Exterior Door Weatherstripping Question

We have two exterior doors where the weatherstripping is attached to the door frame. It's a tubular shape with a flat flange that fits into a groove in the frame. It appears to be vinyl or a plastic of some sort.

The problem is, we are not getting a tight seal. In fact, at times we can actually see light around the perimeter of the door in some areas.

What would be the best and/or easiest way to correct this problem?

BTW, the house (and doors) are only a little over a year old and show no wear.

TIA

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright
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Reply to
bablu002

Is the lock plate on the frame set out to far so it wont close tight. What is builder warranty. You should have a warranty with the door manufacturer, or get the foam that sticks on , it comes in different sizes and stick it to the door

Reply to
ransley

You probably just need to adjust the strike plate so that it holds the door closed better. That kerfed weatherstripping is the best kind, in my opinion, because it provides a good seal when adjusted correctly, is more forgiving about slight changes in fit, and can be removed and replaced easily.

To adjust the strike plate, there is a tab (usually) on the strike plate that can be bent out to close the door more tightly. You may have to move the strike plate, if needed.

This is an easy fix. And cheap, too.

Reply to
Robert Allison

On Sun 27 Jan 2008 04:56:56a, ransley told us...

Thanks for your reply. The builder's warranty was for one year only, and we are a few months past that. :-( I'll look into the foam stripping.

The builder did come out about six months ago and make adjustments to the lock plate. Problem is, the locks (both door handle lock and deadbolt are optimally alligned with the plates. Moving the plates further makes it very difficult to get the lock to match up with the plates.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

On Sun 27 Jan 2008 10:01:32a, Robert Allison told us...

I think the strike plates have probably been adjusted as much as practical, so that the both the door handle lock and deadbolt line up with the plate properly.

However, I think I will look for a kerfed-in replacement for what is where the core is a larger diameter that what we have presently.

Thanks for your advice!

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

Then the door should close and seal against the weatherstripping. When a technician adjusts the door strike plate, he should adjust both the deadbolt and the latchset. Sometimes, if there is a problem with the deadbolt locking, the technician will repair the problem by aligning the latchset (which is what holds the door in its closed position) with the deadbolt strikeplate. This makes the deadbolt work more easily, but adjusts the door in such a way as to cause misalignment with the weatherstripping. The proper method is to adjust the latch strike plate to work with the WS, then adjust the deadbolt to align with the other.

If the door does not fit against the weatherstripping, the latch strike plate is not aligned properly.

Reply to
Robert Allison

On Sun 27 Jan 2008 12:23:47p, Robert Allison told us...

You are probably right. However, at this point I can't afford to have someone adjust the locks and plates, and it's really beyond my capability.

I'm hoping to find a weatherstripping replacement that will do the job.

Thanks for taking the time to reply withh details.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

If it is wooden, be sure the door is well sealed against moisture on all 6 sides or it will expand, contract, and warp with changes in the weather. The door frame also needs to be well sealed. Once the door and frame are stable, new weatherstripping will stay tight for a long time. Do not install it so tightly that it causes problems with the door closing.

Don Young

Reply to
Don Young

On Sun 27 Jan 2008 07:47:21p, Don Young told us...

The doors are vinyl sheathed steel, so moisture is probably not a factor with them; however, the door frame and casing are wood, which certainly could vary with temperature and humidity.

I probably should have pointed out that I live in the greater Phoenix area where we have extended periods of very high temperatures. Now that it's "winter" here, we're at the other end of the spectrum, with both higher humidity and lower temperatures. This is probably the root of the problem.

We did not notice this problem during our extended hot season.

I think I'm going to have to play with the stripping itself, since there will always be expansion/contraction changes.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

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