How Often Should You Inspect Your Caulking?

Living on the south shore of Montreal means tolerating cold winters. Keeping your home well insulated and draft-proof is incredibly important. As we prepare for winter, it’s best to inspect door and window joints around your home to ensure everything is up to standard.

Here at Calfeutrage Apex, we understand the importance of inspecting the caulk joints around the home. We also know the difference proper caulking can make to insulation and draft exclusion. In this article, we’ll look at how to properly inspect your sealants, when you should do this, and how to go about arranging repairs.

The caulking of which items should be inspected?

  • Door and Window caulking.
  • Window seals.
  • Sidings.
  • Roofing joints.
  • Balcony joints.
  • Air vents.
  • Glass Thermo joint.
  • Expansion joints.
  • Exterior lights

To learn more about the importance of waterproofing, click here.

Types of caulk.

Caulk comes in a wide selection of brands, but all are made from the same base materials. Generally, these are:

 

·         Silicone sealant

·         Latex

·         Rubber

·         Polyurethane

 

Each polymer has its own unique properties in terms of how it adheres to a surface, its flexibility, and how easily it spreads and fills gaps. But all are suitable for sealing jobs around the home, such as sealing window frames and for use in bathrooms.

What should be the frequency of sealant inspections?

It largely depends on the age of the building. If it’s a new build, then the house settles within the first 12 to 24 months after construction. It’s, therefore, best to inspect and change the caulking within this period.

But if you live in an older property, the sealants can last up to 5 years before being replaced. It’s still best to inspect caulking once a year, as this allows you to find any cracks or weathering before they become too much of a problem.

 

This is particularly true in Quebec and the south shore of Montreal, as damaged and failed caulk can lead to large amounts of heat loss through the cold winter months. So if you repair or replace your sealants before the winter sets in, you could save a lot of money on your energy bills.

 

When should you inspect the caulking?

It’s best to inspect your caulking joints in between spring and fall (mid or end of March onwards). This gives you enough time to arrange repairs and for the caulk to be set before the weather gets wet and before snowfall. While caulk sets within 24-48 hours of application, you want to have the application done before winter to avoid:

 

·         Water infiltration

·         Loss of energy

·         Cold air drafts through cracks and gaps

 

Water Infiltration.

Throughout the winter, snow accumulates on the roof, windows, gutters and all-around your home. Most people in Quebec that experience water infiltration will notice it during spring, as the snow starts to melt and water seeps into the home through the smallest cracks and gaps around your doors and windows, roof bricks and sidings.

Water damage caused by old or cracked caulk joints often won’t be visible at first, because amounts of water that leak through will be absorbed by the house itself and so you often won’t see it indoors. As water continues infiltrating your home, You may start to notice the first signs of damage.

 

How to Inspect your sealants?

Performing a proper inspection of the joints around the home isn’t a particularly difficult task. For the most part, it simply requires you to look them over for signs of deterioration.

Here are the following steps to verify the condition of your sealants around your home:

1.      Find where the joints are around your home. This will typically be around windows or doors or other gaps in the main construction of the house. Check the caulk inside window frames and doors.

2.      Begin with the south-facing side of your home, as this receives the most sun exposure and will be the most prone to detrition.

3.      Perform a visual inspection for signs of cracking, wear, peeling or disbanding. As the caulk dries, its bond can come unstuck, and will usually look like peeling around the edges.

4.      Start your inspection in the upper and lower corners of windows and external doors, as this is where the issue often starts.

5.      Narrow joins will usually be more susceptible to damage and wear than thicker joins, so start with these.

inspect caulking, window caulking, caulking , Calfeutrage Apex
Inspect the sealants around your doors and windows.

 

It’ll usually take a big storm to show signs of water leakage through damaged caulk joints. By the time this happens you’ll potentially end up with a large repair bill, so if you see any signs of damaged caulk, get them fixed early.

 

Caulking South Shore.

Getting ready for winter in the south shore of Montreal means a lot of preparation. But one thing many homeowners overlook is the sealants around their home. Inspecting and repairing caulk joints during fall will make a big difference to your home’s insulation and waterproofing during the cold winter months.

We at Calfeutrage Apex understand the importance of properly maintained caulk joints around the home. We also know that winterizing your home is very important here in Quebec, and your home sealants should not be neglected.

Professional services sealing your home or business for winter.

As a major professional interior and exterior caulking services company on the south shore of Montreal, we provide the following services: Industrial, condo buildings and commercial and residential caulking.  We serve over 20 cities in the south shore area, including Brossard, Longueuil, Saint Jean Sur Richelieu, and many more.

To see if your city is served by our caulking services, go to the “City” tab by clicking here.

Calfeutrage Apex provides free inspections, window sealant repairs, caulk replacement and quotes as well as all waterproofing services.

For each project We use:

You can visit our website for more information about the caulk products we use and the importance of caulking.

For a free quote, click here.