Need help sealing doors and attic entrys

[colleyvillesooner]

What's the best way to go about this? I have two solid wood doors that lead outside and one into the garage. What's the best method of sealing around the doors to prevent hot air from coming in. Got new windows over the winter, so I have only the doors left to fix. I've read online about pulling off the door trim and filling in the frame with stuff, but is that necessary?

TIA

[olevetonahill]

Is the air entering around the trim ? or just between the Door and the Jamb ?

[colleyvillesooner]

Is the air entering around the trim ? or just between the Door and the Jamb ?


I think just between the door and the jamb. I'll see if I can get pics of the doors. One is solid wood leading to the garage, one is a wood door with 15 small windows in the standard checkered pattern, and the front door is a glass swinging door with metal trim, then a wooden door with glass window in the top.

One of the attic entries is right above the thermostat, so i think that i need to seal it better as well, as any hot air leaking out goes right to the thermostat.

[colleyvillesooner]

Back Door:

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2207/photoki.jpg

Garage Door:
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/554/photo2pt.jpg

Front Door:

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6051/photo3cu.jpg

[Bourbon St Sooner]

This past winter I put some rubber sealing strips around the entryways of my doors and attic doors. They come in different sizes to fill different size gaps.

[olevetonahill]

Can ya get a Pic of the Jamb with the door open ?

Heres a Link to some info

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/tightenup/weatherstrip.html

[colleyvillesooner]

Can ya get a Pic of the Jamb with the door open ?

Heres a Link to some info

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/tightenup/weatherstrip.html

Can when I get home. You want the door open and pics of where the door meets at the tip, side or bottom? Or all?

[Tulsa_Fireman]

1) If the door was installed correctly, it'll have at least some strips of fiberglass batting between the jamb and the frame. This has been standard practice for exterior doors since Jesus was in diapers.

2) If you're STILL concerned with airflow through your doors, you can do a couple of things. One, take a candle, light it, go to your door, and extinguish it as you move it along the spacing between the door and the jamb (while the door is closed). You can do the same with talc, but smoke works better. Be sure and do this on a windy day. Not because of the wind blowing on the door, but because wind on the outside of the building will create positive and/or negative pressures within the structure. Wind from the north on a south facing door will create a slight negative pressure at that door. Likewise in the inverse. Anyway, guide the smoldering tip of the candle along the edge of the door, close enough to where minor variations in flow will affect the smoke. No leaks and the smoke will rise or hang. A leaky door will push or pull the smoke to and from the door depending on the pressure differential inside and outside the home. Light and repeat as needed for the candle to keep making smoke until you've covered the door. Weatherstrip as needed.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

Almost forgot!

Attic entries. For the most part, don't concern yourself too much with attic scuttles in the summer. For one, your main method of heat movement in the home is via convection. And as these gases are heated, they rise. As heated gases rise, they escape through the attic venting. Your main concern is twofold. One, convected heat rising out of the living space in winter and two, enough leaking to overcome the volume at which your HVAC can sufficiently remove heat. How do you do that?

It depends on the scuttle. One, the windows and doors are a huge step. Double pane glass pays HUGE dividends in eliminating radiative heating of the space. And wel already discussed doors. In regards to your attic scuttle, simply ensuring it is covered is your best bet. If it's a garage ladder, don't even concern yourself. If it's an opening in the ceiling, make sure it's covered. If that's STILL not enough for you, an easy solution if your scuttle cover is wood, plywood, or other similar material is to attach a piece of 1/2" sheetrock onto the material in the shape of the opening. This can be primed and painted to match the ceiling and enables the scuttle to act as the rest of your ceiling as a quality temperature barrier.

[colleyvillesooner]

1) If the door was installed correctly, it'll have at least some strips of fiberglass batting between the jamb and the frame. This has been standard practice for exterior doors since Jesus was in diapers.

2) If you're STILL concerned with airflow through your doors, you can do a couple of things. One, take a candle, light it, go to your door, and extinguish it as you move it along the spacing between the door and the jamb (while the door is closed). You can do the same with talc, but smoke works better. Be sure and do this on a windy day. Not because of the wind blowing on the door, but because wind on the outside of the building will create positive and/or negative pressures within the structure. Wind from the north on a south facing door will create a slight negative pressure at that door. Likewise in the inverse. Anyway, guide the smoldering tip of the candle along the edge of the door, close enough to where minor variations in flow will affect the smoke. No leaks and the smoke will rise or hang. A leaky door will push or pull the smoke to and from the door depending on the pressure differential inside and outside the home. Light and repeat as needed for the candle to keep making smoke until you've covered the door. Weatherstrip as needed.

at least for the door going into the garage, I can see light underneath it and on the top and felt the air with my hand. The other doors I'll check with a candle.

[StoopTroup]

I'd get someone who knows how to take pictures before I do anything else. ;)

[ouduckhunter]

Maybe you can get some money back under the "Cash for Caulkers" program??

[SoonerBK]

I'd use some caulk. Either black caulk or white caulk should do the job. Definatly caulk though.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

I love caulk.

[C&CDean]

Go caulk yourself.

[colleyvillesooner]

I'd get someone who knows how to take pictures before I do anything else. ;)

Heh. Not a lot of options on the iPhone camera.

[olevetonahill]

Can when I get home. You want the door open and pics of where the door meets at the tip, side or bottom? Or all?

All

[olevetonahill]

Ok the air leakage at the bottom of the door means that yer threshold needs to be adjusted UP .

