What did I do wrong?


  #1  
Old 12-05-04, 01:35 PM
J
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Cool What did I do wrong?

I'm incredibly disappointed. I replaced my magnetic weatherstripping on my two exterior metal doors with the "M-D" brand of weatherstripping I picked up at Lowe's (it "fits most" doors according to the label). My old weatherstrip was getting old and crusty, and there were some drafts and visible gaps that I wanted to fix.

I installed the new strip, and it went on very easily, but the stuff doesn't fit. It doesn't fit by a mile. Now I have huge gaps that I can see right through. Even on the compression (non-magnetic) side, there's a huge gap. What gives? The magnetic strip appears to be long enough to reach the door when fully extended. Even if I pull the door hard and smash it into the stripping the magnet barely holds.

Is there anything I can do to salvage this or do I have to trash it and swallow the $40? Should I just get a super-thick foam insulation instead?

Thanks if anyone has any ideas...
John
 
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Old 12-05-04, 03:31 PM
R
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I would look at the door itself to determine the appropriate course of action. Stand away from the door and look at the gap between the door and the frame. It should be uniform, but in your case I am almost certain that you will notice the gap between the hinged side of the doors will be larger at the top and narrower at the bottom. On the knob side of the door, you will notice that the gap is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom.

This is a very common problem with doors. Weather-stripping will not function properly on a door that is not plumb. The way to plumb a door is fairly simple. Open the door and put a wedge under the knob side of the door. Lift up on the knob and at the same time look at the hinge. If the hinge moves then the screws are loose. If so, then take a level and plumb the door by moving the wedge under the door. Once the door is plumb, take two tooth picks and dip them in wood carpenters glue. Remove a screw at a time from the and insert the tooth picks. Cut off the pieces that protrude and re-insert the screw. You do not have to wait for the glue to set up but you should check plumb after each screw is done.

If the screws are not loose, then your frame is out of square. The way that you determine it is by measuring 3 inches from the side jamb along the top jamb and marking it. Then measure 4 inches down from the top jamb on the side jamb and marking it. The distance diagonally from the two marks should be 5 inches. If not, then the frame is not square and the doors cannot be plumb in an opening that is not.

First determine if the top and side jambs are level and plumb with a level. Also look for gaps between the level and the jambs, when the level is flush up against the jamb. If there are gaps between the level and the jamb, then the jamb is bowed. Take a 2x4 and put is agaist the jamb and hammer lightly on the high spots until the level is flush agaist the jamb with no gaps. A low spot is where there are gaps and a high spot is where there is no gaps. Do a little at a time and check frequently to see if you removed the gaps. Then check for square by using the 3,4 and 5 measurement. This takes some practice but fairly easy to learn.
 
  #3  
Old 12-05-04, 06:07 PM
J
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Arrow

You're right that the door's not plumb, but the stripping was way off pretty much an equal distance all the way around (including the top). I figured out what to do (fortunately 'cause it's freezing out there!!! ). This particular brand of weatherstripping has three "teeth" on the slot that goes into the kerf. I was slipping all the teeth into the kerf for a nice snug fit. I guess it's just too short, so I took all the strips out and put them back in, slipping only one of the teeth into the kerf. It's a little cheezy but it makes the stripping long enough to reach the door, and I think it'll withstand a couple of accidental door slams.

So the good news is, I've resolved the huge gapping. Bad news is, I'm right back where I started with some minor gaps and drafts (in the same places). On your tip I did notice however that the upper door hinge, on the frame, was slightly wacked out of position (but screwed in tight). So I'm hoping that if I can re-position that properly it will help to seal the gap in the lower part of the knob-side. Of course looking at the door, it might be just warped or dented-in in that particular area. I'll take a better look when the sun comes up again.

Thanks again,
John
 
 

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