When moving into a newly built home you would think that you don’t have to worry about things like cold spots in the house. However, I’m here to tell you that you do. I don’t know what it is, but there just seems to be something about homes that naturally have cold spots in some areas and warm spots in others. BlindSpotz allows you to find these cold spots in your home, and learn how to fix them.
Even in my last home which was also newly built we had the same issue. My kids’ rooms at the front of the house were always a lot cooler than our master bedroom at the back of the house. We had to use a space heater in my sons’ room so that they would not freeze at night. And in my old office, the afternoon sun coming in the window used to make it like a sauna.
Since living in the new home, our builder and our furnace consultant gave us some tips on how to close some of the dampers in the basement to try to push more heat to the colder rooms. I can’t say for sure that it helps. My daughter’s room is still cooler at night. I wanted to find out if we had a problem.
I stuck a BlindSpotz sensor on my front door, my garage door, and next to the window in my girls’ room.
After 48 hours the one by the front door in the garage door show just a little bit of cooling. That’s to be expected. Surprisingly, the one in my daughter’s room did not change. So, this probably means that we just need to double check the vent.
After the allotted time, send a photo of your BlindSpotz sensor to fixthecold@blindspotz.com. They will provide tips to fix the issues, as well as send discounts on products or services to help with the repairs. See below the video for some of my tips.
If BlindSpotz finds cold spots, here are a few tips to fix them:
Caulk around the windows
Over time, your home settles. This means that things in the home shift and move. This includes windows. When windows shift, the caulking around them may crack or move. It’s a good idea to check your windows before every winter to be sure that the caulking is intact. If it’s not, this can easily be repaired.
Add weather stripping or a door draft guard under external doors
If your external doors don’t have weather stripping, you can easily add it. There are strips that can be added to the door jam, so when you close the door it closes tightly, preventing air from slipping through. Or, you can easily add a draft guard to the bottom of your door that keeps air (and critters!) from getting under it.
Cover windows in plastic
This is old school. But, in older homes, it may be necessary during winter. If you don’t have the time or money to repair your windows, pick up some plastic sheeting and painters tape to cover the windows. There are even some kits that come with self-adhesive strips, but in my experience, these can damage paint.
Add a space heater
Space heaters are not ideal, but you gotta do what you gotta do! If a room is super chilly or does not have enough heating vents, a space heater can heat up a cool room. They come in many sizes for different size rooms. Just make sure that you practice safety when using one. Be sure to turn it off every morning, or when not in use.
Adjust your thermostat
This is an easy one. There are some people who seem to take pride in freezing the other members of their household in favor of the energy bill. I am not one of them. I hate being cold! Why suffer or have cold hands just to save a few bucks? Try upping your thermostat by 2 or 3 degrees. It may make a huge difference. Remember, the feeling of 67 in the house is completely different than the feeling of 67 outside in the sun. In the house, 67 feels cold.
Adjust your dampers and vents
If there are rooms in your home that you do not use, or that are hotter than others, you can try adjusting the flow of heat to push more to the rooms that need it. If you have dampers in the basement, you can move them to either lessen the flow or close them completely.
Add Insulated Curtains
This might not be something that you think about, but curtains can help keep heat or cold in your home. Invest in room darkening curtains. They usually have a nice thick lining. Some might even specify that they are insulated, and made to keep the cold out. And a bonus is that they look great, and add character to your room. These are also great for bedrooms because it keeps it dark in the morning once the sun comes up.
If you are worried that you may have cold spots in your home, head to Amazon and pick up a pack of BlindSpotz. Each pack includes 8 sensors, plenty to test various areas of your home.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Review Wire Media for BlindSpotz.
