Winterizing Storm Doors with Weatherstripping and Exterior Caulk
By Mark J. Donovan
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When winter weather is just around the corner it is wise to spend a little time inspecting and preparing your storm doors for winter.
Maintaining Storm Door Tips First, and most obvious, it is important to swap out the screen insert with the glass insert. With half-height upper glass window type storm doors, frequently you can simply slide the glass from the bottom half of the door to the top half of it. Second, inspect around the periphery of the storm door for air gaps and worn out weatherstripping. If there are air gaps around the frame of the door, in particular where the storm door frame meets the wooden door frame, apply a bead of exterior latex/silicone caulk around the door frame. |
Next, take a look at the weatherstripping. If the weatherstripping is either non-existent, or in disrepair, replace it with new weatherstripping. Weatherstripping is available in roles and comes in an assortment of length, widths, and heights. It also has a sticky adhesive backing. All you need to do to install it, is simply cut it to length, remove the paper off the adhesive backing and apply it to the inside door frame.
| Also examine the door to make sure it closes properly. Sometimes when swapping out the screen insert with the window insert, the storm door closer mechanisms need to be adjusted. By adjusting the closer plates on the storm door, you can increase the tension of the closer so that the door more tightly closes.
With these few simple storm door maintenance tips you can make sure your storm door is air tight for the winter. A properly insulated and sealed storm door can be just as enjoyable during the winter months as it is in the warm weather season. |
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With a properly sealed storm door, the main house door can be left opened so that the winter sunlight can brighten up your home during those short winter days. So get to it and put some effort into maintaining your storm door.
For information on how to install interior door trim, see the “Installing Interior Door Trim” eBook from HomeAdditionPlus.com. The “Installing Interior Door Trim” eBook provides step-by-step instructions on how to install interior door trim. Pictures are included for every key step in the process.
Related Information
Additional Door Resources from Amazon.com
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