Many people have problems with drafts in their homes. A door draft can be fixed relatively easily and cheaply. Drafts cause people’s heat to escape, thus requiring them to use more energy and money to stay warm in the winter. By fixing a door draft, you will conserve energy for your home and save money on your utility bills.
A draft is air moving through a hole between the inside and outside of a house. There are many possible ways to fix it, but there is only one way that has been proven effective over the course of history: stuffing something into the hole.
You can either remove the door (a laborious operation) and use a brush, or leave it in place and use a tube. Both methods work, but the latter leaves fewer flakes of foam all over your floor. No need to remove the entire door because you are not undertaking door replacement.
Use a draft stopper
You don’t need to remove the entire door from its hinges to fix a draft. In fact, this is not recommended because it is time consuming and could result in damage to the door or its frame. Instead, you can use a draft stopper device or a weatherstripping kit to seal off the drafty area of the door.
Fixing a drafty door without removing the entire door
You can fix a drafty door in about 20 minutes, without having to remove or disassemble the door.
First check around the edges of the door with a candle or incense stick to find where the drafts are coming from. Now check the weatherstripping along the edges of the door to see if it’s worn or damaged. If so, replace it.
If the weatherstrip is in good shape, you might want to add another layer on top of it. This can be done with either foam tape (available at any home improvement store) or even foam pipe insulation that has been split lengthwise.
With either material, simply peel off the backing and press it into place along the edge of the door. You can use either a single piece that runs around the whole perimeter of the door, or shorter pieces for each side. The foam should compress easily as you close the door, and seal out most drafts.
It is especially helpful to cover up any gaps between weatherstripping and woodwork that may have opened up over time. Years of opening and closing can cause gaps to appear in this area, letting cold air into your home. Foam tape is an easy way to fill those gaps and stop drafts from entering your home.
Conclusion
Unlike in the case of door replacement, there is no need to remove the door when fixing a draft. You can easily check for gaps between the door and its frame. It may be that all you need to do is add some weatherstripping.
