Homes can develop air leaks over time that reduce their comfort and energy efficiency while increasing the strain on their heating and cooling systems. When your HVAC system needs to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature, that raises your energy bills. Homeowners likely do not look forward to finding a bigger bill each month in their mailbox!
Fortunately, our heating and cooling experts at Metal Masters of Klamath Falls put together a list of easy ways to check your home for air leaks:
1. Use Your Hand
It doesn’t get easier than this! Large air leaks can be detected with your bare hand. Your home is most likely to have air leaks at the seams of windows and external doors, so start the test there. If you feel a breeze, draft, or drastic change in temperature, that means air is leaking in from the outside. You can wet your skin with water to make it easier to feel any leaks.
2. Use a Candle
This test is similar to the hand method, but you will use a lit candle instead of your bare hand. Carefully and gently move a candle near the seams of your doors and windows. If the flame flickers or goes out, that means air is leaking through at that spot.
3. Use Incense
A burning stick of incense can be used to test for leaks smaller than those you can detect with your hand or a candle. First, you’ll need to de-pressurize your home by turning off your air conditioner, furnace, and fans. When you move the lit stick of incense near doors and windows, you may notice signs of an air leak, including the smoke being blown inward or sucked outward.
4. Use An Air Leak Detector
Available at most hardware stores, an air leak detector is a device that can detect even the smallest of leaks. These instruments are equipped with a mechanism that is sensitive to sounds that are produced by a system of pipes. If a sound registers on the detector, a signal is sent that tells the unit it has identified a leak.
Reliable Heating & Cooling Service
Did you discover an air leak? Not to worry, our team of HVAC experts at Metal Masters are here to help. Since 1968, our highly trained service technicians have provided some of the best HVAC repair, maintenance, and installation around Klamath Falls and Medford, OR. We look forward to your call today!