Home Maintenance Monday 11/18/24
“Are your exterior doors costing you money?” A bag of cash sits next to an open door with a cartoon cloud blowing cold air in and wind sweeping past the bag of cash through the open front door.
Home Maintenance Monday 11/18/24: Weather-stripping 101!
I looked at the weather forecast this morning and saw that we have 10 straight days of rain lined up! The NW winter weather has officially arrived! Although the forecast has us staying in the 40s and 50s at this point, all that moisture can really make the air feel extra chilly. So this week is a good time to go around and check/upgrade the weather-stripping on your exterior doors because letting that cold air in costly and you don’t want to find out too late that you’ve been wasting money leaking heat outside!
To begin, inspect the closed door from the inside, can you see any light or feel any air coming in from outside? Take notes if there are any particularly large gaps or holes that need to be filled. Rope caulk can work as a temporary solution to fill some awkward gaps which can be removed in spring. There are MANY different types and sizes of weather-stripping, make sure you measure your door and door jamb so that you get the right width for your application and the right thickness to seal any gaps. The simplest type of weather-stripping to install is adhesive backed.
To install your weather-stripping, remove any old weather-stripping, clean surfaces with warm water and soap, and then let dry completely. Apply weather stripping to the tops and bottoms of the doorjamb first and then work on the sides. Affix the weather-stripping to the facing edge of the door frame where the door closes. On the hinge side of the door, the weather-stripping will go alongside the side of the door-frame behind the hinge because that is where the door-closing action happens on this side of the door.
Many regular-use exterior entry points may have space at the bottom of the frame for weather-stripping. If you are working on a door to a garage or an attic space, however, you may want to consider adding a door sweep to the bottom of the door as well to prevent air leaking at the floor level.
Your door should compress the weather-stripping when you close it now, making it slightly resistant to closing and forming a nice tight seal around your door. Adjust from here as needed.
You can also apply weather-stripping to your windows if they don’t have a good seal. Stay warm and treat yourself with a hot beverage after you do all that work!
Steam rising out of a cup of hot beverage on a saucer on a table with a glass milk jar in the background.