Weatherproofing Doors: An Open and Shut Case

If your door rattles in its frame or you can see daylight around the edges, your energy dollars are slipping out every time you close it. Properly sealed doors make a big difference in comfort and cost, especially during California’s hot summers and cool evenings.

Door Weatherproofing Tips

Doors can be significant energy wasters. If an exterior door isn’t mounted properly, rattles when closed, or has visible gaps in its surround, you’re letting conditioned air and dollars fly out, even when it’s shut. Check out a couple of door weatherproofing videos on YouTube to see the simple combinations of products and tools to confidently weatherproof a door yourself.

How to Check for Door Leaks

Most of the time, it’s as easy as looking for daylight around the door’s perimeter. Where there’s light, you have air leaks to fill. For less obvious door gaps, wet your hands to feel around the closed door’s full perimeter; if you feel air movement, you need to seal that area, eliminate all the gaps by lining up everything to fit together snugly.

Easy Fixes for Leaky Doors

• Replace a damaged or worn threshold to eliminate gaps between the door and the floor for an even seal
• Replace worn, damaged, or missing weatherstripping. (Note: not all weatherstripping products will be suitable for myriad door and door frames in California homes.) Common options include:
  • Slide-on, molded under door seals to fill the gap between the bottom of the door and the threshold
  • Screw-mounted door brush seals or door sweeps
  • Self-adhesive insulating foam tape to fill door jamb gaps. Available in varying widths, lengths and compression strengths
  • V-type weatherstripping, usually screw-on vinyl or bronze
  • Vinyl-covered foam compression weatherstripping for kerf channels
  • Self-adhesive vinyl-covered foam door corner seals to fill jamb gaps
• Remove all old caulk between the outer perimeter of the exterior door trim and the wall and recaulk
• Adjust the doorknob and/or deadbolt strike plates as necessary so the door closes more tightly, compressing the weatherstripping without damaging it

Long-Term Solution: Energy-Efficient Exterior Doors

• Replace damaged or energy-inefficient exterior doors with ENERGY STAR®-certified doors*.

A few affordable fixes today can prevent years of energy waste. When it’s time for a long-term upgrade, GoGreen Financing can help you replace old, inefficient doors with ENERGY STAR®-certified ones that seal in comfort and savings.

(*qualifies for GoGreen Financing)

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Choose a GoGreen Home lender to finance new exterior doors.