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Air leaks make your house a less comfortable place to live and a more expensive place to maintain. Here's how to spot leaks so that you can remedy them, and prevent money from floating out your windows.
Some leaks can be detected by sight. Tour your house, inside and out, paying particular attention to areas where different materials join (e.g., drywall and trim, pipe and brick); if you see gaps, you have leaks. You can also look for light, either with a flashlight while someone watches the other side of the wall, or by looking for sunlight.
Go hands-on. Try rattling closed windows and doors — if they move, you've found an entry point for air. This next tip works best when the air outside is cool: Dampen your hand, then run it around the edges of doors, windows, skylights, electrical outlets, plumbing vents, etc.; if you feel cool air on your hand, you've identified a leak.
Conduct an air pressure test when it's breezy out. Draw air into the house by closing all windows and doors, as well as your damper; turn off all heating and cooling components and turn on all exhaust fans. Using a lit candle or incense stick, inspect all those areas where air might enter — where the flame or smoke wavers, there's a leak.
If you like gadgets, pick up a thermal leak detector. They use infrared sensors to measure baseline temperatures in your home; when the sensors detect a variance in temperature, the device's indicator light changes color. Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 to $50 for your thermal leak detector.
