Sealing Doors and Windows To Stop Drafts

In the 58th episode of On the Job, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver helps us understand the importance of sealing the “shim space” around door and windows in order to eliminate drafts that make our homes uncomfortable and our heating and cooling bills higher.

When houses are built, the spaces for the windows and doors aren’t cut to fit snuggly around the window or door frame, there is usually a ¼ of an inch clearance left around the frame, for shimming and adjustments. That gap is what we call the shim space, which is often overlooked in terms of insulation or simply filled with chunks of the same material used to insulate the wall cavities – which is often fiberglass.
Fiberglass doesn’t stop air flow, and when applied to the shim gap, it merely acts as an air filter.
Many homeowners try to improve comfort and energy efficiency by installing or replacing their windows with energy efficient models, but when so much air is leaking through the shim space due to lack of proper air sealing, the investment in new windows doesn’t bring the expected results.

In this video, Larry installs one part expanding foam using a thin nozzle attachment to the gun. The thin nozzle attachment is ideal for applying the material and can reach all the small spaces around the window frame and around the door frame.
The foam will expand and close all the gaps.

A Dr. Energy Saver technician can also perform this energy saving process in existing homes and during window replacement projects.

To learn about more ways to save energy and make your home more comfortable, watch other videos of the On the Job Series and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for the latest updates.