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Caulking Helps Save On Heating ExpenseBy Jim Sulski Summary: Caulking is one of the easiest do-it-yourself projects with one of the greatest paybacks. It saves money on your heating bill and helps to keep moisture away from your home's shell. Of all the energy-efficiency steps a homeowner can take, caulking and sealing
is one of the most simplest and inexpensive. As a result, it provides one of
the best paybacks. In other words, the few dollars you spend to seal and caulk should be recouped quickly in a heating bill or two, versus spending hundreds of dollars on, say, new storm windows. That type of investment would take years to recoup. Plus, don't forget the benefit of comfort. Your home will feel nicer on frigid
nights. Caulking around windows and exterior doors can do much to prevent cold air infiltration. More importantly, caulking prevents moisture from working its way into your home's shell, which can cause damage such as wood rot. Caulking is one of the easiest tasks a do-it-yourselfer can tackle. To caulk, you'll need a caulking gun and a few tubes of caulk, which are loaded into the gun. Most caulk is latex-based and not only comes in different grades, but different colors to match siding and paint. There is also clear caulk available. If the surface was previously caulked, start first by using a putty knife to remove the old caulk. Then, cut the nozzle on the caulk tube at a 45 degree angle. Cut the nozzle deep enough so that you get a bead of caulk from the tube that's about one-quarter of an inch thick. Hold the gun at the same 45 degree angle you cut the nozzle. When caulking, gently squeeze the trigger of the caulking gun and always pull the gun towards you. Then, when you're done with a bead, quickly pull the plunger out of the back of the caulking gun to stop the flow of caulk. Try a couple of test runs to determine how much caulk comes out of the tube when the trigger is squeezed. That will determine how quickly you move the gun over the surface. If the bead of caulk is fairly noticeable, you can smooth it down with a wet finger. That will hide it a bit better. Have a wet rag handy to wipe away the excess. If you find a fairly large gap - something wider than a half-inch - fill it with a spray-in foam rather than caulk. There are also preformed rope caulks, which can be unspooled and pressed in
place. They are a bit more expensive than tube caulk. Also, be sure to caulk the following: • The exterior perimeters of windows and doors, where the wood or metal window and door frames meet your home's siding. • The inside frame of double-hung sash windows. Lay down a small bead
of caulk where the storm window meets the window frame. Also, cover any gaps
in the frame, including around the access panels which hide the weights for
sash windows. Do not cover the small drain holes at the bottom of the window.
Entrance doors are also a common source of infiltration. Huge amounts of cold air can get in through the small gap between the bottom of the door and the top of the threshold that the door rests above. To block this cold air, you can install a door seal or sweep - a rubber, plastic or bristle brush strip that basically seals that gap. The most simple type of sweep is a rubber squeegee or bristle brush attached to a metal bracket. This sweep is cut to fit the door and then the bracket is attached to the bottom exterior or interior of the door. The sweep is attached to the bottom of the door so that it's barely touching the floor - just enough of a gap so that a sheet of typing paper should slide under the door. While effective, it's fairly noticeable. A door shoe works on the same principal, except a vinyl tube attached to the metal bracket fits under the door. When the door is closed and the tube meets the threshold, it is squeezed shut and forms a tight seal. For a proper fit, the door may need to be removed to install the door shoe.
© by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. January 24, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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