Draught Proofing Pt 3 – Easy Draught Proofing

In part 1 we looked at the difference between ventilation (which we need) and draughts (which we definitely don’t need). Then we looked at the ways air can leak out of your home.  Now we can start looking at doing something about it.

There are some obvious gaps to block in most homes. The keyhole and letterbox are prime contenders for your first hit. It’s quick and easy and cheap.

Unused (or rarely used) chimneys should also be blocked as they’re big holes in your home which let the air out easily. You can buy chimney balloons but they’re on the expensive side.  Improvise and let me know what works.

If you live on the ground floor and you have suspended timber floors, it’s likely that you have cold air from the cellar coming up the cracks between floorboards and around the top and bottom of the skirting boards. These gaps can be blocked using a silicone sealant (mastic) which you can get in different colours. This isn’t a quick job but you can do a bit at a time as and when you have a moment.

Lastly (for the moment), check out any pipework that passes from the warm interior to a cold space whether it’s outside or to the cellar or loft.

Your home will have an array of pipes which provide the services that you need (gas pipes, waste water, boiler flues, electricity cabling etc) passing through the structure. These often have holes bigger than the pipes that pass through them and air will leak in and out as a result. You can use either silicone sealant or you can get pipe collars (grommits) that attach to the wall and fit snugly around the pipe. Airtight adhesive tapes might also prove useful.

So there are some starting points. If you want to read more, check out the Energy Saving Trust’s Improving Air Tightness in Dwellings and the Scottish Ecological Design Association’s Design and Detailing for Airtightness.

More to come!

Tagged as: DIY, Draught Proofing