Front door leaking - how to fix this?

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lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#171694 28-Apr-2015 09:39

We have a front door that is leaking when the wind blows and rains - it happens a bit in Wgtn - particularly as we are in an extremely high wind zone and the door faces NW with no porch.

The water comes in under neath - we tried addding a new external storm flap - but if anything that's made it worse.

We've been quoted about $2.5k for a new Al-framed door - which would obviously solve the problem - but I'm wondering if there is a cheaper solution.

I'm thinking maybe some sort of porch structure which would stop the drops from the deck above and a wall in front of the door to break some of the wind - does that make sense?

Also we are short on time at the moment - I'd love to get a professional to do it - but how do you find someone for such a small job? Hire a Hubby?

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1692 posts

Uber Geek

#1292753 28-Apr-2015 09:45

I'd think a small beading along the threshold just in front of the door would do the trick. Get a strip of outdoor treated timber about 5x10mm and glue and tack it down so it covers the gap under the door when its closed. That, combined with the wee flappy thing should stop the infiltration.

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lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1292757 28-Apr-2015 09:49

Wow - thank you - that's certainly worth a try! I'm glad I asked the question

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DarthKermit

5346 posts

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#1292759 28-Apr-2015 09:56

Are you sure the door flappy thing is positioned correctly? A few mm out is all it takes to allow water to get in.

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lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1292766 28-Apr-2015 10:01

DarthKermit: Are you sure the door flappy thing is positioned correctly? A few mm out is all it takes to allow water to get in.

Yeah - no real idea to be honest- you sort of have to attach it and hope don't you? If anything it's too tight - its scraped the primer off the step after a few days.

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Hammerer

2476 posts

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#1292770 28-Apr-2015 10:12

I can't tell from the photos whether the stoppers are installed on the jambs (on either side of the door) to force the weatherseal flap down onto the sill/doorstep. If they are not then that would explain why the flap doesn't seal well enough to keep the water out.

But even if the flap is sealing properly then there is often a small gap at either end of the flap if it has not been cut to the correct length. That can allow water to get behind the flat if a) water is pooling on the sill and b) wind pressure is high enough.

When you install the beading then you may have to raise the weather seal flap to clear it.

Hammerer

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#1292772 28-Apr-2015 10:15

lissie:
DarthKermit: Are you sure the door flappy thing is positioned correctly? A few mm out is all it takes to allow water to get in.

Yeah - no real idea to be honest- you sort of have to attach it and hope don't you? If anything it's too tight - its scraped the primer off the step after a few days.

If the flap is scrapping the paint off the sill then that suggests that it is dragging over the sill when the door is closing. It should be clearing the sill first until it is pushed down into place by meeting the stoppers.

[Edited to correct spelling]

timmmay

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#1292773 28-Apr-2015 10:15

You can get rubber draft stopper. Maybe a thin piece of that along the bottom and up the slides slightly would do the job? Easier than beading too.

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1292775 28-Apr-2015 10:16

timmmay: You can get rubber draft stopper. Maybe a thin piece of that along the bottom and up the slides slightly would do the job? Easier than beading too.

WE thought of that - but I don't think it would do enough - at the height of the storm last night it was a continuous flow of water, not just a drip or 3

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lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1292780 28-Apr-2015 10:21

Hammerer:
lissie:
DarthKermit: Are you sure the door flappy thing is positioned correctly? A few mm out is all it takes to allow water to get in.

Yeah - no real idea to be honest- you sort of have to attach it and hope don't you? If anything it's too tight - its scraped the primer off the step after a few days.

If the flap is scrapping the paint off the sill then that suggests that it is dragging over the sill when the door is closing. It should be clearing the sill first until it is pushed down into place by meeting the stoppers.

[Edited to correct spelling]

Yup it's dragging, but there are no stoppers as such - this model (and it claims to be water proof) - it's a rigid strip of Aluminimum - I shouldn't have called it flappy (that was another model which wasn't supposed to be water type)

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andrew027

1286 posts

Uber Geek

#1292783 28-Apr-2015 10:24

My first question would be: How big is the gap between the bottom of the door and the sill when the door is closed? That can determine what the best kind of weather seal is for the door.

I installed one of these (about $20 at Mitre10) on my north facing door in Lower Hutt, which also gets a bit of wind and rain. It has worked very well for me, but if the icons on the manufacturer's website mean what they look like they mean, it's not designed to keep out rain! So this would be my second question: Is the weather seal you bought actually made for the purpose for which you bought it?

