Are your utility bills burning holes in your pocket every month? Well, take an initiative to weather strip the windows and doors of your home, and save your hard-earned money. If you are feeling confused about how to do it, here is everything you need to know about weather-stripping:
What is Weather-Stripping?
Weather-stripping has long been considered as one of the most effective ways to keep our residential energy consumption under control. The strength, resilience and durability of the doors and windows of our houses deteriorate significantly with time and weather. As a result, our living places become more prone to heat-loss as well as several other damages, which eventually perk up the energy cost to a great extent. Using proper weather-stripping can help us fight against escalating utility bills in an effortless and cost-effective way.
How does weather-stripping work?
Weather-stripping is used to seal all those leaky openings and cracks developed in the movable elements of a building like casements, doors, etc. As it stops drafty air from entering your home by tightening the gaps between the building structure and its operable components, the internal temperature remains comfortable enough. Needless to say, it is highly effective for maintaining a standard energy consumption limit in your home. However, do not forget to look for the exact points of air leaks as well as assess the requirements of ventilation prior to installing weather-stripping.
Different types of Weather-Stripping
Weather-stripping can be divided into a number of categories depending upon weather conditions, temperature fluctuations, resistance withstanding capacity, deterioration caused due to the location, and so on. Some of these include:
- Tension seal
- Fin seal
- Reinforced foam
- Reinforced silicone
- Reinforced vinyl
- Door sweep
- Door shoe
- Tubular rubber and vinyl
- Interlocking metal channels
- Bulb threshold
- ‘Frost-brake’ threshold
- Felt
- Tape
- Magnetic
How to apply Weather-Stripping?
In process of installing weather-stripping is extremely simple and easy. You do not need to be an expert for this purpose. At first, measure the perimeters of all your windows and doors, sum them up, and then add another ten percent to the actual figure in order get the proper length of the weather-stripping you need to purchase. After buying the product, cut them according to your windows and doors. Also, make sure that the surfaces of those components are dry and clean. Finally, apply the material on both sides and press firmly. You are done!
