Like it or not, Old Man Winter is coming, and that means it’s home sealing time, which conserves energy, money, and peace of mind. Oak Parker Andy Sjostrom knows a thing or two about winterizing a home, especially vintage Oak Park houses, with all their “quirks and idiosyncrasies.”
Sjostrom is owner of Andy Sjostrom Handyman Services, and he offered an abundance of sound advice on ways to keep your humble abode nice and toasty.
“I encourage people to think of their homes as air-tight envelopes — or at least that’s the goal. Outside air is the enemy when it comes keeping a home comfortable and energy-efficient because as high-pressure winter air pushes cold drafts into your home. It also forces your nicely warmed air out, thus causing your homes mechanical systems — hot water heater, furnace — to work harder to keep up,” said Sjostrom, who works with his wife, Kate, who manages the business’s customer service end while working on her Ph.D. in English education. “Finding and sealing the points where air is penetrating the building envelope is the best first defense in keeping your home comfortable throughout the winter.”
Hiring a home-energy auditor is good first step and takes much of the guesswork out of the process, said Sjostrom. Using tools like a blower door and an infrared camera, auditors can scientifically test your home and provide you with an itemized list of where your house is leaking air.
“We had one done at our own home, and I was amazed at all the hidden and undetected spots where air was seeping into the house,” said Sjostrom, who always suggests a follow-up audit to ensure improvements have been effective and something hasn’t been missed.
Yet there are many fixes to air-sealing that are straight-forward and don’t require expensive tools or an expert. Therefore, Sjostrom suggests homeowners do their own investigating.
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“After all, they’re the ones that know their homes best — where the drafts are, where the cold walls are, etc.,” he said. “A flashlight, a can of high-expansion spray foam, a caulk gun, and an incense stick are the simple tools that make up the frontline arsenal.”
Start from the basement and work your way up, said Sjostrom. Turn off basement lights and look for daylight along perimeter walls and in crawl spaces. Daylight around anything requires filling with spray foam or caulk. Seal around pipes (electrical conduit, plumbing pipes, dryer ducts) whether you see daylight or not. And if you fill from the inside, find that spot on the outside of the house and fill it there as well, said Sjostrom.
Another significant basement issue is the chase, or vertical path, that the main plumbing stack takes up from your basement through the roof. In older Oak Park homes, it’s a six-inch black cast iron pipe coming up out of the floor and heading vertically up to the attic. “The pipe itself isn’t of import, but the fact that there is an open pathway from basement to attic is, because if cold outside air is pushing into the basement, then you are losing your expensive conditioned warm air as it rises up through the chase and out into your cold unconditioned attic,” said Sjostrom.
“Sealing up this chase with spray foam and scrap pieces of drywall or rigid insulation board can be very effective at keeping your warm air where it is supposed to be,” Sjostrom said.
Since many Oak Park homes still have their original double-hung, single-pane windows, homeowners often ask whether Sjostrom would recommend replacing them.
“Unless the windows would be a part of a much larger renovation, I often steer them away from the replacement route in favor of storm windows,” he said.
In addition to maintaining the historic character of the windows, properly installed storm windows shield from wind, rain, and snow, reduce sound, and can be almost as effective as an average replacement window. For added draft protection, latch the window shut and apply a bead of removable clear caulk (Dap Seal N Peel) to the joints.
“As an added trick, holding an incense stick around a window on a windy day is a great low-budget way to identify the major drafts,” said Sjostrom. Hold it at the edge of doors and windows to determine if air is leaking around the door and the surrounding trim. Seal with a clear or paintable caulk. Inspect weather stripping around the jambs of the door for wear and tear. A new door sweep also helps. And check your attic, as it just doesn’t have creaks it also has plenty of leaks.
Come January, Sjostrom and a female partner will hold their popular shop class for girls 8, 9, and 10, so they can safely learn how to use power tools properly. He feels it’s important for girls such as his 9-year-old daughter, Beatrice, to be exposed to hands-on training at an early age, when they haven’t yet been overwhelmed by stereotyping.
“We build all kinds of things useful to them for their bedroom, house, that they can share with their parents and grandparents,” said Sjostrom. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Felicia Dechter is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.