How To Detect And Prevent Air Leaks In Your Home

If your house has air leaks, your electric or gas bill is going to reflect it pretty quickly. So how do you detect whether you have Weather strip in your home and what do you do to prevent them?

A heated house is much like a chimney in that they both hold warm air and are surrounded by cold air. In this, a house will draw air in at the bottom and expel it at the top. All winter, a heated house is trying to push air through the top-floor ceiling into the attic. But when looking for air leaks, in addition to looking in the attic, you want to examine your whole house. Air can leave the house at any point, seeping out your precious warm air and letting in cool air.
So what is the rule of thumb when looking for air leaks? To start, look any place that you may have what is called penetrations or discontinuities. Discontinuities could be where different materials meet, such as between brick and wood siding, between foundation and walls, and between the chimney and siding. Penetrations are places in your home where holes have been drilled for exhaust fans, ducts, chimneys etc. Look for small holes such as those created for electrical wiring and cable installations as well.
Also look for bypasses, which are major air passages from any floor into the attic. Dropped ceilings in the room below will often conceal a direct connection to the attic. Concrete-block party walls between row houses also often move house air into the attic.
To look for air leaks in the attic, go up in your attic at night and see if you can see any light shining through from the floor below.
If your home is older, the most thorough way to prevent air leaks in an attic floor is to Weatherstripping all areas where pipes, ducts, or wiring pass through the floor. Leaks can be sealed with caulking, expanding foam, plastic, or other methods.
Another common area to examine for air leaks is around windows and doors. Starting with your windows, use a waterproof caulk and a caulking gun or simple weather stripping to seal any air leaks you may detect around a window’s frame or sill. Replace older windows with ones that offer greater protection from air leaks. Windows marked with the government’s Energy Star designation are ideal for insulating your home. The durable materials used in Energy Star window frames provide greater protection against air leaks.
As for your doors, seal drafts that occur around exterior doors. Exterior doors contribute greatly to the problem of air leaks. To help stop drafts you can install a doorsill, weather stripping or a door sweep. Weatherstripping or foam insulation strips can be purchased at your local hardware store and is available in varying thicknesses. Choose the thickness based on factors such as how tightly your door closes. If you can look at your door during the day and see light, you may want to use a thicker strip. If your door closes tightly, choose a thinner strip. You can place the strip on the areas where you feel heat loss. Typically on a door, placing the foam insulation strip along the inside of the door jam makes for a neater appearance and less people tend to notice it.
Some of the less obvious places to check for air leaks is electrical outlets and light switches. Sometimes you can place your hand over these areas and see if you can feel a breeze. It is more common to have an air leak at the exterior walls, but depending on how your home was built you may have air leaks at the interior walls as well. Electrical outlet and light switch insulators are a great place air likes to come in. Check these as well.
Next, if your home has plumbing coming in directly from under the house, these areas can be left unsealed. Look under the sink for any holes around the plumbing pipes. Foam insulation can be placed around the pipe to seal small gaps. For larger gaps consider stuffing the holes with steel wool and taping over it with duct tape. This will not only seal the air leak but also prevent mice and rats from chewing through to the inside of your home. If your plumbing pipe has a cap around it, pull the cap away from the wall. If there is a hole, simply use the foam insulation strip to fill in the hole by wrapping a small strip around the pipe.
If you cannot seem to figure out where your house is leaking air, an infrared scan can be used. A professional can examine your house with this heat-sensitive camera and then be able to provide you with where there is at least 10 C difference in temperature between inside and outside air.
If you are on a tight budget, consider closing off rooms that you do not commonly use. Close off air vents in the room and keep the door to that room closed. Place a towel at the bottom of the outside of the door to prevent the cold air from getting to the rest of the house. This works really well and helps to save money on the heating and air bills.
When you Weather strip up your home, you will notice pretty quickly a difference in your energy bill and possibly find yourself a lot more comfortable during the harsh winter and summer months.<!– google_ad_section_end –>

Accord Air Intakes

You depend on the manufacturer of a car to supply you one from one of its outlets. The manufacturer, in turn, relies on you to buy the manufacturer’s product. There is, however, a difference in the point of view of the two. A manufacturer has to cater to the requirements of a number of varied customers. He therefore aims to design a model which meets most of the requirements but not all.

The manufacturer cannot design a car which can meet the requirements of all, as it would make the process unwieldy and costly. The customer may, however, have his own specific requirements. Therefore the customer needs to go in for customization. Here one can consider air intakes.

