Every winter season your heating system gets a share of its beating. While you cannot completely remove the burden your HVAC system has to bear, there is something you can do to ease the load and save money on heating; window caulking. During winter, cold air gets into your home through every little space it can find and windows happen to be a key entry point to external air flows. This in turn gives your heating system a very difficult and tough job heating your home so that you and your family can be warm and comfortable.
Caulking your windows is thus one of the easiest and albeit straightforward ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home. It also happens to be a common and a popular way through which you can winterize your home. Homeowners who have been doing window caulking for some time can tell you how simple this is, but if you are new to this procedure, it is important to have a few pointers that will make you caulk your windows like a pro.
When to Caulk Your Windows
It doesn’t matter the style or type of your window, you can always apply caulk. The tendency has been to wait until winter checks in before homeowners can start caulking their windows. However, the ideal approach is to do all your caulking in the fall.
When doing caulking, you will be opening your windows so that you can get the project completed. Doing this in winter means lots of cold airstreams coming into your home and this will beat the logic why you are caulking in the first place. Get everything sorted in fall.
The Types of Caulk Available
There are lots of different kinds of caulk you can go for, but from experience, most homeowners prefer silicone or latex caulk. Latex is much easier to apply and can also be painted. On the other hand, silicone is relatively more durable and can withstand extremely cold temperatures. Since caulk frequently needs to be removed, latex happens to be an ideal choice because it is easier to detach.
Removing Your Old Caulk
When doing painting, the general rule is to clean your wall so that the fresh coat of paint can adhere to your surface. This is the same case with caulking. The area to be caulked must be cleaned preferably with a utility knife or scrapper. This will ensure old lines of caulk and debris are done away with.
How to Caulk
Before you start the caulking process, you have to buy a caulk gun. This device has a chamber which is fed with caulk. Holding the gun at a 45 degree angle should allow you to apply caulk around your window until all areas through which air can come in are covered.
Once you are done with the caulking process, cap the nozzle because chances are some of the caulk will remain in the chamber.