Condensation on the inside of the window, cool or hot air coming through the window, foggy window – these are all signs of a draft. At some point in time, you’ve seen or felt a drafty window, whether it was in your own home, a hotel, or a business. While it can be fun to draw a smiley face on the inside of a fogged-up drafty window, the draft itself can be dangerous.
Increased energy bills aren’t the only danger drafty windows can cause. Keep reading to learn about the dangers of drafty windows as well as some solutions so you can better protect your home.
1. Allergies
If you’re like the other 81 million Americans that sneeze excessively, have watery and swollen eyes and cough repeatedly during the spring and summer months, you’ll want to ensure your windows aren’t drafty. Windows are one of our home’s barriers to the great outdoors; they allow us to see through to the outdoors while keeping unwanted things like rain and insects out, blocking them from entering our homes.
Spring, summer and fall can wreak havoc on those suffering from seasonal allergies thanks to high pollen counts, including weeds and grasses. All these allergens should stay outdoors, and our homes should provide an oasis from the spores and seeds flying around outside. Being inside our homes allows us to breathe fresh air free of outdoor allergens. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case when it comes to drafty windows.
Drafty windows allow allergens to enter a home through tiny cracks or openings between the windows and walls. Dust and pollen from trees like oak and ash and seeds from weeds and grasses are airborne from spring through fall, and the chances for them to slip inside a drafty window are very high. If your family is sneezing a little more lately, a drafty window is most likely the culprit.
2. Insect Infestation
As previously mentioned, drafty windows allow allergens to enter the home. If tiny seeds and spores can enter through a narrow opening, pests most certainly will. Spiders, pincher bugs, ants, centipedes, and more can make their way between the cracks of a drafty window and the home’s siding.
Most insects breed during the spring and summer months, and depending on the species it often only takes two or even one of the insects to reproduce. The last thing you want during the warmer months is creepy crawlies entering your home through a drafty window living and breeding inside your home. You could find yourself with an infestation that requires the help of a professional to exterminate.
Not only do most insects give the average person the ick, but they can cause harm to your home and your family. Insects can quickly invade a home and multiply, possibly causing harm to your pets and loved ones. Spiders and mites can bite, while mosquitoes can carry diseases and make your family members sick. Fixing or replacing drafty windows before insects invade your home is paramount to your family’s health.
3. Uncomfortable Living Situations
We may be biased at One Stop Home Improvement Shop, but we believe Central Virginia is the best place to live. The Blue Ridge Mountains in our backyard and four seasons make this an ideal place to live; longer summers and shorter winters make for a pleasant climate here in the Lynchburg area.
Though our weather is picturesque, summers can be scorching while winters can be freezing. Drafty windows make it easy for our hot summer or freezing winter air to slip inside your home, quickly increasing or decreasing your home’s temperature. The inside of your home should be an oasis to keep you cool from the heat and cozy from the cold. However, drafts make it difficult for your home’s HVAC system to regulate the set temperature, making for uncomfortable living situations. Drafty windows also increase energy bills since the home’s HVAC system is running in overdrive, trying to warm up or cool down the air that has entered the home.
4. Mold
Drafty or faulty windows can lead to water infiltration slowly seeping into the wood that surrounds the window frame. If the drafty window is causing infiltration, the water that enters the home can lead to mold over time; which is a health danger.
While it’s normal to have mold spores in the air, large amounts of mold in a home can cause severe health issues like respiratory illnesses, rashes and more. If your home has mold, it can be treated by removing and replacing the source – which is most often drafty and leaking windows. It’s crucial to replace drafty windows immediately if you suspect they’re causing mold to grow in your home.
Drafty windows can pose dangers to your home, so it’s best to get them inspected and fixed or replaced. According to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, households in America are spending, on average, $2,000 annually on their energy bills, and $200 to $400 of that $2,000 can be wasted due to drafty windows and air leaks in the home.
If your windows feel drafty or you’ve noticed condensation or fogginess on the inside of the window panes, One Stop Home Improvement Shop can help! Our expert window installation service is unmatched, with a lifetime warranty on our MountainView windows. These windows offer superior durability, performance and energy efficiency. Your windows will never be drafty again, protecting the inside of your home.
One Stop Home Improvement Shop can help with all your home improvement needs, from help with an insurance claim or a quote for installing a new roof or gutter system. We’re here to help every step of the way throughout the entire process. Contact us today for a free consultation!
