Waukesha County Home

Dear Jim: Both my wood front door and metal back door no longer seal well and I can feel a draft near them. What can I do inexpensively myself to improve their effi- ciency? — Ronnie J. Dear Ronnie: Energy losses from ineffi- cient entry doors can account for a signifi- cant portion of your monthly utility bills. What makes things worse is leaky ones can create drafts in your house. When this hap- pens, people tend to set their furnace ther- mostat higher which wastes even more energy. There are ways to improve the efficiency of old doors, but don't eliminate the possi- bility of installing a new one. Prices for some well-insulated steel and fiberglass doors, especially one for the back door without glass, are very reasonable. A pre- hung one is not difficult to install yourself. Before you make a decision on what to do, inspect your old doors. If they are in very bad condition, it will be difficult to improve their efficiency by a meaningful amount. First, make sure the wood door is not rotting and it is not badly warped. Use a long straight edge to check this. The most common problem with metal doors (most are steel) is rust, not warping. The first place to check is along the bottom by the weatherstripping on either side. Rainwater tends to collect there and it is not always painted well. Minor holes can be repaired with car body filler. If the doors are reasonably sound, check for the location of the air leaks. At night, have someone shine a flashlight from out- doors around the seals and check for light indoors. On a windy day, move a stick of lighted incense around the seals and watch the trail of the smoke. Often with wood doors, the majority of the problem is simply the latch plate is not holding the door tightly closed against the weatherstripping. Hold the door tightly closed and check for air leaks again. The steel door should have magnetic weather- stripping, so this is not a major issue. One solution is to reposition the latch plate. This will require filling in the old screw holes and drilling new ones. Chisel away some of the wood in the recess for the latch plate. Another option is to install an adjustable latch plate because you may want to reposition it for summer and win- ter. Check the condition of the hinges and replace them if needed. If the hinges and pins get worn, the door will not hang square in the opening, and therefore, will not seal well. It is almost certain the seal on the bottom of the doors against the floor threshold is worn. If it is not torn, adjust the floor threshold higher. There are generic replacement seals you can install. An add- on retractable threshold seal works well and automatically lifts to the clear carpet- ing. The following companies offer door improvement products: Duck Brand, 800- 321-0253, www.duckbrand.com; M-D Build- ing Products, 800-654-8454, www.mdteam.com; Pemko Manufacturing, 800-283-9988, www.pemko.com; and Thermwell, 800-526-5265, www.frostking.com. Dear Jim: The duct from the exhaust vent fan in our bathroom vents directly through the attic. During winter, water sometimes drips off of the grill in the ceil- ing. How can I fix this? — Sara H. Dear Sara: With a well-insulated house and properly ventilated attic, the air in the attic should stay cold. Your bathroom vent fan probably has a metal duct which also gets cold. Moisture in the exhaust bath- room air condenses and drips out the grill. Try running the vent fan longer after you bathe. This moves the moisture-laden air out of the duct quickly before it condenses. If there is a damper in the duct, make sure it swings closed when the fan is off. (Send inquiries to James Dulley, Conley Media, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.) HOME OCTOBER 2022 4 JAMES DULLEY DYI projects for drafty doors James Dulley The threshold under the door can be raised or lowered with a screwdriver so the door bottom weatherstripping seals tightly. Pemko Manufacturing This door bottom automatically moves down- ward and forces the weatherstripping against the door threshold. This is ideal when there is tall, plush carpeting by the door.

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