Draughtproofing a door
You may need to use more than one type of draught excluder on a door. Fix a foam strip around the sides and top of a door and a threshold excluder at the bottom for a snug finish.
If you are fitting one of the foam, rubber or flexible strips door the first time – or are unsure which excluder is most suitable – experiment on one door before you buy all the material you need. To calculate how much of a strip draught excluder you need to buy, measure the height and width of the door.
Some threshold excluders are designed to deflect in blown rain as well as to stop draughts. Threshold excluders are usually sold in standard lengths for external doors and some come in two parts: one to fix to the base of the door and the other to the sill
Adding an enclosed porch
If you put and enclosed porch around an outside door – especially if it is exposed to prevailing winds – you will greatly reduce the draughts entering the house. You will also help to reduce condensation inside if you can leave wet umbrellas and coats in a porch.
There are regulations that govern extending in front of the house building line, but porches are exempt from needing planning permission, providing the floor area is not more than 3m2 and no part is higher than 3m above ground level. You must also ensure that the porch is at least 3m from the boundary between the garden and a road or public path. Porches are also exempt from Building Regulations control if the floor is less than 30m2.
HELPING TIP
If you cannot find the source of a draught, light a candle and hold it in front of the door or window. Move around the edge of the frame and the flame will flicker at the point where the draught is coming in. Take care not to set curtains alight.
Strip excluders for frame
Self – adhesive foam strips or nylon brush strip are cut to length and fitted to the frame. Some require pinning
Strip excluders for the base of the door
A strip of nylon, rubber or plastic bristle mounted in aluminium. The excluder is fitted to the base of the door – on the inside – and is usually adjustable for height to give a good seal.
Metal or rubber seal for the sill
A plastic or metal bar fitted to the sill has a rubber insert which seals the gap under the door when it is closed.
Letterbox
A plastic frame with two rows of nylon bristle fits over the inside of a letterbox.
Two-piece excluders fitted to door and sill
A weatherbar is attached to the sill and a deflector is attached to the base of the door. The deflector is shaped to deflect rainwater over the weatherbar when the door is closed and the weather bar prevents rain from being blown in beneath the door.
Keyhole cover
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