Door insulation

[kathy5]

Hi, last week I noticed that my master bedroom is a bit colder than the other rooms and tried insulating the windows with window wrap. All my efforts spending the whole day with the plastic wrap was in vain. My husband’s friend who is a builder suggested insulating the balcony door frames with spray foam insulation, as there was a gap in between the frames. Is this what we call weather stripping? What are the ways by which we can detect any air leaks in our door? We were quite new to the idea of foam insulation and I just googled it. I found some disadvantages of the foam insulation like the high price, low thickness and moisture damage as mentioned [ http://canglow.ca/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-spray-foam-insulation/ ] in this article. Is there any alternative for spray foam insulation? It would be of great help if you give your valuable suggestions.

 

[JBI]

The gap between the door frame and the rough opening in the wall framing needs to be 'air sealed'. Historically contractors would fill the gap with scraps of fiberglass insulation, but that does not air seal the gap. There are a variety of foam products that can provide an air seal, but not all will. There are canned foams that are readily available at lumber, hardware and home improvement stores. Most retail outlets have employees who can direct you to the right product for your needs.
Basically you'd remove the trim on the interior around the door and spray the foam in to the gap. Then replace the trim and you should see a significant reduction in the draft coming in around the door. Depending on budget, you might consider an energy audit for the home that would include a blower door test. That would find all the leaks in the exterior and help you decide where best to spend your money.

 

[ICE]

This is spam. The window and door company has spammed the forum in a few places.

 

[Paul Sweet]

You have to be careful with canned foam. Some expand greatly and will push in the jambs to a point where the window won't operate (don't ask me how I discovered this!)

 

[SCBO1]

Wonder how Paul discovered that?

I'm not asking him!

 

[tmurray]

Hi Kathy,

As JBi said, you probably want someone to perform a blower door test on your house. You can find some companies to do that in Montreal here: http://www.efficaciteenergetique.go...t-of-renoclimat-energy-advisors/#.WLBiPu1tmCo . They will also help you pick a proper path to fixing any air leaks as well.