A Better Weather Seal Please!

I have these door sweeps on my main front and rear doors. They do a good job of filling up the gap at the bottoms of the doors and preventing drafts there.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-SlideOn-Door-Sweep-Stop-UDB77/203231840

Around the tops and sides of the doors, the foam insulation that comes with a sticky backing works ok too. I live in the mountains of northern Georgia. It was in the single digits (F) this morning.

I don't know of anything that works perfectly, but you just gave me an interesting thought. It's OT, but I'll share it anyway.

It just hit me, so it's not a polished idea...

But I'm thinking about a tank of compressed air, kept inside the heated area of the house, (maybe even several tanks in series, inside the walls), and when it gets really cold, crack a valve that would put 1 or 2 PSI positive pressure on the entire house.

This would slowly push a minimal amount of air out, and tight seals wouldn't be so critical.

Hmmm...........

Other than that, good luck if you have wood doors like I do. They swell in summer and shrink in winter.

Positive pressure is a good idea. Most modern residential HVAC systems have a fresh air intake so as long as the furnace blower is running the house should be slightly positive.

You said the idea wasn't polished yet so here is my two cents.

You might want to reconsider the 1 or 2 PSI figure. I don't think many houses would stand up to that kind of pressure. (I live in a 28' X 56' ranch style house. 2 PSI would create about 226,000 lbs. of lift on the ceiling).

We're supposed to get above zero °F by tomorrow afternoon for the first time in a few days.

Now, really.

!2,500 cubic feet of volume to start. Unless your house is perfectly sealed it won't build up any noticeable pressure.

Tanks won't work well unless they're really large. A blower would be better.

You don't want a sealed house, you will be sick all the time.

Take a look at this: Air Leakage Guide - Building Energy Codes

Good idea for surviving a low level CBR attack, but it does need polishing to be helpful for conserving heat.

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Remember PV=nrT?

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The pressurized air at ambient temp when released to ambient pressure will be much colder. Essentially you will, be forcing warm air out faster than it would flow otherwise and replacing it with colder air (that was in the tank, but cooled upon expansion).

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Heating the released air would help, but you are still forcing air that had had energy invested to make it warm, out into the cold night.

I don't think in formulas, but somehow I doubt that a slow trickle of compressed air would be colder than the outside winter air.

I'm not going to attempt it anyway; I just throw another log in the fire, and have a vent that runs to the outside, directly next to the wood stove, for air feed. Also keep a big pan of water on top of the stove, keeping the inside air moister and denser than outside.

It doesn't have to 'be colder than outside winter air' to create more of a problem than the desired benefit might offset. Just the process of pushing out much warmer air inside the house is problematic.

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That said, depending on the pressure at which it is stored, the drop in temperature from ambient can be significant. There are certainly realistic scenarios where the air expanded from storage could easily drop initially below the outside winter air temperatures.

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You've seen or at least heard some of the problems associated with freezing occurring in and around valves, piping and associated plumping over which a pressure reduction occurs, right?

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'...and have a vent that runs to the outside, directly next to the wood stove, for air feed...'

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I know it is nitpicky, but words are important....While your flue can reasonably be described as a vent, the feed air path isn't on such solid ground for qualifying in that capacity as a vent. 'Vent' (when used correctly) almost always describes a pathway for outward escape.

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Your air intake pathway doesn't have to open to your living space to function well. You might also use your pressurized air idea to provide O2 and regulate your fire. In some ways your original bleed-air proposal might have similar effects as if you neglected to provide a specific air feed path for the fire. Without the air feed path, the feed air being drawn in through numerous small leaks in the envelope would create conditions where warmer inside air was being steadily displaced outside.

Yep. The reason I used the term "vent" is because I just used a register vent cover, screwed it into the wall next to the woodstove, and it pulls feed air through a chase, and from the attic. It works well, and prevents cold air from being sucked through all of my windows.

As far as my, (fleeting), positive pressure idea...I'm glad I didn't try to patent it.

This looks like a good one.

http://www.fireplacex.com/images/ContentLinks/Features/PosiPressureInfo.html

Sorry for my sloppy use of words. I don't know the technical terms for most of the stuff I mess with. There's a good chance that I'm using things in a manner that is inconsistent with their labeling.

Fredski- You're right. I wouldn't attempt it if I wasn't heating my house with my labor...and the wood that results from it.

