In every home or building, gaps can be found in various places such as windows, doors, around skirting boards and floor boards, or even walls. These gaps lead to energy loss, causing discomfort and costly heating and cooling bills. Luckily, there’s a simple and effective solution: The Gap Filler Kit. In this blog post, we’ll explore the art of using The Gap Filler Kit to weather seal gaps, ensuring a more energy-efficient and secure living space.
Why Use Gap Filler for weather sealing gaps?
Filler, also known as caulk or sealant, is a versatile material that can be used to fill gaps, cracks, and joints effectively. It acts as a barrier against air, moisture, and pests, making it an invaluable tool for weather sealing. By Filling up your gaps, you can enjoy the following benefits:
1. Energy Efficiency: Perhaps the Main reason to fill up the gaps in your home. Air leaks through gaps can significantly impact the energy efficiency of your home, leading to higher heating and cooling costs. Filler helps eliminate these drafts, reducing energy waste and saving you money.
2. Improved Indoor Comfort: By sealing gaps with filler, you can prevent outside air from infiltrating your home. This helps maintain a consistent indoor temperature and reduces drafts, making your home more comfortable year-round.
What is inside the The Gap Fillers Kit and why do I need it?
The Gap Fillers Kit has the essential tools and materials to thoroughly seal up the gaps in your home.
Parts of the Kit:
1. Ultra Clear: This type of filler is weather-resistant and perfect for Indoor and outdoor applications. It remains flexible and durable, ensuring long-lasting weather sealing performance. It also dries completely clear so you don’t have to worry about colour matching to your home..
Filler Rod: The filler rod is designed to provide a surface or substrate that the Ultraclear can grip onto in the larger gaps in your home. You can press the rod into a gap that is equal or slightly larger than the rod’s thickness. Then you can apply a few beads of Ultra Clear over the rod for the perfect seal.
Set of sealant spreaders / squeegees:
These handy tools keep your hands clean and your Ultra Clear seals neat. With their variety of profiles to use, the sealant spreaders are perfect for most applications. Whether you need a flat and flush finish, or you are matching the curve of the existing glazing seal.
How to make the best use of The Gap Fillers Kit.
As you know from above, the Gap Fillers Kit has a few different components inside that make filling gaps easy, neat and long lasting. But you may ask yourself, ‘How do I know which of the components for a given area’? Below we are going to break down how to use each part of the kit and the circumstances when you should use it.
Steps to Weather Seal Gaps with Filler:
1. Preparation:
You should be filling your gaps from the inside of your home. Filling gaps on the outside is not a thorough method of sealing up draughty gaps through which you are losing the heated and cooled air in your home.
Start by cleaning the surfaces surrounding the gap thoroughly. Remove any dust, loose debris, old caulk, or paint that could interfere with the adhesion of the Ultra Clear.
2. Choose the Right Filler Rod:
Depending on the location and size of the gap, select the appropriate filler rod. For gaps 5mm and below, no rod is required. For gaps 6mm to 8mm, use the 6mm rod. For gaps between 8-12mm, use the 10mm Rod.
3. Application:
Cut the nib off your UltraClear Cassette as evenly as possible. Attached the screw-on nozzle of the filler tube to the nib and cut the nozzle tip at a 45-degree angle. Using a caulking gun, squeeze out the Ultra clear whilst dragging the nozzle tip along the line of the gap you are filling. You will need to vary the speed you drag your nozzle so that it fills the gap. If you have put too much filler down, don’t worry, because it is water based, cleaning up excess is simple. For larger gaps, you will need to do multiple passes of your nozzle on the gap, Starting from the bottom and then layering upwards until the gap is covered.
Pro Tip! After cutting the nozzle tip at a 45-degree angle, you can also cut off the point so that it is flat, or even cut a small v shape into the tip. With this technique and a measured and steady hand, you can apply and smooth the Ultra Clear in one action. Master this process and you can skip step 4.
4. Smoothing and Clean-Up:
Smooth the applied filler using the sealant spreader finishing tool or a wet finger to create an even finish. Wipe away any excess filler with a damp cloth, following the manufacturer’s instructions for specific products.
5. Allow Drying or Curing:
Fulaseal 701 Flexible Ultra Clear has a full cure time (drying time) of nominally 5-7 days. This can vary depending on the size of the bead of sealant, weather conditions and what surface it has been applied to. The curing process of larger sections of sealant will take more time. Ultra Clear sealant relies on the evaporation of water for curing, so if it is applied on non-porous surfaces, the curing time will be longer. However, during warmer weather, the sealant will cure at a faster rate.
Conclusion:
Weather sealing gaps with filler is a simple and effective way to improve your home’s energy efficiency, prevent water damage, and enhance overall comfort. The Gap Fillers Kit puts all right types of filler material and tools in one place. The Kit allows you to successfully seal gaps and cracks with ease, ensuring a more secure and weather-resistant living space.
People Also Ask:
⇒ Where can I learn more about this from an industry expert?
ecoMaster has been working in the energy efficiency / retrofit arena for over 20 years. During that time we learnt an enormous amount about diagnosing issues, distinctions on various products as well as developing the best installation practices. We have done the research, so you don’t have to. All that information has now been condensed into a series of ecoMasterClasses. Click here to gain access.
What’s Next?
We hope this article has helped you learn how to use simple ways to save on your utility bill. This in turn will help you on your energy and thermal efficiency retrofit journey to make your home more comfortable all year round, and reduce your costs and carbon emissions.
Next, explore 5 Top Reasons Why You Should Not Use A Door Snake.
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