Your windows and doors are a multipurpose component of your home. They influence both the internal and external aesthetics of your home, they play a prominent role in ensuring your comfort in your home and they are a safety and security feature of your home, not to mention, your windows and doors can add or even detract to your property’s overall value.
Inspecting your windows and doors as part of your seasonal home maintenance routine is a good practice, below we have outlined 5 signs to look out for that may indicate you need to replace your windows:
1. Visible Damage
Your windows and doors contribute to your home’s exterior aesthetics and curb appeal. When your windows are in a bad or poor state due to visible damage it can take away from your home’s appearance, as well as leave your home vulnerable to potential burglars or intruders. Rotten or warped frames, broken or cracked glass, removed weather-stripping or gaps between the glass and frame are all things that leave your windows and doors susceptible to break and enters. These are also factors that intruders look out for as easy entry points to a home. Leaving your windows and doors in this condition, is only asking for potential future troubles.
2. Cold and Warm Drafts
If you feel cold or warm air coming into your home while standing by your window, this means that your windows have become compromised and are allowing air to pass through. Ultimately, this draft will affect your comfort level in your home and lead to an increase in your energy bills, as your HVAC system will need to work harder to compensate for the warm and cold air exchange. This issue may be able to be fixed with some new silicone or weather stripping, but in some cases the entire window or door needs to be replaced due to warping or bowing. Contact one or two experienced windows and doors companies to come and inspect the draft to have a better understanding if the issue can be repaired or if a replacement is required.
3. Increased Energy Bills
As mentioned above, if your windows and doors are allowing to transfer between the interior and exterior of your home you may be quite literally paying the price. If you haven’t recently changed or added any major electronics in your home, but yet you have noticed a spike in your energy bills, your windows and doors may be responsible. To test and see if air is coming in from around your windows and doors, light a match and stand a foot or two back from your door or window. If the flame is moving around, you have a draft entering your home.
4. High Levels of Outside Noise
You may not notice the level of noise entering your home change over time, but if you are being disturbed by cars driving by or dogs barking, your windows and doors may have lost their ability to seal properly. This not only reduces your comfort in your home, in most cases this means that air and other elements may also be able to get in.
5. Difficulty Opening or Closing
An extremely important function of your windows and doors, is that they open and close easily. If you are constantly wrestling with your windows and doors to open or close them, this is an indication of an issue. Perhaps damaged hinges, warped frames, or any other issue from the long list of possibilities.
The above are five potential signs that indicate that you may need to replace your windows or doors soon. Ignoring these signs can lead to discomfort, inconveniences, and high energy bills. Inspect your windows and doors as part of your seasonal maintenance routine to be able to act on any potential issues promptly.
