How can I stop the draught that blows through my front door keyhole ?

Question

Hi we live in a terraced house and so the front door leads straight into the lounge. We have a traditional brass door handle with the keyhole in the same plate. At the moment there is a force 10 gale blowing through and I am trying to think of a way to stop this. I could fit a separate door handle and escutcheon (keyhole cover) but I have not been able to find a door handle plate that is small enough to fit without having to drill more holes in the door to fit it. My other idea is to try and fit an escutcheon to the current plate by drilling through the brass plate and then screwing the escutcheon through the handle plate and into the wooden door underneath. How would I do this and does anyone have any better ideas?

Answer 1

diy shops sell little rubber slips that fit in your keyhole and stop the draught.

Answer 2

A quick and unglamorous way would be to cut a bit of foam (like a camping mat) to squeeze sideways into the keyhole, and tying a bit of string from this to the door handle (so it won't get lost when you take it out to put the key in). The foam should be cut loosely enough to be easily pushed out of the way by inserting the key from outside; if it's too tight, little pieces may be broken off inside the keyhole and clog the mechanism.

Something more elegant would be to cut a disc out of shiny brass-effect plastic (or a thin sheet of brass, if you have the supply & tools - a modelmaking shop might do) and cut two holes in it. One hole is in the centre, for the bar that the handle fits onto. The disc covers the keyhole, and turns around the centre of the handle. The second hole would allow you to put the key through the disc into the keyhole, but could be rotated away from the keyhole to block the breeze.

If the disc would not fit flat enough against the door plate, you could pad it out with some foam, cloth or draught excluder.

If the plate is long and thin, then the 'disc' could be cut down to a teardrop or etc. shape, like a large escutcheon that pivots at the same point as the handle does.

It would be a good idea to try a few shapes in card or paper, to get the right shape, holes, and etc before you cut your plastic or brass version.

Depending on the shape of the plate, you might be able to cut two small pieces of 'brush'-type draughtproofing product (normally for the bottom edge of a door), and attach these brush-to-brush on either side of the keyhole, like curtains.

Answer 3

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RE:
How can I stop the draught that blows through my front door keyhole ?
Hi we live in a terraced house and so the front door leads straight into the lounge. We have a traditional brass door handle with the keyhole in the same plate. At the moment there is a force 10 gale blowing through and I am trying to think of a way to stop this. I could fit a separate door handle...

Answer 4

Keyhole Draught Excluder

Answer 5

The first thing to do is to validate that is where the draft is at - cause sometimes nearby windows will create a draft and it'll only feel like its coming from the door. The cheapest way to do this is to take a lighted candle around the door and see if the flame deflects - this indicates air movement. The better way is to get an infrared thermometer and scan the door. Black and Decker makes the TLD100 for just that purpose - it retails for around $50. Once you found where the leak is, you'll need to evaluate your options and how much you want to pay to resolve it. The most expensive, but surest fix option is to get a new energy efficient door. That can cost hundreds of dollars though. If the leak is on one of the edges of the door, there is thin weatherstripping designed for doors that can be used. They can be frustrating to install but they are cheap and typically work well. If the draft is at the bottom of the door, there are things called "draft-dodgers" that can be made or bought which block air flow. They are typically fabric "socks" with some sort of filler material - foam, cotton, pinto beans, etc. This work well and are cheap but they can be frustrating if the door is frequently used. I wish you the best of luck in hunting that leak!

Answer 6

Keyhole Covers

Answer 7

Most DIY stores sell keyhole draught excluders, you simply nail it or glue it over the keyhole on the outside and the little top flap swivels so the you can put your key in the lock. Once you remove the key, it swings back down limiting any draught. I have a brass one fitted to one of my doors and they work beautifully.

Answer 8

I have the same problem and use a short length of masking tape with one end turned back to act as a tab on the inside.This also keeps the wasps out in Summer and its easy to unstick if you want to lock the door from the inside.
Only problem is that the adhesive marks the brass a bit. WD 40 shifts adhesive residue effectively.
This is the easiest and cheapest solution for me.

Answer 9

and you're worried about a draught through the keyhole? where do you live? North Pole? why not try blu-tack easy to put on and to take off

Answer 10

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You can move the striker plate back further. This will help the door close tighter and get a better seal. Just an FYI the striker plate is the metal plate on the door jam that the lock catches on (metal piece across from the knob on the frame itself). Cheapest and easiest way to fix.