Draught Sources and Sealing

The two main sources of draughts in a bungalow are doors and windows. One way of checking for draughts is to light a candle and slowly trace it around the edge of a door and around the window frame and any window openings. Where the candle flame flickers, you have a draught. With newer PVC doors and windows, this shouldn’t really be a problem as they come with draught stripping installed to prevent draughts. If you have PVC doors and windows and there are draughts, there is probably a 10-year warranty that covers the replacement of these draught seals.

The main problems occur where there are older timber doors and windows. These do not have any seals and will usually be allowing draughts in. To minimise these draughts you can buy compression seals from hardware shops to fit to door frames and window openings. They look like thin rubber tubing and are applied to the door/window frame where the door/window opening closes in against the frame. When closed, these seals close the gaps between the opening and the frame and minimise draughts.

Where draughts are coming in by the edge of the door or window frame, these can be sealed with a clear silicone gel that will be inconspicuous and close the gaps through which draughts are coming.

In dormer houses and attic conversions, draughts may be coming through into the living space adjacent to the unused attic space from the unused space. There is a circulation of air from the outside in unused attic spaces. This is necessary to allow the wood in the attic to breathe and prevent any risk of rot in the timber. In many cases, there are unnoticed gaps in the walls separating the living space from the attic space through which the cold air is coming in. It can also come through the gaps around any access doors/hatches into the attic space. This results in a draught that may be felt through the rest of the house. In order to prevent this, you should check at joints in wall panels and around access doors/hatches and seal any gaps accordingly. It is also important to insulate the walls of the living space, particularly those separating the living space from the attic space, in order to reduce heat loss through these walls as many people have problems with dormer rooms/converted attics being colder than the rest of the house.