Nanci Hagarty

Check caulking and weather-stripping

Make sure your caulking and weather-stripping keep the heat in and the wind out.

Overview

Caulking and weatherstripping around doors, windows and electrical outlets block the cold drafts that drive up your heating bill and make your home less comfortable. Add them if they're missing from key spots, and repair and replace caulk and weatherstripping that have worn out.

You can use a candle, smoke pencil or tissue hanging from a hanger to check for drafts - you just need something that moves in a slight breeze.
You can either add or replace caulk and weatherstripping yourself or have an expert do the work for you. You can do interior caulking at any time. Wait for warm weather to do exterior caulking, or call a professional who has the equipment to do exterior caulking in the winter.
Many types of weatherstripping are available - foam, felt, plastic or metal - so check the packaging to determine which is best for your application:

- Foam weatherstripping acts like a gasket that squishes when a door closes on it.
- Metal or vinyl weatherstripping is typically folded and is compressed by the moving parts like a spring.
- A combination of metal and vinyl creates a door sweep or door shoe, which fits on the bottom of a door and creates a good seal when the door is closed.

Steps

1. To locate drafts near windows, exterior doors and electrical outlets on exterior walls, slowly move the candle, smoke stick or tissue all the way around them.
2. For drafty doors, install weatherstripping if there is none. Inspect existing weatherstripping for damage, and repair or replace as needed.
3. For drafty electrical outlets, install a foam gasket under the cover plate of drafty electrical outlets. They're inexpensive and easy to slip into place.

   

4. For drafty windows, you can caulk the interior at any time. Only apply exterior caulking when the weather is warm, or call professionals who are equipped to apply caulk in the cold.
   • Gently scrape off any existing caulk. If the gap under the caulk is damp, let it dry.
   • Load the tube of caulk into the caulk gun - use acrylic latex silicone caulk for best results. Cut off the tip of the nozzle at about a 30-degree angle; make the hole the same size as the gap.
   • Place the nozzle at one end of the gap. Using steady force, push the gun's plunger until the caulk begins to come out of the tube.
   • Drag the tip along the gap steadily to create one continuous bead - don't start and stop.

     

Test Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors' Alarms

Make sure the alarms on your detectors are working, so they can alert you to a hazard.

Overview

Your best defense against carbon monoxide is detectors installed near fuel-burning appliances and near sleeping areas. Make sure the alarm works correctly. This test doesn't determine if the detector functions correctly, just its alarm.

The risk associated with carbon monoxide poisoning is related to the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air and the duration of the exposure. Therefore, alarms sound if they detect low concentrations for a long, or high concentrations for a short time.

Steps

1. Press the TEST button.
2. Replace any detector with a non-functioning alarm.

Tips & warnings

• If an alarm goes off, immediately open doors and windows to ventilate the house. Call the fire department and evacuate everyone from the home. Because carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, never ignore an alarm, even if you feel no symptoms.
• In general, alarms manufactured after October 1998 are more likely to perform properly. Replace all detectors after 10 years from date of manufacture.