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A blast of frigid winter air hits your face—the sting of sub-zero frost sets in on your extremities. You begin to shiver. Worst of all, you’re in your office. Keeping winter outside where it belongs isn’t just a matter of cranking up your heat, though. If cold air is getting inside your house, you have to stop those air leaks before your furnace can do its job.
Your exterior doors are one of the most common areas of your house for air leaks. Over time, rubber and foam weatherstripping can harden and crack. Wooden doors expand and contract through the years, leading them to be ill-fitting with their frames. General wear and tear (or poor construction) will eventually fail to keep outside… outside. Combined with proper insulation, weatherizing your entry and exit doors can maintain a proper temperature in your home.
What tangible benefits can you expect when you weatherize your doors?
If the outside air is constantly making its way into your home or office, your AC unit will work overtime trying to compensate for the temperature fluctuations. Not only will this cause premature wear on your climate system, but you can expect your energy bills to rise as a result. Preventing cold air from entering your house in the first place reduces the stress on your AC/Heater.
The US Department of Energy estimates that weatherized homes can expect average annual energy cost savings of $283. They have even enacted a Weatherization Assistance Program to assist low-income households.
Uncomfortably cold ambient air is irritating. Combined with occasional drafts is distracting at best and dangerous at worst. For elderly or infirmed homeowners, the inability to control temperature can aggravate health problems. The same is true for pets, as well. Your dog or cat might not like the cold any more than you do!
Also, think about anything in your house that needs to be stored at a stable temperature. Certain electronics can be damaged when the weather is too cold. Cleaners and detergents may contain polymers that can separate and make the product less effective.
Freezing air isn’t the only thing that can be an unwelcome guest. If air can get in, bugs probably can, too! Cockroaches can squeeze into cracks that are only 1/16 of an inch, and doors are one of the primary ways they get into homes. Weatherstripping around doors can keep them out. Door frames can age and rot, as well, leaving doors that might otherwise keep the elements outside less effective at doing so. A solid metal door frame like the kind CDF Distributors specializes in will reduce air gaps and will last far longer than a wooden frame.
Air temperature isn’t your only concern when controlling your indoor climate. You also need to watch for humidity and moisture. Your HVAC unit might not be able to get rid of humid air as fast as you might think, especially if it’s too large for the house. That might not sound like a problem in winter, but snow can melt and leak in underneath doors! The bigger issue then is what that moisture can lead to…
Mold. Mold thrives in wet climates. Spores that might get trapped by your AC’s filter can instead sneak under doors and start to spread. If the indoor humidity isn’t getting reduced by a dehumidifier or your climate control system, then your house or office may become a breeding ground for mold. And it’s not just around the base and sides of the door that you need to worry about. Old handles and deadbolts can be just as leaky! Upgrading to new knobs with proper pressure ratings can make these leaks disappear.
There’s an adage that when you clean up, you tend to find things that went missing. The same is true as you begin to weatherize your home. You may find stripped screw holes behind your door hinges, air gaps between panels, deteriorating weather stripping, and rotten wood. Chances are, if your doors used to be good at blocking outside air but leak like sieves these days, you might have more issues lurking beneath the surface.
Taking care of your home or business’s weatherization and fixing problems as you find them is the sign of a responsible owner! If and when you decide to sell, you’re protecting the house or office building’s value. Buyers are always looking to see that property was well maintained. If they walk in and it’s the same temperature outside as inside on a cold winter day, they may think twice about making an offer.
When it’s time to keep winter outside where it belongs, contact CDF Distributors! We’re the key to your new doors.
