Protect Your Home from the Elements with Window Gaskets

Making sure your home is weatherproof is one of the best things you can do, for your home’s protection and your wallet.

With window gaskets & seals, you can keep out draughts, water and more from infiltrating your home. There is a huge benefit to sealing out these harsh elements. So, consider investing in, and adding a gasket to your window frames. Here’s what they are and how they can help:

What is a Window Gasket?

A window gasket comes in many different types. Generally, they are a thin strip of black rubber (sometimes white) that is applied around a window, between two surface areas to provide a barrier or be used for sealing. A gasket can also provide cushioning, prevent vibration, and reduce sound.

On top of this, a gasket provides fantastically simple weatherproofing benefits as mentioned in the introduction. Read further to see exactly how those benefits help and work…

Sealing out Unwanted Draughts

A gasket can provide extra insulation and protect you from the cold. It can prevent unwanted draughts and gusts of cold wind that blow through your home via gaps between the glass panels and plastic frame. Blocking this with a gasket can provide some extra warmth and save on heating bills.

Sealing out draughts will also prevent the annoying noise of wind whistling through your windows, stop breezes knocking over things on the window ledge or blowing through the entire house causing the door to slam – it’ll stop making you feel as though your house is haunted!

On the flip side, a gasket is not just used for sealing out cold gusts of wind. It can be windy all times of year and seal out those annoying drafts no matter the season.

In the warmer months or just as it’s getting cold and insects are seeking warm refuge, it can prevent all those creepy crawlies that can sneak into the tiniest gaps. Depending on where you live, say if you live in a rural area where insects thrive, you may prefer to keep the windows closed and opt for a fan during hot days instead of opening the windows.

Of course, allowing proper airflow into a home is essential, healthy and recommended. Keeping your windows on a trickle vent at times can prevent issues like damp, mould and condensation by allowing humid air to escape. Gaskets and seals are for preventing any unwanted intrusion of the elements, giving you more control over your environment.

Benefits of Waterproofing

Waterproofing your home as much as possible is hugely important. Besides fire, water damage is one of the worst things that can happen to a home or belongings. Not addressing water and extra moisture issues properly can create a damp environment for mould to thrive in, even in a small space like windows and window ledges.

Living with mould can be hazardous to your health, so this is something that needs to be prevented or gotten rid of quickly. Some people are more sensitive than others, but you could risk respiratory problems, respiratory infections, worsening of allergies or asthma, and it can affect your immune system.

It can also produce an unpleasant smell, and while prevention is better than the cure, you can use solutions like white vinegar and other products to remove mould (and then if weather permits, you can open the windows to ventilate and get rid of the strong white vinegar smell).

Weatherproofing Combined – Cold and Rainy

Combined with winds and cold weather you could find your windows icing up and being difficult to open. Sealing cold, wind and water out can prevent this from happening, giving you smooth opening windows all year round.

Sound Proofing

Not just limited to weatherproofing, opting for a window gasket can add an element of soundproofing to your home as well. Depending on where you live it can be ideal for:

• Noisy neighbours
• Noisy neighbours power washing their drives or lawnmowing their gardens
• Noisy kids playing outside
• Cars and traffic noise (great if you live in the city or on a main road)
• Building works

It works both ways too, so can be great for your own privacy. If you’re a musician (particularly a drummer) or you just like shouting or having loud music on, you can sing like nobody’s listening. Blocking out the noise is also great for concentration if you work from home.

It’s also simply ideal for the light sleepers out there, night shift workers, fans of beauty sleep or for if you’re partial to a lie-in every now and then.

Vibration Protection

With the added benefit of vibration protection that a gasket provides, your windows are cushioned and safe from vibrations caused by loud noises, wind, construction works and the like.

This doesn’t give you free reign to start slamming your windows though. But it is extra protection for when you’re shutting them.

Different Types of Gaskets

There are various types of gaskets for different types of windows, shapes, materials, frames and other requirements.

• Wedge Gaskets – come in incremental sizes, have a tear-off edge and sit between the outer frame and glass. When the glass is put into position the seal is locked within the external bead.

• Foam Tape (Security Glazing Tape) – this can be used in place of the Wedge Gasket above and is ideal for adding extra security to your windows. The tape prevents the unauthorised/criminal removal of the glass from a frame. It also seals out dust, water, and air from getting in-between the frame and glass. Comes in various levels of thickness.

• Bubble Gaskets – with the right measurement, it can fit into a lot of places. It has an arrow part to it, that pushes into the frame. Check out the Q-Line Universal Bubble Gasket, for UPVC door and window frames, comes in black or white coloured rubber.

• Wool Pile – easily fitted around doors to protect your home from draughts, wind, snow, and reduce heat loss. Both energy saving and energy bill reducing. Available in various heights and widths, or can be cut to fit most internal and external doors. A central fin can be added for further protection against air and water.

• Foam Seals – are universal for both PVC and timber frames. With Schlegel Q-Lon foam seals, you are given exceptional performance, as they don’t shrink or stretch, even in extreme ranges of temperature.

Getting it Right

Gaskets need to be applied properly or it can create more problems. If a gasket is too big it can potentially break the lock and wear down the hinges. If it’s too small it simply won’t work.

Everything is subject to wear and tear after a while, gaskets included. Over time they can dry out and shrink, the compounds stiffen up over time, becoming brittle and likely to snap.

If you already have gaskets or seals and you’re having problems, it’s likely they’ll need replacing or like mentioned above, they weren’t applied properly in the first place.

Use your newfound knowledge of gaskets and get in touch with us at DGS, we can advise you and make sure you have the right gasket for the right need.