Summary: Besides the usual broken glass, window off track, sills rotting, and drafty home, there are signs indicating time to replace that are not that obvious. With these tips, you’ll be able to perform a few simple tests to discover these not-so-obvious signs. Learn when to replace windows.
DIY Window Inspection Tips
We’ve already discussed the obvious window problems that have replace windows signs. Some of the more hidden reasons to replace your windows follows.
Air Leakage: Testing for air leaks in windows can be done using a combination of simple DIY methods and more advanced professional techniques.
- Visual Inspection:
- Daylight Test: When it’s sunny, turn off the lights inside and look for any visible cracks or gaps around the window frame where daylight might be peeking through.
- Exterior Check: Walk around the outside of your house and inspect the caulking and weatherstripping around the windows. Look for cracks, gaps, or deterioration.
- Rattling: Give the window a gentle shake. If it rattles, it might be on of the replace windows signs.
- Hand Test:
- On a cold or windy day, carefully run your hand around the edges of the closed window frame, sash, and where the sashes meet. If you feel a draft or a significant temperature difference, you’ve likely found a leak.
- Smoke Test (Incense Stick or Candle):
- Close all windows and doors in your house.
- Light an incense stick, a candle, or use a smoke pencil.
- Slowly move around the perimeter of the window. If the flame flickers or the smoke is drawn in or blown away, you have an air leak.
- Pro Tip: For a more pronounced effect, you can try turning on all exhaust fans (bathroom, kitchen) to create a slight negative pressure inside your home, which can make leaks more apparent.
- Dollar/Paper Test:
- Open the window slightly and place paper or dollar bill across the weatherstripping or seal.
- Close and lock the window.
- Now try to pull it out. If it slides out easily with little to no resistance, the seal is bad and allowing air to leak. If it’s difficult to pull out, the seal is good.
- Toilet Paper Test:
- Similar to the smoke test, hold a strip of toilet paper near the window edges. If it moves or flutters, there’s a draft.
Non-DIY, Professional Methods:
- Blower Door Test:
- This is the most accurate way to detect air leaks throughout your entire home, including windows.
- A large fan is temporarily installed in an exterior doorway, which either pressurizes or depressurizes the house.
- This creates a significant pressure difference, making even small leaks noticeable.
- A technician will then use tools like smoke pencils or infrared cameras to pinpoint the exact locations of air leaks.
- Thermal Camera (Infrared Camera):
- These cameras detect temperature differences. On a cold day, a thermal camera will show cold spots around leaky windows where outside air is leaking in. On hot days, it will show hot spots.
- Thermal cameras are often used along with a blower door test for a more accurate replace windows signs.
By trying these methods, you can probably identify air leaks in your windows and take steps to seal them, leading to improved comfort and energy savings.
Has Your Window Lost Heat Blocking Capability?
Accurately measuring a window’s Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) at home with DIY methods is challenging because SHGC is a complex performance rating determined by specialized laboratory testing (like those done by the National Fenestration Rating Council – NFRC). It accounts for both directly transmitted solar radiation and the portion of absorbed solar radiation that flows inward.
However, you can get some replace windows signs from a window’s solar heat gain performance using these DIY methods:
1. The “Feel the Heat” Test (Most Common Replace Windows Signs):
- When to do it: On a sunny day, especially when the sun is directly hitting the window.
- How to do it:
- Place your hand a few inches away from the inside surface of the window glass.
- Compare the amount of radiant heat you feel coming through different windows in your home, or even different panes within the same window (if it’s an older, less efficient window).
- A window that feels significantly warmer to the touch when the sun is on it likely has a higher SHGC, allowing more solar heat to pass through. A window that feels cooler is likely doing a better job of blocking solar heat.
- What it indicates: This gives you a rough idea of how much solar heat is radiating into your room. Windows with Low-E coatings, designed to block heat while allowing visible light, will feel cooler.
2. The “Shade Comparison” Test:
- When to do it: On a sunny day.
- How to do it:
- Partially shade a portion of the window from direct sunlight (e.g., with a piece of cardboard or a hand, but don’t touch the glass).
- Feel the temperature difference between the shaded and unshaded parts of the glass.
- If there’s a noticeable temperature difference, it suggests the window is allowing a fair amount of solar heat to pass through. Less difference indicates better solar heat control.
- What it indicates: This highlights the window’s ability to resist direct solar heat gain.
When It’s Time, Consult An Expert!
Need help assessing the condition of your windows? We know windows! In fact at Houston Window Experts we carry almost 2 dozen of the Best Products in the window industry. We make that claim because we have fully evaluated every product we sell. Best window quality and value from the most reputable manufacturers.
Every window we install gets a Lifetime Leak-Free Guarantee! We can do that because we have perfected and implemented window installation Best Processes.
From the very first contact, you only receive 5-Star caliber service from our Best People. No attitudes, No sleazy salespeople. Only respect and gratitude! Call now or use our contact form to initiate an honest discussion of your windows.
