Daily Home Renovation Tips

When I was cleaning its air intake unit’s air filter, I came across two areas where cold air from the outside was leaking into the room.

This surprised me because I did not feel any air coming into the room. Yet, if I could feel an air leak with the air intake unit’s cover removed it likely was entering the room. Like anyone I want to maximize my energy savings so I pay the least amount possible on my utility bills. Having cold air leaks causes higher heating bills, even if just a little.

Here is the air intake unit with the cover on.

So, where were the leak areas?

Well, if you look in the picture below, which is a closeup of the air intake component with its cover removed for the solar air heater, you can see two small circular openings where there are grey wires entering from the outside.

Did you see them? One of the circular openings is in the middle left of the picture, just beneath the metallic nut and bolt. The other is on the middle right also beneath an identical nut and bolt. The grey wires are much smaller than the openings, thus allowing cold air to pass through.

So, to stop the air leaks was simple. I used more of the DAPtex sealant product which I used the other day to seal air leaks coming from the electrical outlet.

It didn’t take very much at all. In the above picture you can see the same two areas, on on the middle right and one on the middle left of the picture directly beneath the nut and bolts, now filled with the white foam sealant.

Once done, I then returned the cover onto the air intake component of the solar air heater with its now cleaned air filter.

It didn’t take any time at all.

Every once in a while you undertake a home maintenance activity (such as cleaning the washable air filter on our solar air heater) and come across something else which needs to be done. Such is life.