09 Nov Best ways to improve door sealing performance
So, your doors are great. You had a lovely door installation done years ago when you replaced all your old wooden doors that were barely hanging on. They were rotten round the edges or sticking in the damp weather. A little like an arthritic knee.
Your new doors, at that time, were lovely to see, very aesthetic and fit with the house profile very nicely. The improvement was tremendous. The drafts were gone and the warm cosy feel of the home was lovely.
However, time has passed, the kids have grown, a little, but those doors still look the part.
Nothing wrong with the doors themselves, it is the winds on those cold winter nights that seem to find a way around the edges. Not good for keeping energy costs down.
So what can we do about those drafts that are stealing away our warmth? That warmth which we have found out is getting increasingly more expensive and precious.
In the Preston area and around Blackpool there are likely to be numerous houses that have leaky seals. I appreciate that Blackpool is near the sea and that Preston has access to the sea via the river Ribble but we are not talking about the seals from the sea. Here we are talking about the rubber seal which fits around the door and even the window edges. When the seal is first installed it is quite springy and round. However with time and use the rubber seal may become not quite so round. More of a flattened bit of rubber which may not contact the door frame properly when the door is shut. Another issue with the seal may be that it has actually split. This definitely stops the seal from fitting properly. But no fear, the seal is, or should be, a fairly quick and easy item to replace. Not having a door replacement just for a bit of a draft can, obviously, save a fortune. You may be talented enough to repair the issue by replacing the door seal, or window seal, by yourself, on the other hand you may want to reduce the hassle and bring in a professional team who can do a quick inspection to make sure that the window or door is all good and it is indeed just the seal that is need of replacing. They are also likely to have all the bits on the van too.
If your door is actually an old wooden thing that is letting in the drafts, then it might be a good time to take a look at the latest designs and colours and see if a new door installation option would be the better bet. Yes this may be a slightly more expensive option, however, if your old door is not so good at separating the warmth from the cold then it may be a better option to keep the inside warmer without the draft blowing round, or even through the door.
Thermal efficiency is something we have touched on previously which is where the window is not thermally efficient in keeping out the cold. The air gap between the panes of glass in a window is compromised. This may be visible by the window fogging up with condensation between the panes. The same challenge can also be found in door windows too. With the door being opened and closed on a regular basis, gently, most of the time. The window may get itself flexed now and again, even very slightly. These movements may compromise the seals for the window and break down the edges. This in turn allows the air gap to become less insulating than it should be. In turn the window is not so good at keeping the cold out and the heat in. Just the same as your room windows. Again your professional uPVC team will be able to help you with these problems too.
Another thing that the professionals are likely to take a look at is if your door is pulling tight or not.
What?
When your uPVC door is closed the mechanism which is up the side of the door, the same mechanism that you maintain on a regular basis, may become a little slack in doing another part of its duty. This mechanism, as well as securing your door to the frame when it is shut, is supposed to pull the door to the frame in a snug fashion. If the plates on the door frame have come adrift a little then the door is not going to sit against the frame in the proper manner. In turn the door seal may be perfectly fine but it cannot quite reach the frame so that pesky draft can get around the edge. You may be able to check this item yourself by looking at whether the screws are tight on these plates, it may be that you can do a quick repair and tweak them yourself. Though if they are quite badly worn then it may be best to get the team in to check things out.
If you’re interested in replacing a window for your home, take a look at our New Door packages. Alternatively, just take a look at our other services for more!
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