How To Find Drafts In Your Home

Did you know that 20-30 percent of the average household’s heating energy is wasted due to invisible air leaks? Not only is it awkward, it’s expensive. Drafts can make your rooms feel cold, your heating system overstressed, and your bills can be much higher than they should be.

You’re not alone in having reached into your sweater pockets, or being told that the cold is to blame for poor insulation, or wondering why the corners of your house always look somehow wrong, well, you’re not alone. However, here’s a bit of good news: Finding and sealing such drafts isn’t always as difficult as it seems. Identifying those hidden areas where air is escaping and heat is escaping will be part of the process whether you plan to hire a professional or if it’s a do-it-yourself situation.

Incidentally, if you are planning to renovate your home, or you want a better view of the airflow in your home, working with a CAD drafting professional can be invaluable. They have the ability to take accurate pictures that provide insight into airflow, insulation gaps, and structural flaws that will enable you to better correct drafts and prevent costly mistakes.

What Are Drafts: The Fundamentals Of Air Leaks

It is time to discuss the reason behind drafts being such a prevalent issue before we go into the specifics. Drafts typically imply that there are holes or cracks in the building envelope of your home, i.e. the separation between the inside and the outside. All these leaks tend to reside where you might not suspect them as fast as possible, the attic, rim joists, plumbing penetrations, or light fixtures.

Since hot air ascends, it passes through the ceiling and attic bringing about a suction effect that pushes cool outside air inward through lower openings. In the long run that consumes your energy and makes your space uncomfortable.

The Strategies To Spot Drafts In Your House: Effective Ways

These are the best methods of getting drafts, beginning with the simplest DIY tests up to more professional methods.

1. The Feel Test: With the Help of Your Hands

You want to run your open hand (slowly) on a cold day, or a windy day (or when there is heating on), around the edges of windows, the edges of doors, the bottom of walls, and the electrical sockets.

When you see a cold breeze then it is probably a genuine air leak. One of the tips that people in the house give is to dampen your fingertips, it is easier to feel even the slightest draft.

2. The Smoke Test: Candle or Incense

Take an incense stick (or a smoke pencil) and rub it back and forth on the possible points of leakage (outlets, doors, windows). When the smoke is drawn or pushed in a single direction, then it is airflow.

Alternatively, use a candle. Keep it close to the possible breakages, and observe the fire. When it moves or dances, then you must have a draft. Ensure before doing this test, the fans, HVAC and other airflow sources are off.

3. Tissue Or Toilet Paper Through Method

It is a cheap, surprisingly useful trick: take a piece of tissue or a piece of toilet paper of very tiny size and put it close to the corners, or up to the wire penetrations or to the outlet boxes or to the windows/doors.

When the paper is fluted, you have discovered a draft. The larger the flutter the larger the leak.

4. Flashlight + Visual Method

During the night or when in a dark room, turn on a flashlight and move it about the window and the door frames when somebody is outside. When they are able to see through your flash-lamp, there is air coming in.

Physically examine intersection points of various building materials, as well - such as siding and foundation, around plumbing, or electrical penetrations.

5. Thermal Imaging / Infrared Camera

Scan your walls and your attic among other surfaces with a thermal (infrared) camera. The leaks are usually presented in the form of cold spots or in temperature variations.

This is also one of the most effective methods of locating gaps in your insulation as research indicates.
Such a camera can be purchased or hired. Others have libraries or energy audit programs which even lend out.

6. Professionally Building Test Seal (Blower Door Test)

This is the gold standard. A blower door test is a home test that involves the use of a strong fan to depressurize your home and ambient air through leaks.

During the process of carrying out the test, an expert is able to identify all the leaks using smoke pencils, thermal cameras, or any other equipment.

It is commonly carried out as a home energy audit. Investment (usually US$225-450) can always pay off particularly in older houses or long term savings.

