With stay-at-home orders in place here in Nevada, you’re probably spending the majority of your time in-doors. If you’ve been spending the primary portion of that time at your home (as most of us have), you’ve probably had more time to notice the condition of your windows than ever before.
With the combination of staying at home, and now moving into warmer weather, this offers a good opportunity to inspect your windows to see if they are holding up to the wide temperature differences of Nevada’s annual fluctuating hot and cold seasons.
Here are some tips on how to tell if your windows need replacement or repair:
Checking for Drafts:
If you stand in front of, or walk by your windows and actually feel a draft, then it’s going to be obvious you have an issue with unwanted air transfer. That said, often times it’s not that easy to detect. For a bit more in-depth test, run your hand closely around the perimeter of the window and casing and feel for slight drafts. Don’t forget to run your hand under the sill for this test as well. If you feel drafting, then the bottom line is that you’re losing out on energy costs and should have that window repaired.
Look for Visible Damage in the Window Panes
Large window cracks are obvious and should be repaired right away, however smaller cracks may not be immediately detectable. Inspect the glass panes closely and don’t forget to look extra closely if your window panes overlap with any of your framing or window hardware. Without the ‘outside’ background of the pane, those locations may be more difficult to detect. Now, if you notice cracks and are worried about making a mountain of a mole hill, the good news here is that often times all that is needed is glass replacement. You can schedule these with our team and we can get the right size ordered and then come in and swap it out. Of course, sometimes depending on the window’s type and age, a more involved replacement may be necessary, however a pane replacement is typically a very straightforward repair.
Look for Visible Damage or Deterioration in your Sealing/Caulking
Sealant or (or caulking) is a part of all window installations. Because a break in a window seal means energy loss, it’s good to double check how well your window seals are holding up.
There are a few places to check. The most obvious is where the glass panes meet your window hardware. Most modern windows have a removable seal that allows for glass pane replacement so ensuring those are seated properly and are not deteriorated is important. Next, is to check the seal around the casing (or trim). This is where your window meets the casing (inside sealing) and where your casing meets the walls (outer sealing). This test should be performed on the inside and outside of your home.
The nice thing here, is that if you find a small break in the seal, you can often times fix this yourself with a few dabs of caulking that can be purchased from your local home-improvement store. Just make sure to use a sealant that is rated for “Windows/Doors”. For anything beyond that, it’s best to call the experts (we can help with that!)