Drafty balacony doors in my apartment!?

Question

I moved into a new apartment last November, I found that the balcony doors are very drafty. With the expected heating increase from BGE this year, what can I do to insolate the doors? I rent so I can’t do anything major.

Answer 1

Good morning,

Certainly a valid concern. Have you considered addressing the issue with the landlord? There are various types of weather stripping that can be used; but it's likely you'd have to have permission to attach anything to doors or frames anyway.

Obvious less effective methods can be used as well such as rolled up towels at the floor; Water Heater, foam, pipe insulation tubing; etc.

Steven Wolf

Answer 2

Check the weatherstripping and tell your landlord if it needs to be replaced.

Check the caulking around the door frame and make sure it is still in good condition.

Some thresholds are adjustable. Ask your landlord to check and adjust them if needed.

As far as what you can do, you can hang a heavy drape across the doors to help prevent drafts. You can also get one of those door-stopper things to place across the base of the door. If you can't afford one, fill some old socks with balled up newspaper and place them across the base of the door.

Answer 3

You have a couple different options... I would address it with the landlord first/foremost... You can use weatherstripping to fill in the gaps... You can also get mens tube socks and fill them with rice to put along the bottom of the doors frame to block heat loss... You can also use rolled up towels. You can seal off the doors with plastic film. You can also get some heavy drapery panels and hang over the doors to block the heat loss... Good luck

Answer 4

Depending on the kind of doors you have: The weather strippping is good for regular doors, but harder for sliding glass doors.

For sliders, I used to put those cute rolled draft insulators up against the bottoms of the doors (rolled towels work too). I also invested in some good heavy lined draw drapes.

Answer 5

Go to a hardware store and get something called 'weather stripping'. It is a tiny rubber strip that peels off a paper and you attach it to the seams of the door. It shuts out the excess air that seeps thru the cracks.

Answer 6

flow to a house middle or ironmongery save and purchase the self-adhesive vinyl strips which have a padded cushion on one aspect. You stick those to the jamb door stop basically so that they contact the door at the same time as that is closed. For the floor you could basically purchase one among those bean-bag tube air stops that conceal the hollow between the door and the floor.

Answer 7

Consider insulated curtains ... they help keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They're good even when your windows and doors are well insulated. You can also buy weather-stripping and apply around the doors to help keep the drafts out.

Answer 8

find some foam weatherstripping that is self sticking and put it around the entire door. also use a "draft dodger" at the bottom of the door.

Answer 9

Are they drafty at the bottom? You can buy these things that you lay along the bottom. I don't recall what they are called but they are weighted, round, and fabric covered..