Accord air intakes allow cool air to come in and mix with the fuel. It raises the fuel efficiency of the engine. It means that for the same quantity of fuel you can go a longer distance in your car.

The air intakes not only improve the fuel efficiency but also give more power for the same quantity of fuel. Both of these result in giving you a great return on the amount spent on fuel.

A question arises as to why some people do not prefer air intakes when these are so economical. Use of air intakes increases the noise level of a car. Some people treat a very low noise level in a car as a plus point. Others are prepared to ignore the increase in the noise level if they make the car performance better. Some may even consider it to be a nice robust sound.

Air intakes are made of plastic or metal, but in either case their function remains the same. You can find out more about Accord air intakes here.

It is also important from where you buy an Accord air intake. A reputed, well known manufacturer should be preferred. You will find one at Ilovebodykits.com.

One who installs the Accord air intake in your car has to be carefully selected. He should be a thorough professional, well versed in his job.

Accord Air intakes do not need a lot of maintenance but the manufacturer’s instructions in this regard have to be followed.

Addition of an Accord air intake will give your car your distinctive individual touch.

High Quality Luxury vehicles

If you are in the market for a new car, you have a lot of options.  You could just purchase the cheapest new car available.  You could also purchase a really expensive new car, if that fits in your budget.  Or, you could meet in the middle and purchase a high quality used vehicle.  Rarely do you find these high quality used vehicles that provide you with luxury on the road at half the cost.  Fortunately, you can find them at the trusted McCarthy Car Dealership in Croydon.  For several years they have been servicing people just like you – allowing them to find the car of their dreams that fits within their budget.

It’s Not About The Cheapest Option Or Price

One of the greatest aspects of shopping at McCarthy Cars is they understand that it is not about the cheapest option or price.  Sure, they want to help you with financing options and make sure that you can afford the car you are actually purchasing.  And obviously they are not looking to rip you off.  However, they want to sell you a quality car that works.  Their aim is to meet you in the middle.  If they sell you the cheapest product available, chances are you might experience a lot of problems with it.  Instead, they find you a good deal on a quality car you are looking for.  And in most cases, since you are purchasing used vehicles, they can help you achieve a great price.

A Plethora Of Options

In addition to the focus on quality, McCarthy Cars also works hard to provide their customers with a plethora of options.  This means when you are shopping at their dealership, you will not just have one luxury vehicle to choose from.  Instead, you will have options to help you make an informed decision.  This makes car buying fun.  You will leave more satisfied, knowing that you made the right decision.

Service You Can Count On

Lastly, at McCarthy Cars, you can count on service.  They focus on serving the customer.  It is their first priority and you will notice it from the second you walk on their lot.  They care about your needs and want to make sure they service them.  This attitude has set them apart and allowed them to be successful all of these years.  You can be sure that it will set you apart when you are driving the car that you purchase from them!

Car Performance Tips That Will Save You on Gas

If you’re finding problems with affording gas, there are ways that you can lessen the amount of gas your car uses. Improving the performance of your car not only makes it run better, but it helps save on gas as well. A lot of ideas to save gas is common sense. For instance, always park your car in the shade if you can. The hotter your car becomes, the more fuel it’ll be using. If you have a garage, make sure you keep your car in it. Make sure you keep that gas cap tightened up, as well. The more secure the cap is, the less you’ll have to worry about gas leaking out or evaporating.

Pump up your tires every chance you get. Your tires will wear down quickly if you drive around with them being flat. This will cause your car’s gas mileage to decrease up to 15%. Obviously, the engine will have to work harder to keep your car going, thus burning the fuel more quickly. Speaking of tires, you should check their pressure at least once a month. You can simply buy a digital gauge. Look in your owner’s manual to find out the recommended pressure for your model. Use that as a basis to go by when using your digital gauge. You should keep your tires inflated, even if the pressure is just a little bit below what it should be.

Keep a close eye on your air filters as well, and replace them when needed. Air filters in the engine can become clogged with insects and dirt, causing the engine to work harder. According to experts, a clogged air filter can decrease your gas milage by 10%, and will cost you an extra 15 cents a gallon.

Your car’s performance depends on proper maintenance and care. Keep up with your car’s performance often. Read the care guidelines in your manual, and make sure you go by them. No matter what type of car you have, it has to run a certain way and you should never neglect it.