it out, fellow Jerseyans: Home Energy Assessments.
Other states have similar programs – why not google “home energy audit” or “weatherization assistance” + your state or county? You never know what you might find.
How to Fix Drafty Windows
Ok people, let’s go shopping. Here are some simple fixes to warm up your home. Most cost less than $50!
Our first nemesis? Drafty windows.
Close and Lock the Windows
Yes, it’s true. If you close the window, the draft will shrink.
And – did you know – even 1/8” opening will feel like a breeze coming down from the Rockies!! Lock the window to ensure it’s fully sealed in its natural state.
Cost: $0. Win!
Heavy Thermal Curtains
Save the sheers for summertime! Switch to heavy-duty curtains for the winter months.
We found these super-long blackout curtains for maximum coverage.
Get Hex Blinds (AKA Cellular Shades)
Not only are these hexagon blinds a fashionable step up from the plastic situation, they also insulate.
Air is a fine insulator – this structure creates an air pocket to help you reduce drafts!
Window Sealing Kit
This is a great fix for both homeowners and renters. You might need a weekend afternoon to get it done, but just imagine the memories you’ll make with a hairdryer and roll of tape!
Invest in a window sealing kit. You’ll tape a giant sheet of clear plastic wrap over the window, then use a hair dryer to blow out the wrinkles.
Pro tip: tape up the top and sides, blow dry, then pull to tape and seal the bottom. Two workers are better than one here, folks.
Caulk the Trim
While our energy assessor was touring our home, the first thing he did was analyze every single window’s seams.
Look around both the window and also the trim surrounding it. If you can fit a pinky nail in between, it’s time to caulk!
Here’s a reliable YouTube tutorial on the process of caulking.
Spend the five bucks – you won’t regret it.
Replace Windows
Ready to go for the whole enchilada? Replace your windows!
We’ve replaced 26 windows in our house and never regretted it. There’s an upfront cost, but you’ll get the money back when you save on your heating bill.
This is one of the projects at our home that we did not DIY. Hiring a contractor was sooooooo much easier.
Our window guys measured the opening, climbed the ladder, removed the old window, put it in a dumpster somewhere, installed the new one, brought and used the bending brake, trimmed it out, and caulked.
And, it was all faster and cheaper than I’d be able to make a trip to the window supplier. Trust me on this one!
How to Fix a Drafty Door
Now that our windows. are less leaky, let’s look at our second suspect: doors!
Stick on a Door Sweep
Let’s take a look at the bottom of your door.
Is there a space underneath? Yes?
It’s time for a stick-on door sweep! Just cut to size, peel and stick, and you’re on your way to a cozy winter.
Get yourself a two-pack, how far wrong can you go?
Under Door Draft Stopper
Door sweep not sufficient? Invest in a cute little draft stopper.
Try this door snake (get it?)!
Or go double dutch with a dual-sided draft stopper.
Install Weatherstripping on Doors
Ah, yes, a door has four sides!
Take a look at the seams on the left, right, and top of your door in question. If there is light or air coming through, install some weather stripping.
Much like the stick-on door sweeps, you can find these in the peel-and-stick variety.
Drafty House Big Fix: Insulate the Walls
Alright, so you’ve gone to town on sweeps, snakes, and seals. And you’re still cold! Let’s examine the age of your home.
While yes, the ancient Egyptians (of course) had ways of insulating, it wasn’t until the 1930s that fiberglass insulation came along. (Fascinating, right? )
Our house was built in 1912 without insulation – and as we have renovated the entire thing (here’s the Full Home Remodel Before and After), we’ve been installing insulation as we go.
Adding insulation is straightforward if you’re gutting a room.
But even if you’re not up to your eyeballs in ugly brown studs, you can have a company do “blown-in” insulation – or even do it yourself. You (or your contractor) make a hole in the wall, blow in the insulation with a machine, then seal it up.
We had professionals come in and do this on our second floor and in the crawl space between our second floor and the roof. We haven’t regretted it.
Final Thoughts on a Drafty House
If you’re fighting a house that is drafty, there are definitely easy and affordable tactics to help you cut the breeze!
Whether you employ one set of curtains or go whole-hog and replace the windows, you’ll warm up in no time. And just remember, when all else fails, wear a sweater.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Our Two Family for more home upkeep inspiration!
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- Winter Home Improvement Projects You Need to Plan Now
- Renovating an Old House – Practical List of Where to Start
- 17 Tips – How to Renovate a House While Living in It
