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Part of owning a commercial property is sealing and protecting your door from the dreaded under-door draft. Drafty rooms will not only increase your heating bills but will also cause your tenants to be uncomfortable.
Before the cooler months arrive, you should check your doors for cracks or leaks and take the proper steps to stop any under-door drafts in your building.
The first step to solving any draft-related problem is to find the root of it. You need to determine which doors, interior, and exterior, may be creating a draft so you can ultimately decide how to fix it.
Start by inspecting the seals around each door for cracks or leaks. The seal will lose flexibility with age and shrink, causing it to become brittle and ineffective. Once you’ve determined which areas are not properly sealed, you can decide how to remedy the problem.
Stopping an under-door draft will keep out cold air and help keep the room at a comfortable temperature. These simple fixes will leave the doors operational while keeping heated air in.
A gap as small as an ⅛-inch around a door can allow as much air to pass through as a small window opened halfway. If a draft is moving through your building, you should consider applying weatherstrips around the perimeter of your door.
Consider the location of the door as you’re choosing the type of weatherstripping. It should be able to withstand friction, temperature changes, and wear and tear associated with each specific door.
Weatherstripping is available in several options to fit your door:
Tape weatherstrips are less expensive and easier to apply. But they are often inefficient at blocking air and are affected by the elements. Metal weatherstripping, like v-strips, is more durable and can be more esthetically pleasing than tape. You can use more than one type of weatherstripping to fully seal your door or to fit irregular spaces.
Depending on the overall condition of your door, you may need to replace it rather than weatherizing it. However, adding temporary caulk to your door cracks can block cold, drafty air from coming in. Caulking can be applied where the door frame meets the building on the outside.
Because it is temporary, caulk can be removed when necessary or easily replaced as it wears down. It can be purchased at a local hardware store and comes in a roll or tube, like regular caulk. A high-grade silicone caulking will produce the best results.
Sometimes the easiest solution is to place a physical barrier across the bottom of the door, like a draft stopper or snake. A door snake is a long, fabric tube filled with sand. It is placed at the foot of the door to keep cool air out in the winter.
Door snakes are a simple and affordable way to prevent cold air from entering a room. If you’re crafty, they can easily be made at home with strips of fabric and uncooked rice.
Place a draft stopper at any door you suspect is letting in a cold draft. You'll notice immediate results, depending on the size of the room it is protecting. Draft stoppers can also help keep the hot air out during the summer months and continue to keep your energy costs down.
Aging doors can result in major heat loss inside your building. Replacing seals or installing weatherstripping can slow it down, but ultimately, replacing the door will be the most efficient solution.
Older doors are not equipped with the latest technology to prevent a draft. Therefore, updating your commercial doors will result in more savings on utility bills and happier tenants.
You have a lot of options when it comes to stopping the under-door draft in your building. The CDF Distributors weatherstripping and door kit contains all of the pieces you need to protect your building. We can have it shipped out in 3 to 5 business days, so contact us today to learn more about our weatherstripping kit!
November 23, 2021
Wayne Foreman
