You spend countless hours in your home, so it should be comfortable enough for you and your family. Insulating a home means good air exchange, but not that air is getting in everywhere. You deserve to be warm in winter and cool in summer. Another element that results from home insulation is the presence or absence of mould. Mould is the consequence of stagnant humidity and has no place in your living space.
What are the signs that your home’s exterior insulation needs to be redone?
Several factors give clues that your home insulation is deficient:
1. You can feel the air circulating in certain rooms of your home.
If you feel that too much air is circulating in your home, this is probably the most obvious sign that your home insulation needs to be improved. Your door and window insulation should certainly be inspected.
2. The temperature in your home fluctuates or is often uncomfortable.
You should have the power to decide your home’s temperature without having to juggle every room where cold air seeps in and adjust the thermostat accordingly. Being too cold in a poorly insulated room or being too hot in a well-insulated room can end up driving you crazy! Why suffer from this situation if you can fix the problem by renovating the exterior insulation of your home?
3. Your home’s caulking is cracking or damaged.
If your home’s exterior hasn’t been sealed in more than 10 years, it may be time to re-caulk your home’s exterior. You can check the condition of your door and window insulation by inspecting the state of your caulking as an indicator. Check the south side of your home first, as this is the area where the caulking is most likely to need changing. The sun, even more than wind and rain, damages the caulking.
4. Your electric bill is higher than the average for your area.
Nothing is more compelling than when you have to cut a hole in your budget to pay an electric bill. Heating can account for nearly 50% of total annual electricity costs. So it’s vital to find air infiltration and fix it by insulating the outside of your home. Sometimes just changing the caulking on some windows can save you a lot of money!
5. Dust and mildew quickly settle in your home.
Now, we all agree that a small amount of dust accumulation is possible in any home, especially if you’re not the type to dust everything twice a week! Except that it is possible for dust to get in through openings in your home’s envelope. Mold, on the other hand, is a sign of water infiltration in your home. If you find mice or insects, you may have gaps in your walls.
6. Interior paint is fading.
If you find that the paint on your interior walls or ceilings has darker spots in certain areas, mold has probably taken its toll on your home. Mold causes damage to interior walls and ceilings when the exterior walls of your home are not well sealed. It is then beneficial to re-insulate your home’s exterior for its airtightness, your comfort and your health.
7. The exterior paint is peeling.
Just as with cracked caulking, if your paint is peeling, then your home is poorly insulated. It’s a good idea to consider repainting your home’s exterior if it’s uneven or falling apart. This will not only improve the aesthetics of your home, but it will also improve the insulation of your home.
8. There are water leaks in your attic.
It is sometimes challenging to identify air infiltration, but it is much more apparent when water infiltrates. It is then urgent to intervene because mould settles quickly, causes significant damage to your home, and leads to health problems. Promptly replace the caulking in the area that allowed the water infiltration to occur and call in the professionals to repair the damage caused by the water infiltration.
9. Premature ageing of door and window surrounds.
One final point that indicates a home’s insulation is less than optimal is the condition of the bottom of your exterior doors and windows. Your doors and windows are regularly opened to let fresh air into your home, however, once they are closed, air should no longer circulate. If you notice that your mouldings look old and worn, air, water and insects could get in. Simply re-insulating the affected windows and doors will remedy the problem and allow you the privilege of living in a well-insulated home.
Now you know how to find the signs that indicate that your home insulation needs to be upgraded. Calfeutrage Apex Caulking teams are experts in door and window insulation and the exterior caulking of homes and buildings on the South Shore of Montreal. You can of course do the caulking yourself to improve the waterproofing of your property, but if you prefer that your home, commercial building, the condominium is caulked by a professional caulking company, don’t hesitate to call us to find out what services we offer. If you feel up to caulking your home yourself, we suggest you follow the steps we offer on our website.