Where Drafts Are Most Likely To Be Found

It is half the battle knowing where to look. The most common offenders are as follows:

1. Attic hatch/knee walls: Huge potential of heat loss.
2. Rim joists / top of foundation walls: These are some of the areas of framing that leak air.
3. Electrical outlets and switches: “Counter-intuitive” leak point.
4. Pipes, wires, and ducts So any plumbing or utility penetrations.
5. Recessed (can) lights: The lights emit heat around the lighting fixtures.
6. Windows and doors: Check to see whether there is any weakness in frame, old weather stripping or daylight at edges.
7. Basement or crawl space: This is usually an unattended area and any leaks can attract a lot of attention.

How To Deal When You Find A Draft

It is easy to find drafts, and where the actual payoff is to be had is in sealing them. Here are effective fixes:

1. Seal small cracks (smaller than 1/4 inch): high quality long-lasting exterior grade caulk is used.
2. Spray foam on bigger holes: Foam which expands is perfect used on bigger holes around pipes or between surfaces.
3. Door and window weatherstripping: Replace or bolster older strips to enhance a better seal.
4. Outlet sealing: Foam gaskets Foam gaskets should be placed behind outlet switch plates and boxes sealed with caulk or foam.
5. Attic hatch cover: Insulate cover and weatherstrip.
6. Light covers: Recessed lights should be covered with insulation covers in order to minimize leaks.

Observational Data: The Homeowner Who Saved His Bills

Suppose Sarah is in a house in the 1970s suburbs. Her heating bill ran high especially during winter and certain rooms were always drafty. She followed these steps:

1. Used the cure: took the feel of drafts with her hand, and then checked by incense smoke.
2. Identified baseboard, windows, and attic hatch leaks.
3. Purchased a low-cost thermal scanner to scan walls, and was able to see cold areas in rim joists.
4. They paid someone to test the blower door and discovered that they had more leaks in the recessed lights and utility penetrations.
5. Sealed all, applied caulk and foam and Varco sticky masks.

Outcome: She had cut down her heating energy consumption almost 15 percent during the first winter after sealing, and her house was significantly warmer and more comfortable.

Why This Guide Is Superior To Other Ones You Will Find Elsewhere

1. All-around and multi-leveled solution: We merge feel, smoke, trial and professional testing.
2. Low-cost and practical techniques: Not all techniques involve the use of costly instruments.
3. Practical examples + steps supported by experts: We rely on such reliable sources as ENERGY STAR, research on building science, and building improvement professionals.
4. Actionable solution: We do not only show you about leaks but also make sure that you tighten them effectively.

Conclusion

Home drafts can be a minor nuisance, but they can be a huge drain on your comfort and your pocketbook. With simple test items like your hand, incense smoke, or a tissue, as well as more technologically advanced tools like thermal cameras or blower door testing, you can narrow down where the air is leaking.

Once you’ve identified the areas of concern, it’s not only that you can keep the cold out by sealing the areas, but also that you’re saving on the cost of your heating, heating bills, and increasing your comfort level.

So do it now: Schedule a home inspection this weekend, or contact a certified energy auditor to come and check your blower door. Your heater will be a blessing to you and your future. Keep warm, stay productive, and control the airflow in your home.

FAQs

Is It Necessary To Seek The Service Of A Professional To Locate Drafts?

Not necessarily. It is possible to identify many drafts with the help of simple DIY methods such as the hand test, smoke test, or toilet paper. However to achieve the best and most thorough detection, a professional test of the blower door with infrared imaging is strongly recommended particularly in larger or older houses.

What Is The Cost Of A Blower Door Test?

The average cost of a blower door test ranges at about US225- 450, depending on your locality and the contractor that you employ. It is a small investment, but can prove to be worthwhile because of the possible energy bill savings.

What Type Of Sealants Are To Be Used After Locating A Leakage?

In small cracks (less than 1/4 inch): a high-quality exterior grade caulk should be applied.
Where size differences involve pipes, wires: expand spray foam.
In the case of electrical outlets: obtain foam gasket kits and improvise the area of the outlet box.