Air leaks are the meanest enemy of your heating and cooling systems. No matter how efficient your unit is, you will not get the full benefit it offers with the presence of leaks and drafts in your home. Good thing, you do not have to deal with them anymore. Check out these helpful tips in detecting and preventing air leaks in your Fort Lauderdale, FL home. How to Find an Air Leak? There are many ways to detect the presence of air leaks in your home including but not limited to:
Test with your Hand
Now that your heater is running in full performance and the indoor and outdoor temperature has a huge difference, you can easily detect air leaks with your bare hands. Take time to walk through your home and check for any cold breeze. If you feel one, then there’s an air leak in that place.
Use a Candle
Hold a lit candle and walk around the various spots in your home where leaks are most likely to form. Be sure to turn off the vents and fans before you proceed to the task. You know when the draft is present when the flame in the candle becomes wobbly. The candle test is more accurate as compared to hand test when detecting air leaks.
Test with Incense
On the cold days like winter, incense is a great way to test for air leaks. It is similar to the candle experiment only that, you need to depressurize your home before doing the test. For this task to produce accurate results, you need to make sure that no artificial wind currents are blowing inside. Light a stick of incense and walk around the house where you suspect drafts. If the smoke from the incense suddenly blows horizontal, you’ve found your leak.
Using Leak Detector
A leak detector is a small, handheld device that changes color if leaks have been detected. It can be performed on cold or hot seasons alike. If you are willing to spend some cash detecting air leaks, this will be your best choice. Walk around the house with the leak detector in hand. The white light in the detector turns blue when it detects cold-air leaks and red for hot-air leaks.
Blower-door Method
This is the more advanced way of detecting air leaks which is performed by a professional HVAC tech. This is done using a super fan which is placed in front of your closed living room. The goal is to exploit possible cracks that exist. The fan serves as the artificial wind generator that can be felt from any parts of the house. This test can include various household features that DIY leak tests could not cover. Do you need expert help in detecting air leaks in your Fort Lauderdale, FL home? Don’t hesitate to talk to our experts at Air Anytime. Call us today!
