Newington Entrance Door

Are your doors winter proof?

Does your home feel like the inside of a freezer, despite your efforts to keep the place warm? Forget over-using your heaters or indoor fireplaces, the culprit may well be your external doors.

As we traverse another winter, it’s worth taking the time to check your doors for drafts, given poorly sealed doors can account for up to one quarter of heat loss in buildings and homes.

Here are some tips on the easiest ways to check if your doors are winter proof.

Start with a thorough inspection.

Close your door and give it a good once-over. If you can see daylight or hear wind coming through the jamb, it’s clear the door isn’t properly sealed. Also check between the door frame and the siding for any gaps where caulking may have failed.

Examine the threshold under your door. Check if there’s daylight or wind passing through. That signifies an opening that needs to be sealed.

Try the smoke test.

Turn off any combustion appliances such as your oven, stove or fireplace and close all windows and doors. Then turn on the kitchen and bathroom exhaust vents to create negative pressure inside the house to draw outside air in through any crack or opening.

Next, light a stick of incense and run it slowly around all the edges of the door. You’re looking for a change in direction of the incense smoke where it will waiver and be drawn inwards by any outside air it crosses paths with. If the smoke remained the same, that’s great –  no air leaks!

Use a laser thermometer.

If you’re inclined to be super diligent in checking for gaps, grab a laser thermometer to check the ambient temperature. Shoot the laser thermometer beam to the doors that you want to test and take the thermometer outside to check the external temperature. If there’s any area inside your home that records the same temperature outside, you know you have a leak.

Time to seal.

You can get a professional tradie to come and seal your gaps or you can DIY, which will obviously be much cheaper. Just head to your local hardware store and look for the door accessories section. You’ll be toasty warm again in no time!

 

For any other questions, or to chat about the winter season, give us a call today.