How to Weatherize Doors
Knowing how to weatherize a door may seem as if it will take a lot of time and effort. However, as these tips will show, weatherizing doors is easier than you may think.
- Install draft guards. Draft guards, the guards that attach to the bottom of your door, work well for weatherizing doors by preventing heat from escaping under the door. If you don’t want to pay the $10-15 for a guard, a rolled towel is a decent substitute. Don’t use the towel substitute for a door that gets a lot of traffic, though.
- Caulk it. As with windows, weatherizing doors with caulk should only be done around non-moveable parts or places where the door might have a crack.
- Weatherstrip. Weatherstripping can also be effective for weatherizing doors. See below for details on how to weatherize a door with weatherstripping.
Get Free Weatherization Assistance
The New York State Weatherization Assistance Program helps reduce heating and cooling costs for income-eligible homeowners and renters by providing free services that help conserve energy and improve safety and health standards.
Weatherization services include:
- Sealing of cracks and holes to reduce heat loss;
- insulation of attics and walls;
- heating system repairs or replacement;
- providing efficient lighting and refrigeration;
- window and/or outside door repair or replacement;
- minor repairs which are needed to ensure maximum efficiency of the weatherization services performed;
- and mitigation of energy-related health and safety issues.