5 Places to Test Your Home for Drafts and Leaks

5 Places to Test Your Home for Drafts and Leaks

Drafty Window

Where to test your home for drafts and leaks is one of the most common HVAC service questions we encounter, and for good reason. Drafts and leaks are major causes of inefficiency in the heating and cooling of your home. Your HVAC system cannot heat and cool your home effectively if there are leaks and drafts. When heated or cooled air escapes your house, it is like money flying out the window.

To keep energy costs down, it is important to give your home a thorough inspection for drafts and leaks. Here are five places to check:

Doors and Windows

Drafts and leaks are common around doors and windows. Doors that don’t close properly or have an old sweep are often sources of drafts. With windows, the problem is often deteriorating frames or windows that are simply too old.

Exhausts

The exhaust for your dryer or other vents in your home are potential sources of leaks and drafts. Take the time to make sure there is air only leaving your home and the area around exhausts is carefully sealed.

Attic

Leaks and drafts often come from the attic. Because it usually gets infrequent checks, leaks and drafts can go unnoticed until they affect your energy bill.

Basement

Basement and crawl spaces are other well-known culprits for drafts and leaks. Like the attic, these less-used areas of the house can have such issues for a while before anyone detects an issue.

Walls

Different parts of the walls in your home are vulnerable to drafts. Pay particular attention to electrical outlets, switch plates and baseboards when checking for issues.

Being vigilant about locating and dealing with drafts and leaks is a proactive way to take control of your energy bill. If you have more general HVAC service questions, get in touch with our friendly team at McCall’s today. We can take the mystery out of energy services.