Getting Leaky Doors Ready for Winter

One of the best ways to keep your home warm and comfortable during the winter months is to find a way to get your leaky doors ready for winter. Leaky doors are very common especially in older homes. You would be surprised to find how much heat you are actually losing from leaky doors inside your home. There are ways to go about fixing them at least for the winter without spending a lot of money to do so. With the prices of energy rising, we want to make sure that these methods are available to you.

Rather than spending hundreds of dollars to replaces your door, it would save you money on the repair as well as on your energy bills. There are a few great ways to help provide lower electric bills. You can try any one of these methods, you can utilize homemade weather stripping, you can use store bought weather stripping, you can use door jam weather stripping and you can make the most of storm doors. Each method has its own methods but each one can be a valuable asset to your home. Let’s take a look and see which method will be the best for your home.

How to Use Homemade Weather Stripping

If you one of the thousands of people who are trying to stay on a strict budget and do not have anything extra for home improvements right now, don’t worry. If you have a leaky door, one way to help provide a weather seal without spending any money is to make a homemade weather stripping. This can be done by simply using an old bath towel. Measure the door from top to bottom, make sure that your measurements are as close as they can be. Then using a towel, perhaps one that is a bit thicker than a normal dishtowel.

Cut the towel into strips, by length. This will give you long strips, if you don’t have a bath towel big enough then you can use two or more pieces. Now you can take some nails and tack these towel strips to the door. Make sure that you get them flush against the wall and the door so the door and the jam will fit nicely together. This is a great fix for when you are in need of some warmth and when you just don’t have the extra money to spend.

How to Apply Weather Stripping

If you have gone out and purchased a roll of weather stripping from your local home improvement store, you will want to install it before the cold weather hits. The idea of these products is simple, unravel the strip and adhere to the door. But there is a bit more to it than that. You want to first make sure that you wipe any dirt and debris from the door area. Now measure all sides of the door using a ruler. Then measure out the same size weather strips from the roll.

Using one strip at a time, you want to line up where you are going to be placing the weather strip. If you don’t have the arm span to do this then ask a friend for some help. Two people can get the job done more accurately in homes with larger doors. Now slowly peel off the backing on the weather strip and adhere to the designated area of the door. Make sure that you press down firmly when applying these strips. Repeat the process all around the door and when you are done you have protection from the cold air and the wind in the winter months.

Applying Weather Stripping for a Leaky Door Jam

There are two ways you can go about weather stripping your door jams. One way is to use the weather stripping method we profiled. The second way is to protect underneath your door. This is one of the most common places where homes tend to lose heat. No one really pays that much attention to underneath their door areas. In fact when weather stripping your leaky door you should provide protection for the entire door area.

One way to protect underneath your door from the loss of heat is by using a weather strip designed for underneath the door use. There are many different names for the parts. You can find them where you find standard weather stripping. These items are installed by nailing them outside the door frame. Once this product is applied it will automatically start top create it sown seal to match under your door. You will start to notice the cold air being kept out and the heat being kept in. This is an affordable way to keep your heating costs low.

How to Use Storm Doors for Leaky Doors

One of the best forms of protection from the cold winter air is to have a storm door. These storm doors are usually found on front doors and back doors. If your home does not come with these doors, it would be a great investment to have one installed. The homes that have screen doors usually have storms already installed or storm panes that you can install for the winter months. These doors are affordably priced around $ 200 or so. They really would save you a lot of money especially if you live in a cold winter area like Minnesota or Upstate New York.

Most storm doors are available to fit any size door that you may already have. You can measure your door area and see which type of door would work best in your home. These storm doors are available at your local home improvement locations. These doors already come with weather stripping for extra protection. If you don’t already have a storm door, consider getting one and watch how much money you will save on your home heating costs. Whether or not you choose one method to save money or a combination of all of them, the idea is to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. Any one of these methods will work just fine. Do some research and gather some pricing options and see which money saving method you choose to help insulate your home. It is best to start looking before the weather gets cold and the pierces start to go up. Get started today and find the best way to start saving money. If you have air conditioning these solutions will work at keeping the air in and you can save money by not keeping your cooling system at a high temperature.