Residential > Building Technology > How to Determine Whether Your Door or Window Needs Weather Stripping and Types of Weather Stripping
How to Determine Whether Your Door or Window Needs Weather Stripping and Types of Weather Stripping
Purpose:
Weather stripping doors and windows helps prevent unwanted air from leaving or entering a house. This reduces the amount of energy consumed in trying to maintain comfortable temperature levels within a house. Weather stripping is an easy to install energy saver, which provides savings.
Things to consider:
An easy way to determine whether a window needs to have weather stripping is to have a friend shine a flashlight from the outside at the rim of the window. If you can see light coming through the perimeter of the window then the window needs to have additional weather stripping. This test should be ideally done in dark conditions or at night.
Another option is try to slip a dollar bill through the gap between window and its jamb. If a note can easily slide through the gap, then it is essential that additional weather stripping be applied.
Wetting your hand and running it around the perimeter of the window is another way to determine the need for weather stripping. The wet hand will enable you to easily feel if there are drafts of air entering through the window.
How weather stripping works:
Weather stripping works on the principle of reducing the gap between the door or window and its frame. This helps to prevent airflow through any unnecessary gaps. An easy weather stripping solution is the door sweep. A door sweep can be made of pliable or rigid vinyl. These small strips are attached at the bottom of the door and with the help of a wedge threshold, effectively seal the gap between the door and the floor when the door is closed. Weather stripping also helps in preventing external elements such as rainwater and dust from entering the house. Weather stripping comes in a number of varieties yet the principle of sealing unwanted gaps remains the same.
Energy saving facts:
Weather stripping helps in reducing loss of air from a house. The gap between an average door and its frame is equivalent to having a 2 square inch hole bored through your wall. Closing up this gap by using weather stripping helps in reducing heating and cooling costs by up to 15 percent.
Types of weather stripping and their installation:
There are several types of weather stripping that will allow you to get the job done. The most basic type is adhesive backed foam. This is very easy to install. Once cut to size it can easily be stuck around the jamb of the door. A variation of this is a felt strip that needs to be nailed on. This is more difficult to install and not as durable. When choosing a felt stripping opt for an all wool variety as it is more durable.
Weather stripping may also be in the form of a rubber gasket. This gasket is compressed by the window to seal any cracks and openings. These gaskets come in self-adhesive varieties and those that can be attached using nails or staples.
Vinyl weather stripping is considered to be more expensive than foam or felt solutions but is more durable, provides an excellent seal, and eventually lasts longer due to its excellent moisture resistance.
Steel doors can use magnetic weather stripping effectively. Magnetic strips tightly close the gap between the window or the door and its frame creating a near perfect seal.
Door sweeps can be used for the bottom of the door. They can either be screwed on or will be fixed with an adhesive. In order to be effective, the door sweep will need to have a rubber gasket on the threshold.
Windows that will not be opened during the winter season can be effectively sealed using shrink film. The plastic film should be applied covering the window and the frame. Using a hair dryer will ensure that the plastic shrinks to cover the surface tightly.
