Spring is my favorite season. Flowers bloom, the trees are budding out, spring fragrances fill the air. It’s awesome to get outside and draw in great gulps of fresh air. Spring is also a great time to look at your home and do some tidying up from the harshness of winter. Your home has fought the battle against the elements all winter and may need some attention. What to look for?
Your home’s exterior works hard to keep water out and heat in. Any place that we cut a hole in its shell, for like a window or a door, is an area that has potential to fail. Closely inspect the areas around windows and doors for gaps or tears in caulking. Reseal as necessary. Especially check above the windows and doors. The flat area on top of a window or door provides a spot for rain to collect and seep into your home. We recommend inspecting the caulking twice a year, in spring and again in the fall in preparation for winter.
With the advent of warmer temperatures, I love to open my windows. To make sure they open easily and smoothly, it’s time to apply some preventative maintenance. Spray silicone is a great product to use. Liberally apply silicone on your window tracks and wheels wiping out any excess. If you have vinyl windows, you can spray silicone any place where there is vinyl to vinyl rubbing, like where the vent frame rubs on the main frame when you open the window. Not only will the silicone make the window easier to open, it will make the window last longer and provide you many years of service.
Check the locks to insure proper operation and security. If you have a patio sliding door, don’t forget to lubricate the wheels and track. If your patio door wheels stop rolling due to gunk and crud, significant damage can occur to the track and soon you won’t be able to open your sliding door. Start by cleaning any pet hair or debris from the wheels and track. Next, apply silicone to the wheels and wheel housing and along the track that the wheels ride on. Adjust the wheels up or down to insure smooth operation and proper locking.
Spring is a time of birth for nature including pesky bugs and insects. Check to make sure your window screens are secure, fit properly and don’t have any holes or tears in the mesh. Replace worn or damaged mesh, screen pulls and springs. If the screen mesh is dirty, wash with mild soap and water using a soft bristle brush and rinse thoroughly. Also check the weep holes, small openings at the bottom exterior of the window frame that allow water to drain out, for blockage. Mud daubers, a kind of insect, like to make their mud nests in these weep holes blocking them closed. Also check to make sure the weep holes have not been caulked over. Check out our Facebook page for tips on removing screens here: Screen Removal
Now that your windows work properly, enjoy the view of your spring flowers. Clean your glass with mild soap and water or use a glass cleaner, like Windex. Don’t use a metal scraper or razor blade. The edges have microscopic imperfections that can scratch the glass. You can use a rubber squeegee instead. If you notice condensation or discoloration IN BETWEEN the panes of glass, it means you have a “seal failure”, simply meaning that the sealant used to manufacture an insulated glass unit is allowing the atmosphere into the airspace between the panes. When this happens, it can not be repaired and will not get any better. The good news is, in most cases, the glass unit can simply be replaced. Today’s modern manufacturing processes allow the glass to be replaced in the window frame with out replacing the complete window. There are many options for glass replacement including energy efficient low E glass and argon gas. Contact a professional for your best options.
We’re done! Time to grab a book, lay back in the hammock and start planning on how to tackle the yard and garden. Where did I put those gloves last fall…….
D.K. Boos Glass is a family owned and operated, local business that specializes in window and auto glass. For 35 years, full time technicians and craftsmen have been available to assist you with any of your window and door needs. Feel free to call if you need help or advice.
