Door sealing for insulation?

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agroot
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Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:04 pm

Door sealing for insulation?

Post by agroot » Wed Nov 06, 2019 8:06 pm

I put a meter on my balcony door in apartment and found it's about 5C lower than the rest and its humidity level is around 20 while the rest is 40! Is this normal or should I call someone or fix the door myself? Some rubber parts have been softened and I can feel a bit of cold air / breeze at some of edges, even after I added additional rubber tapes around the door myself (bought at Clas Ohlson, quite expensive but seems useless...). But overall the door itself - especially the metal part on the ground - is very cold, unlike the double layered windows / frames.

What do people do with that? Cover the entire door with some fabric...? Insulation blind? External insulation cover on the outside?



Door sealing for insulation?

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riku2
Posts: 1045
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:13 pm

Re: Door sealing for insulation?

Post by riku2 » Thu Nov 07, 2019 4:01 am

The apartment shouldn't be airtight, otherwise smells and mold will build up so it might be good that some air comes in. Sometimes old flats are renovated and air vents added in balcony doors and window frames explicitly to let air in. Unlike in places like the USA and UK the flats and houses are otherwise quite airtight and some kind of ventilation gap is needed. In England the curtains move when it's windy outside so there is not any need for additional ventilation.
In a block of flats you want to avoid air sucked in through the front door from the stairwell, since smells can then be sucked in from other apartments. It's better to have outside air coming in instead via your balcony.

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network_engineer
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Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2003 10:21 am

Re: Door sealing for insulation?

Post by network_engineer » Thu Nov 07, 2019 1:52 pm

If it is an apartment, you can have the isännöitsijä, the guys who manage the property take a look at it. If you are only renting the place, do check with the landlord first, they might need to have the information beforehand.

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agroot
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Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:04 pm

Re: Door sealing for insulation?

Post by agroot » Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:32 pm

Thanks!

I found more things:

1. Applying more rubber to seal obvious gaps and reducing breeze (I can feel that with my fingers) doesn't seem to change the temperature near door at all. There must be other gaps, maybe the edge between wooden floor and wall that feels cold?

2. The indoor temperature stayed the same even though outdoor temperature since last week changed drastically. And temperature near the door remains the same too. I guess the heater is simply able to heat up whatever cold air comes in through the gaps.

3. The rubber is tight when it's hot now, but not when it's cold. If I add too much at any side I cannot close the door... :(


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