Two Checks To Make To Ensure Your Windows Are Ready For Winter
The Australian summer is in full swing, which is exactly why it is time to turn your mind to winter-proofing your home before it gets too late. The minute temperatures start to drop and signal the arrival of autumn, then contractors get booked up quickly to attend to home repairs. If you deal with those repairs now, then you won't be left waiting for help. As a first-time homeowner, one of the most important parts of your home to inspect are the windows. Here are two checks you need to make around each window of your home.
Cracked Glass
A small crack in the window glass may not seem like a big deal, but it could become one if you don't deal with it before winter. The reason for this repair need is what happens if moisture gets into the crack. When the temperature outside the home is warmer than the temperature inside, then condensation forms. These tiny water particles seep into the glass crack. As the temperature outside starts to get freezing cold, the water in the crack solidifies. Then, as the heat inside your home warms up the glass, the ice melts. This contraction of freezing and then melting causes the crack to get bigger until it moves from one side of the window frame to the other. Deal with the crack now before you have a fully broken glass panel that needs an emergency repair callout.
Damaged Frame
The frame of your window is just as important as the glass. Window frames not only keep the glass in place, but they also help to keep the cold air out by sealing the window hole in your home. When a frame is in bad shape, you pay for more heating than you need because cold air gets in through the compromised places, and warm air escapes from these same spots. The most common causes of a damaged window frame are old age combined with the weather. Constant heat dries out wood frames until they crack. Rainwater enters those cracks and causes the frame to rot. You can tell a window frame is rotted both by appearance and also a spongy feeling when you push down on the wood. It also flakes apart in your hands like well-cooked fish. You can have the window frame repaired by a local contractor.
Don't wait until it is cold to get your window repaired. Tend to it now so that you are sitting warm and toasty inside your home when Jack Frost comes back to town. For more information, contact a local contractor that offers glass repairs.
