How to Fix Drafty Storm Double Door?


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Old 01-07-09, 07:09 AM
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How to Fix Drafty Storm Double Door?

Hello all - I have noticed a fair amount of cold air coming through our front storm doors. Upon further inspection, it is clear that the top part of the normal operating door (right) is not sealing tightly against the gasket where it meets the normally fixed door. I can push it forward to seal it with some force, but it of course returns to the normal, unsealed position. In speaking with someone at Home Depot, they asked if I had adjustable hinges (I do not know if I do or not), and indicated that I could correct the problem by adjusting them accordingly. Can anyone provide additional guidance? Thanks!

Here are some pics that illustrate it:

Both Doors:


Gap Where They Meet:


Door Frame Where They Meet:


Operating Door Hinge (Top):
 
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Old 01-07-09, 03:58 PM
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You probably need to get an adjustable strike plate, if you don't already have one. An adjustable strike plate is made of two pieces which slide past each other to make the latch tighter (which will help your door close tighter). If you remove your strike plate and it is one piece, then it is not adjustable.

You can order adjustable strike plates from anyplace that sells doors. Therma-tru makes the ones that I have used most recently.
 
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Old 01-08-09, 07:08 AM
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Thanks for the reply XSleeper. Makes sense.

Along those same lines, is there a way to "tighten" the non-operating door when it is closed? You can see the top securing mechanism in the 3rd photo (there is also an identical one at the bottom of the door). There is a little play in it as well.
 
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Old 01-08-09, 08:11 AM
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Looks like there are no brass plates where the locking bolt goes into the frame? I know some makers quit including them with the install hardware, and some installers didn't want to go to the trouble of installing them anyway. They sometimes drilled the holes oversized to make sure they didn't have problems locking them. Problem is over time the wood gets compressed and worn and the door can move around in the hole. I'll bet the hole in the sil is prob quite a bit bigger than needed as well.

Depending on how much slop there is, sometimes you can put a nylon bushing or plug in and redrill the hole. Sorry I can't tell you a source, I found mine in one of my junk drawers when I fixed a neighbors.
 
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Old 01-08-09, 03:37 PM
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Yeah, that's about it. Since your original hardware is missing, you might have to make something work... like mount a flat piece of brass up there with a couple screws and then drill a new hole up though it, so that the passive door will latch tighter and stay there. But don't make it too tight, or it will just make the operating door harder to latch.

I'm guessing that you can't do much for the (passive door) hole on the threshold.
 
 

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