Buildings

Winter Weatherization Do's and Don't's

Here are some things to do that will help, and some other things that probably won't help, so don't do them. Also here are a couple of tips that will ensure you maintain the safety of your home as you try to cut your heating bills.

Don't do these things

1. First of all, NEVER use a heating appliance (space heater, wood stove, kerosene burner, fireplace) that does not vent products of combustion to the outside. And NEVER use your gas oven to heat your house.

2. Don't rush out to your home improvement store and spend a lot of money on insulation for your attic unless you are positive all the air paths in the attic are properly blocked. (See number 3 in the To-Do list.) Remember that insulation is not an air barrier; it will not prevent air from moving through a hole, no matter how much insulation you put over the hole.

3. Don't make the investment to replace all your windows unless you have a professional evaluation that shows it's needed. Convective air loss is probably what you are feeling when your windows feel cold, and another kind of window is not going to stop that.

Do these things

1. Do get your heating system serviced. This seems like a simple suggestion, yet many people do not do this first. This includes having a good quality filter and changing it periodically. Have your HVAC company come out and check/service your equipment.

2. Do get your duct system sealed. A duct system with leaks in it draws unheated air from around it and pumps that air right into your home. Depending on where your ducts run through your house, it could be drawing air out of your crawl space, walls, or attic, and blowing that unheated air down your neck. Duct mastic is the proper sealing material, not duct tape. If you have a really leaky system, you may want to hire a contractor to do this job. It's worth the cost.

3. Do seal your attic air spaces. A house should have an unbroken envelope around it, which means "no voids." Voids are holes such as shafts or chases where plumbing, ductwork and wiring go through the house, fireplace cavities, dropped ceilings, soffits, venting chases, and any other cavity where air can move from one part of the house to another. Many houses have chases that go from the crawl space or basement right up to the attic, and cold air moves freely all around inside the framing of the house. If cold air is moving on the other side of a living room wall, it counteracts any warm air that is moving around in the living room. If you find voids in your attic that are the other end of an air tunnel, you need to seal them. Look under insulation to be sure the insulation is not just lying over the hole, covering it up. If it is, remember that the air is simply moving through that insulation and you might as well not have the insulation in place. It's simply acting as a great big filter for your cold air!

4. Wrap your water heater if it's outside the heated area of your home, and that can include a location inside a utility closet, if that closet is unheated. Use a wrap made for the kind of water heater you have. CAUTION: if you have a gas water heater, be absolutely certain to properly install the wrap so it will not fall down and obstruct air flow into the appliance. Obstructed air flow is potentially VERY DANGEROUS.

5. If you have any combustion heating equipment, be sure to install a carbon monoxide detector. If it alarms, believe it and act appropriately. It is surprising how many people think the alarm is a malfunctioning device, and simply ignore it, only to discover later (if they live to discover it) that it was a genuine alarm. (December 2000 press release on CO alarms.)