Weatherproofing your home: Essential tips for protecting against moisture damage

Weatherproofing your home is crucial for maintaining its structural integrity and preventing costly repairs. Moisture damage can lead to a host of problems, including mould growth, wood rot and compromised foundations. By taking proactive measures, you can protect your home from the elements and ensure it remains a safe and comfortable place to live. Here are some essential tips for weatherproofing your home against moisture damage.

Inspect and repair your roof

The roof is your home’s first line of defence against the weather. A well-maintained roof prevents water from entering and causing damage.

Solution:

Regularly inspect your roof for missing or damaged shingles, cracks and signs of wear. Pay special attention to areas around chimneys, vents and skylights. Use Denso flashing tape to seal any potential leak points. This high-quality tape provides a durable, waterproof seal, ensuring your roof remains watertight.

Seal windows and doors

Windows and doors are common entry points for moisture. Ensuring they are properly sealed can prevent water from infiltrating your home.

Solution:

Check the caulking around windows and doors for cracks or gaps, and reapply as needed. Use weatherstripping to seal gaps around doors. For an extra layer of protection, consider using storm windows and doors. Regular maintenance will help keep these seals intact, preventing drafts and leaks.

Maintain gutters and downpipes

Properly functioning gutters and downpipes are essential for directing water away from your home’s foundation. Clogged or damaged gutters can cause water to overflow and seep into your home.

Solution:

Clean your gutters regularly, especially during the fall when leaves can accumulate. Ensure downpipes extend away from your home to direct water flow away from the foundation. Consider installing gutter guards to reduce the frequency of clogs. Inspect and repair any damaged sections to maintain optimal performance.

Protect your foundation

A compromised foundation can lead to serious structural issues and water damage. Keeping water away from your foundation is critical for maintaining your home’s stability.

Solution:

Ensure the ground around your home slopes away from the foundation to promote proper drainage. Install a French drain or a sump pump if you experience persistent water problems. Applying a waterproof sealant to your foundation walls can also provide an extra layer of protection against moisture infiltration.

Insulate and ventilate

Proper insulation and ventilation are key to preventing moisture build-up inside your home. Moisture-laden air can condense on cooler surfaces, leading to mould and mildew growth.

Solution:

Insulate your home to keep indoor temperatures stable and reduce condensation. Ensure your attic, loft and crawl spaces are well-ventilated to allow moisture to escape. Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens to remove excess humidity. Regularly check for signs of mould and address any issues promptly.

Use Denso Flashing Tape

Denso flashing tape is an excellent product for sealing joints and seams around your home. It’s especially useful for areas prone to leaks, such as roof edges, windows and doors.

Solution:

Apply Denso flashing tape to any joints, seams or gaps where water might enter. Ensure the surface is clean and dry before application. The tape’s strong adhesive and waterproof properties provide a reliable barrier against moisture, enhancing your home’s overall weatherproofing.

Conclusion

Weatherproofing your home is an essential task that protects it from moisture damage and extends its lifespan. By regularly inspecting and maintaining your roof, sealing windows and doors, maintaining gutters and downpipe, protecting your foundation, insulating and ventilating properly and using high-quality products like Denso flashing tape, you can safeguard your home against the elements. Taking these steps not only prevents costly repairs but also ensures a safe, dry and comfortable living environment for you and your family.

Implement these essential weatherproofing tips today to keep your home protected from moisture damage and enjoy peace of mind knowing your investment is well-guarded against the elements.

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Keeping cool in a heatwave from morning to night

As soon as spring rolls around in the Northern Hemisphere, you’re never far – these days – from a potential heatwave. People’s reactions to a rise in the mercury vary wildly from person to person, but with each hot day, more and more people will agree that the novelty eventually wears off. There’s certainly such a thing as being too hot, and while we don’t all reach that point at the same time, we all get there eventually. So it’s a good idea to have a plan for keeping cool in a heatwave, and all the better if it’s one that keeps you cool from sundown to sun-up.

Chase the sun (but not like that)

Direct sunlight pouring into your home causes the space to get warmer, quicker. If you have a cat, you’ll notice that they enjoy lying on the window sill when it’s particularly sunny – because a cat will always seek out the warm spots. But this greenhouse effect warms your whole home, and even one degree more can quickly become intolerable. So when you can see the sun soaking in through your windows, lower the blind and/or close the curtains; it’s best if you have blackout blinds and curtains for this specific purpose. During the day, the sun will cross over to the other side, so make sure to follow it and draw the blinds there, too.

Use fans in a smart way

Running a fan in your home or workspace can be reassuring in the hotter weather, but for many people it soon becomes clear that you’re basically moving hot air around and getting little relief from the heat. The smart move here is to place a bowl of ice or a frozen water bottle in front of the fan, and as the ice melts the fan will blow cooled water particles in your direction. This is the same principle by which air conditioning works, and it’s highly effective.

Speaking of air conditioning…

Running the air conditioning in your home cools the air, but when should you run it? Leaving it on all day is surely going to be too expensive, so should you ration it to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck? Well, no, not really. In fact, leaving the air con running may work out cheaper – it’s all about the temperature at which you set it. Find a temperature where you feel comfortable: let’s say between 20ºC and 24ºC. Set your evaporative cooling service to keep things at that level, and it will only run when it needs to, before returning to idling the rest of the time. This will use less energy than letting the temperature climb into the 30s or above and then running the air con, so it makes financial sense.

Windows: open at night, closed during the day

There’ll be a temptation to open your windows when your home is warm and it’s sunny outside, but this isn’t an efficient thing to do. If it’s hotter outside than it is in your home (and it invariably is in the morning), then you’re just letting in cool air, so keep them closed. Overnight, the temperature drops by several degrees, so keep the windows open a crack when you go to bed; you’ll sleep more soundly and wake up to a fresher, cooler house.

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Price Points: Hand fans

We’ve just had an unbelievably hot spell of weather. Temperatures broke records, and getting on with daily life was unbearable. When you’re at home, you can rely on a desk, floor or ceiling fan, but what do you do when you’re out and about? Pop a hand fan in your bag or pocket!

Sitting on a hot, stuffy bus or train is made that much more manageable with a fan to help cool you down. If you’re lucky enough to be sitting around a pool or on a beach – waving a hand fan means you don’t have to get into the water to cool down if you don’t want to.

The watermelon fan is my favourite – I hate the taste of the real thing – but this fan is so playful and just screams hot summer days!

Chinese sandalwood folding hand fan: £0.99, Confetti Shop
Portable bladeless mini hand-held fan, USB chargeable: £4.59 eBay
Watermelon slice print fabric and wood folding fan: £12.74, Etsy

shop hand fans

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