The part of the door thats leakin at the top is worrisome . Def. need a pic of that .
Ill wait till we get Mo pics

[colleyvillesooner]

OK here goes. Keep in mind I didn't do any of this. So when you see the cooper "weather stripping go over the hinges, not me. I just wanna fix whatever these dill holes did wrong and clear up this issue to move on to the next one. :D

Front Door: All around the top and sides is the metal copper barrier, which doesn't look like it's doing anything.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1725/dsc01902m.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2306/dsc01900e.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7493/dsc01899pm.jpg

[colleyvillesooner]

Door to Garage: Same copper pieces on top and side, with metal bottom. This door shoes light through the cracks on all sides, with the bottom the top and the side with the handle being the worst.

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/7127/dsc01896yr.jpg http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2654/dsc01895a.jpg http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/599/dsc01894e.jpg

[colleyvillesooner]

Back Door: This door actually has rubber weather stripping on the sides and top, and a piece of rubber weather stripping on the bottom of the door that seals underneath leaving a flap on the inside. Only issue is i can push on the top left corner of the door and push the door in and out 1/4" (pushing the weather stripping in and out i am assuming.)

Video of that here: View My Video (http://tinypic.com/r/207xpau/5) video is a little dark and makes the door look in worse shape than it is for some reason.

Is that an issue? or does that mean it's working?

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/205/dsc01893q.jpg http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3451/dsc01891z.jpg

[olevetonahill]

OK here goes. Keep in mind I didn't do any of this. So when you see the cooper "weather stripping go over the hinges, not me. I just wanna fix whatever these dill holes did wrong and clear up this issue to move on to the next one. :D

Front Door: All around the top and sides is the metal copper barrier, which doesn't look like it's doing anything.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1725/dsc01902m.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2306/dsc01900e.jpg

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7493/dsc01899pm.jpg



Ok Id rip that copper lookijn carp out and get a quality Weather strip from Lowes or some place. Im hearing good things about that V weatherstrip

On the bottom of that one door it appears that the Rubhber5 strip is gone , Ya need a new threshold.
You shouldnt be able to see the screws in that thing , it should be covered with a rubbher strip.


Good luck bro

[colleyvillesooner]

I was thinking the copper crap needed to go.

I can see the screws on all three doors. two are the exact same metal ones. I think the guys that did the floors shaved them down to fit the new floor height, but i don't think there was rubber on top of them before.

[olevetonahill]

Ok bro it looks to me like all that car5p needs to go .
Before ya do tho make sure you have the correct stuff to fix it back.

Ya need to start with the thresholds 1st then move up with the weatherstrip.

If you think it may be more than you can handle you should be able to ask at Lowes or yer local lumber yard for some one who can do it for you .

Shouldnt cost all that much to hire it done , But its been a long time since i did that kinda work .

heres pretty much what ya need
#1 new threshold , Get the best you an find, try to stay away from the ones that look like what you have now .
#2 Shims to level the threshold
#3 Caulk to seal the very bottom of the threshold where it meets the floor .

Then get the Best weatherstrip you can find .

Remember the weather strip and thresholds come in preset sizes
36 inches 32 inches etc.

the height is pretty standard .

Good luck bro

[olevetonahill]

The floor installers prolly shaved the bottom of the door to make it fit .

[colleyvillesooner]

The floor installers prolly shaved the bottom of the door to make it fit .

He shaved down the actual threshold when he had it out. Saw him do it. Funny. How when you don't know anything, you think someone doing you a favor. :D

[olevetonahill]

Then IMHO he did it wrong
those types of thresholds usually have a small rubber type strip on the bottom also .

If there are NO rubber type strips anywhere then yer gonna lose a lot of Heat and Cool .

[colleyvillesooner]

That's what I'm thinking. It gets really hot in the room off the garage. I'll start checking into it this weekend. Thanks, Vet.

[olevetonahill]

More than welcome bro

I built alot of houses back in the day, Im sure a lot of stuff has changed in the last 30 years But a lot is still the same.

Yer local Lumber yard or Lowes or whatever should be able to help you a lot .

[StoopTroup]

I'd say get yourself some Great Stuff Foam insulation and spray it all along the 4 sides of the door jams and then close the doors. Leave them closed too and from now on just climb in and out of the winders.


YWIA

I didn't build a lot of houses I was the demolition guy. :D

[TopDawg]

Good info. I need to check my doors too. Especially the front door. A few months ago when we had a crazy wind-storm blowing through, our glass storm door blew off the freakin house. Well, almost. There were two screws holding it on so I had to take it off. Amazing how much more outside noise comes through now.

The problem is that the hinges are on the east side and our house faces south so those winds out of the southwest will catch it if it's not closed all the way. You get just one or two of those and the hinges get a little crooked and then it won't close on it's own, you have to pull it closed because it's lopsided. Well, of course nobody's used to pulling a storm door closed so if just one person doesn't do it on a windy day then it gets even MORE lopsided so that even when it's "closed" there's still a little bit of it sticking out. Well, that's how it was on that really windy day...it was closed but that didn't stop the wind from pullin it dern-near off the house.

Anyway, either need to get another storm door or better insulation around that door before it gets too warm outside...else we'll be sendin our cool air out to the porch.

[olevetonahill]

Get va storm door that is hinged on the opposite side . It will be a little inconvenient but not much .

[TopDawg]

That's how the house came...but the wife thought it was weird. And you know how that goes.