How to Keep Your Window Seal Airtight

As the temperatures gradually decrease and it becomes clear that it’s time to start battening down the hatches of your home, you may be wondering what kinds of steps you can take to ensure that you’re making the most of your energy expenses. Resealing your windows, or working to improve the strength of an existing seal, is a great way to minimize air transfer between the interior of your home and the outside world.

Over time, the rubber seals and gaskets surrounding your window frame and adjoining it to the wall will degrade. Even relatively new rubber can degrade somewhat quickly. Additionally, as the house expands and contracts with the changing seasons, small cracks and holes may appear where the frame meets the wall. These can all lead to drafts of cold air blowing in from the outside, and result in inefficient winter heating.

Hiring a contractor to work on resealing your home windows in Litchfield County, CT is often the best way to ensure that your windows are adequately sealed to keep out the cold winter drafts. In the meantime, there are a number of do-it-yourself ways that you can keep your windows sealed tight against the incoming cold, including the following:

• V-seal weather-stripping: One of the fastest and easiest ways to weatherproof an old or damaged window frame is installing v-seal weather-stripping. Available at your local hardware store, v-seal stripping goes along the sides of the sashes. It’s possible to open and close the window even while v-seal stripping is in place.
• Rope caulk: Rope caulk is a versatile substance that’s both sticky and squishy. It’s easy to mold rope caulk to meet your specific needs, and to remove it at the end of a long season. Rope caulk is especially helpful if there are cracks between the frame and the wall that need immediate attention.
• Redo glazing: Glazing is the putty that forms a seal between the panes and the frame. Over time, it will chip, crack and begin to fall away. To redo the glazing, you’ll have to first remove all of the old glazing and then begin the process of replacing it with new, fresh window glazing. This is usually best handled by a professional.
• Apply shrink film: For optimum energy efficiency, consider coating your window frame with shrink film. This will provide you with an extra insulating layer when the cold weather strikes. To apply shrink film, you just have to use a hair dryer to seal it over the frame. This shrink film is easily removed in the springtime with acetone or another solvent.

Since 1989, Green View Building & Design Company, Inc. has been the premier provider of care and maintenance for homes of all shapes and sizes in Cornwall, CT. If you’re looking for a trusted locally owned and operated company to help you seal or maintain your home windows in Litchfield County, CT, look no further than Green View Building & Design Company, Inc. We’d be happy to help you identify the best ways to keep your living space warm and comfortable throughout the year.

Categorised in: Windows