Which gaps matter most in a Milwaukee home?
The gaps that matter most are the ones on the sunny walls and at the openings where a service line passes into the house. The sources describe autumn invaders gathering on the sunny walls, so those walls are surveyed first and most closely.
A gap is important when it is on the path an insect would take to the inside. The sources point to the sunny walls as the place the bugs gather, and a gap in that wall is the most likely route. The window heads, the door heads and the joints between the siding and the trim are the common places, and each one is checked for light from inside.
Gaps at service entries are easy to overlook. A cable, a pipe or a hose that comes through the wall usually has a ring of open material around it, and that ring is a path if it is not filled. The survey treats these as a separate list, because the material used for a pipe is not the same as the material used for a window frame.
- Sunny walls, where the autumn invaders gather
- Window and door heads and the trim joints
- Service entries for cable, pipe and hose
- Vents and the openings under the soffit
What materials are used, and why?
The material is chosen by the size and movement of the gap. Flexible caulk is used on narrow joints that move with the season, fine mesh on vents, and a metal or rigid cover on larger openings. The report names the material used at each point.
A caulk seal is the most common repair, but it is only as good as the surface it sits on. The technician cleans the joint, removes loose paint and old material, and then applies the caulk so it bonds to both sides. A caulk applied over dust or wet material often fails within a season.
Vent screens need a different approach. The screen must keep insects out while still letting the vent do its job, and a torn or missing screen is replaced rather than patched. A metal cover is used where a larger opening would otherwise be filled by a bulky material that could fail. The choice is written into the report so the next visit can check the same point.
- Flexible caulk for narrow joints
- Fine mesh for vents, replaced rather than patched when torn
- Metal or rigid covers for larger openings
- Clean and dry surfaces before any material goes on
How is the walk done, from the foundation up?
The walk is done from the grade up because water and insects move up the wall from the lowest opening. The foundation is checked first, then the siding, the windows and doors, the eaves, and the roof edges.
The foundation is the first check because a crack or an open joint at the grade is both a water path and an insect path. The technician notes where the grade slopes toward the building, because soil that sits against the wall can hold moisture and make a gap more active. The moisture guide on this site covers that topic in more depth.
The windows and doors come next, because they are the places a homeowner most often sees activity. The trim, the sill and the head are checked from outside and then from inside. The eaves and soffit are checked from a ladder where that is safe, and the roof edges are checked for any opening where the roof meets the wall.
- Foundation and grade first
- Siding joints and the lower wall
- Windows, doors and their trim
- Eaves, soffit and roof edges
What can sealing not do?
Sealing closes the entry points that are found and does not change the outside environment that the insects come from. It cannot stop insects that are already inside, and it cannot seal a gap that the technician cannot reach.
A sealed house is still in an area where the insects are present in the autumn. Sealing reduces the number that get in through the points that have been closed, and it does not change the population outside. A homeowner should expect some insects to arrive through a gap that was not found, which is why the report lists the points not reached.
Sealing also cannot repair damage a pest has caused, and it is not a building repair. A gap caused by rot, a broken frame or a failed flashing needs the work of a builder or a contractor, and the technician will name that need when it is found. The work on the seal is confined to the material at the gap.
- Does not remove insects already inside
- Does not close gaps the technician cannot reach
- Does not repair rot or a failed building component
- Does not change the outside population
How is a seal confirmed after the work?
A seal is confirmed by holding a light inside the house at each point and by a return check the following year. A seal that lets light through is not finished, and a seal that has failed over the winter is reset.
The light test is quick and reliable. The technician works from inside with a torch held against the sealed point, while a second person watches from outside or the technician moves the light across the joint. Any line of light means the seal is not complete, and the material is adjusted before the visit ends.
The return check looks at each point after a winter. Caulk that has cracked, a mesh that has torn and a cover that has loosened are noted and reset. The report of the first visit is used as the list, so the check does not start from the beginning.
- Light test from inside at each point
- Re-test any point that lets light through
- Return check after the first winter
- Reset any seal that has failed
What should a homeowner do in the weeks after a sealing visit?
A homeowner should keep the record of sealed points, watch the marked points for the first few weeks, and report any activity at a point that was marked as sealed. The report is the record the next visit starts from.
The first few weeks after sealing are the most useful for watching. A homeowner who sees activity at a marked point should note the date and the location and report it, because a seal that has failed can be fixed quickly. A new activity at an unmarked point is a new finding and is worth recording the same way.
The homeowner should also avoid covering a sealed point with a new material such as a decorative trim or a fresh layer of paint before the caulk has cured. A caulk that is painted or covered too soon may not bond fully, and the result will not be visible until the next autumn.
- Keep the record of sealed points
- Watch the marked points for activity
- Report activity at a sealed point with the date
- Let the caulk cure before painting over it