Sure, the linked idea can be workable because it heats the cold air. This could be a viable solution to the problem of the cold air provided from pressurized storage as well.

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I have to say the link is a little suspect though, as it is sales material and it makes a pretty silly claim about warm air 'sealing cracks, leaks and other draft spots'.

I'm not sure if any of it makes any sense unless the heat is free, like mine.

If I was paying for heat, I would invest in much better windows than I now have...which I still want to do at some point.

I think the wind blowing across some houses can give a huge pressure difference from front to back, which would overwhelm your pressure difference.
Our house is in a real wind funnel formed by the adjacent houses.
Its very good for providing a through draft in the garage for seasoning my timber

Del

I know what you mean. When it's cold and windy, it's like I have no windows at all.

not exactly, you're on to the right concept, if you create a positive pressure, yes it would be pushing out.....and taking heated air with it!

Where's the Doorman when you need him...? If you ask me the only thing I've found effective is to replace the door and frame, with a framed door package, and I would go with a steel door......

A good old blanket rolled up and put in front of the door gap was an easy way to stop the cold coming in. No technology needed!

I've used Grainger P/n 2RRP8 Santoprene seal kit with great success on doors with uneven gaps. It creates a convex bulb that conforms to the gap.

Where you live there are hot summers as well as now a cold winter, the leaks you have will allow both cold air in (expensive warm air out!) in winter and hot air in, in summer (expensive cold air out!).

So you need to plan for both eventualities at the same time. New doors and windows may be the only way to go combined with good wall and roof insulation.

I cut my energy costs in half (and not taking into account the differences in energy costs over the last 25 years!!) with such actions.

25 years ago I was paying about DM1800,- per year for gas, (heating and hot water). Today I give out less than €900,- per year for gas and wood pellets. Which is technically also DM1800,- ( 2 : 1 then, forgetting inflation), but gas prices are 6 or 7 times higher over that time, so if I had not insulated, I would be paying more than DM12,600,- which today would be €6,300,-. EACH YEAR AND INCREASING!!

The complete house insulation and new windows and front door cost just over €30,000,- so I have already saved the greater portion of those costs!!! and the comfort is unbelievable summer and winter.

Since then we have never, not even once, switched on the house air conditioning unit!! Again, money saved......

Oil prices per barrel between 1986 and 2008 went from about $20 a barrel to $150, I could not find gas prices sadly, but oil and gas mirror each other mainly, so I am using that figure of a 7:1 change in prices....

The longer you put off proper fix for the whole house, whatever is needed, the more money you are wasting....

Here is a link to a manufacture of seals for fenestration products.

http://www.pemko.com/index.cfm?event=products.productListing&searchName=Search+by+Category&openFilter=loadCategorySearch&ratingIds=&categoryId=895&subcategoryId=&productMaterialId=

As far as the foam seals they can work well if installed properly. Too many times I have seen them installed so they are over compressed. They should be installed with minimum compression. Over compression causes the door to push away in other areas. With no seal measure the space around the door. Note you want to measure at the lock with the door bolt push against he door strike so you get the biggest gap. Foam seal should be no thicker the 10% of the largest gap.

Also you need to look at the door surface it seals against. You say it's an old door probably wood with layers of paint on it. Needs to be smooth. No defects in the surface. Even ripples in the paint can cause air leakage.

You also may want to add a perimeter seal which goes on the door and seals against the door opening.

This discussion has caused me to wonder about the effect of shrinkage & expansion during temperature extremes. Any house is going to be more drafty in cold weather because all components are smaller. But is it a significant factor? Does anyone reading this know off the top of their head?

For a weatherstripping solution, if you didn't need to use the door or window you could get some of that "attractive" white/yellow expanding foam in a spray can...

Too many variables come into play. In my case, it's not just the summer heat, but humidity that causes wood to expand, and it's substantial enough to make doors stick.

For a weatherstripping solution, if you didn't need to use the door or window you could get some of that "attractive" white/yellow expanding foam in a spray can...

If he didn't need the doors or windows, he could just replace them with walls.

I love it (that "attractive" white/yellow expanding foam in a spray can)!! I've used it in other places and it helps keep mice out too!

It might also help to prevent the need to deal with those pesky door to door sales people....

Oh, I just realized it would also be great in sealing up that source of hot air. But I don't know if it is poisonous or not.....does it say anything about oral use?

These guys are expensive, and the best I have found: www.zerointernational.com