outside door gaskets are ticking me off!

[par0thead151]

the front door to my home has always had a leak, i can fele cold air drafting in from there whenever i stand by the door.
i have those rubber gaskets that are angled and there are 3 strips secured to the bottom of the door. however they get torn off fairly easily so either my door is off center(unlikley as it closes into the frame just fine) or the seals are cheap junk.

what other seals are out there that would be better to seal out the cold?
i live in wisconsin so it gets quite cold up here.
thanks

 

[pyper]

The "trick" is to have the gasket just exactly the right size to fill the gap. If it's a bit bigger (too thick), it will get torn up quickly.

There are all different sorts of gaskets for doors, so try to find one that will be an exact fit, or else one that you can trim. Our old kitchen door was nifty -- it had a pin on the frame side that pushed the gasket down when the door closed.

 

[Dune]

If it is real leaky, considering where you live, a new fiberglass pre-hung door would be a great investment. It took me a while, but I have replaced all the exterior doors in my house. One new, one bought used, two free.

 

[par0thead151]

If it is real leaky, considering where you live, a new fiberglass pre-hung door would be a great investment. It took me a while, but I have replaced all the exterior doors in my house. One new, one bought used, two free.

my home is the yuppie type all wood, nice neighborhood, etc.
the door is solid wood, and has a very nice storm door as well.
i may have exadurated the drafting, but it is noticable and bothers me.
i am looking to replace the gasket at best, as i heat 90% with wood, so replacing the door would not make fiscal sense. my wood is free, less time and chainsaw sharpening.

 

[Cutter]

You might think about a surface mounted sweep bar that fastens to the bottom face of the door. They come with either fiber, felt or rubber inserts. Seasonal changes do not effect them the way the ones on the bottom do. Plus they are quite easy to install.

 

[Dune]

If it is real leaky, considering where you live, a new fiberglass pre-hung door would be a great investment. It took me a while, but I have replaced all the exterior doors in my house. One new, one bought used, two free.

my home is the yuppie type all wood, nice neighborhood, etc.
the door is solid wood, and has a very nice storm door as well.
i may have exadurated the drafting, but it is noticable and bothers me.
i am looking to replace the gasket at best, as i heat 90% with wood, so replacing the door would not make fiscal sense. my wood is free, less time and chainsaw sharpening.

I live in yuppieville too, Cape Cod. Modern fiberglass doors are identical to wood, right down to the grain, except they don't expand and contract with the seasons like wood does and they provide much better insulation than wood. I heat only with wood, also free, but I don't like waisting it either.

 

[mayhem]

I have a similar problem with my main entryway. Its a doubel door, so the opening is 6' wide and sealing the main door has always been a problem. On cold nights (single digits F) I get frost forming on the inside of the door, extending up about 6-10 inches, depending on how cold it is. I've replaced the sweeper seal on the bottom of the door 3 times, the sweepers always tear apart within 2 years, added some padding to the vertical seal on the second door where the first closes against it and about a hundred other things. I have never elimiated the drafts or the frost with any of these solutions.

My final solution is on coldnights I take a throw pillow and shove it up agaisnt the base of the door and hold it there with one of my heavy workboots. Works better than the door gaskets.

Someday I'll replace it, ideally with a nice, wide single door and a pair of sidelights with a storm/screen outer door that will fit into the opening. Unfortunately what i want seems to run about $1500-2000 so its not going to happen any time soon.

 

[billb3]

My fiberglass door has warped in at the top just like the previous wooden one did.

 

[Dune]

My fiberglass door has warped in at the top just like the previous wooden one did.

Thanks for the info. That is the first negative thing I have heard about them. Guess I'll stop dreaming about fiberglass and stick with my steel doors.