Is Your Caulking In Danger?
- by Pacific Side Construction - Serving Oregon and Washington for over 15 years!
We know that with each season, there come things that just, oh let's say, we don't think about. Today, we will talk about one of those: your outside/siding caulking and your inside caulking. Is it in danger and is it causing danger to your home?
First, why would it, right?
The dangers unveiled...
Weather changes can cause the caulking to constrict, freeze (in really bad weather) and in turn, it dries. Now, for the inside, when the weather get colder, you start closing up your windows, covering them to preserve the heat and this process can cause increased moisture collection inside your home. Then, the heat gets turned on, and same thing happens as to outside caulking: it dries. Just drying alone is one thing, but because it dried, this can cause more significant issues for home owners. Heating has the tendency to dry the interior out, but in doing so can encourage expansion and contraction of interior materials and cause cracks in caulking and drywall, doors that don't fit, separating wood trim, heaved floors, and many other problems. Those could cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars in repairs!
On the outside, you might start seeing leaks and cracks in the siding due to tension created by dry caulking. You might also see water pipes cracked from freezing, have slowly leaked all winter (due to caulking going bad or improper sealing) and causing 3 to 4 inches of water to collect throughout the crawl. Crawl spaces must be sealed up during the winter months. Any vents need to be closed, outside access needs to be sealed and any holes need to be caulked or foamed. If this is done properly, these areas usually will stay above freezing just from the warmth radiated down from the living space above. The problem here however is that the crawl space now will become colder, negatively affecting any plumbing present.
So, bottom line is good caulking and sealing is very important to the well-being of your home.
Knowing this and the fact that winter and spring were pretty cold, it is time to have your caulking inspected thoroughly. If you know how to do it, then get to it as soon as you can.
Now, if you are someone who is unsure or unable to, let us help you. After all, even if you do know, you might miss important areas of your home that you might not even know caulking existed in. We will check for state of caulking, any dryness or leaks, or any other issues that your house might need help with.
Let the professionals at Pacific Side Construction do what they do best! Check out our Services section for our best deals. We guarantee our work and offer lowest prices!