The third question has to be: Is your weather strip installed correctly? When the door is closed, is there still a gap under the seal? Mine has a plastic cam attached to the door jamb to push the seal down it down when the door is closed - I can't see a button in your pictures, but assume the model you have also has some mechanism to achieve this.

Finally, if the gap is too big, you can try one of these (about $45 at Mitre10). i installed one in an older house in Blenheim. It's damned good for bigger gaps, and kept out everything except my in-laws.

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1292793 28-Apr-2015 10:29

Hammerer: I can't tell from the photos whether the stoppers are installed on the jambs (on either side of the door) to force the weatherseal flap down onto the sill/doorstep. If they are not then that would explain why the flap doesn't seal well enough to keep the water out.

But even if the flap is sealing properly then there is often a small gap at either end of the flap if it has not been cut to the correct length. That can allow water to get behind the flat if a) water is pooling on the sill and b) wind pressure is high enough.

When you install the beading then you may have to raise the weather seal flap to clear it.

No there were no jambs - I know what you mean and it's not that sort of device. It's a rigid Al strip - and it's not leaking at the ends - but all the way along

Note the previous strip wasn't keeping all the water out either. We are in a really extreme weather zone ie it was hard to close the door last night into the storm - and it was only about 80km/hr .

I'm thinking the beading outside the weather strip might help though.

Long term though am I right in thinking the solution is a porch?

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lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1292796 28-Apr-2015 10:37

andrew027: My first question would be: How big is the gap between the bottom of the door and the sill when the door is closed? That can determine what the best kind of weather seal is for the door.

I installed one of these (about $20 at Mitre10) on my north facing door in Lower Hutt, which also gets a bit of wind and rain. It has worked very well for me, but if the icons on the manufacturer's website mean what they look like they mean, it's not designed to keep out rain! So this would be my second question: Is the weather seal you bought actually made for the purpose for which you bought it?

The third question has to be: Is your weather strip installed correctly? When the door is closed, is there still a gap under the seal? Mine has a plastic cam attached to the door jamb to push the seal down it down when the door is closed - I can't see a button in your pictures, but assume the model you have also has some mechanism to achieve this.

Finally, if the gap is too big, you can try one of these (about $45 at Mitre10). i installed one in an older house in Blenheim. It's damned good for bigger gaps, and kept out everything except my in-laws.

Yeah we went thru all the options at Mitre 10 Mega the first one you mention is not rated for keeping water out. The second one is - we saw it - but there is only a mm or 2 under the door - that would have involved removing the door and cutting it down - a little too hard for a new DIYer.

The one we got (was about $40) was the only one that mentioned weather seal without actually requiring the door to be cut down significantly

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timmmay

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#1292803 28-Apr-2015 10:51

lissie:
timmmay: You can get rubber draft stopper. Maybe a thin piece of that along the bottom and up the slides slightly would do the job? Easier than beading too.

WE thought of that - but I don't think it would do enough - at the height of the storm last night it was a continuous flow of water, not just a drip or 3

Compressed rubber can be fairly effective, not dissimilar from having the rubber seals on aluminium doors. Given what I understand of your situation I think it's worth a shot, given it'll cost $20 and is really easy, compared with solutions that shave down the door or replace it entirely.

Also, if you go for a new door, consider PVC. They only come in white and wood effect, but they're better for insulation that aluminium. Aluminium's only advantage is it comes in a range of colors. Thermally broken aluminium costs similar about to PVC, PVC may be slightly cheaper.

mclean

581 posts

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#1292804 28-Apr-2015 11:00

A couple of things: The profile of the sill is wrong for a door that's exposed to rain - it should have an up-stand at the threshold. Also it's hard to tell from the pictures but the thing you've installed at the bottom looks more like a draught excluder than a weather stop.

Your best bet is probably to fit a proper aluminium threshold plate across the sill, and a mechanical bottom seal on the door that seals against the threshold plate. A mechanical seal is one with a rubber seal that mechanically presses down on the plate when the door closes. You may need to undercut the door to get the threshold plate in - if you do then re-prime and paint the bottom edge before re-hanging it. Also make sure the threshold plate is tight and sealed against the jambs at each end so that any water coming down the door edges drains out rather than in.

Check the Raven website at www.raven.com.au. Mitre-10 has most of the seals, but you may have to order the threshold plate.

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1292809 28-Apr-2015 11:04

Compressed rubber can be fairly effective, not dissimilar from having the rubber seals on aluminium doors. Given what I understand of your situation I think it's worth a shot, given it'll cost $20 and is really easy, compared with solutions that shave down the door or replace it entirely.

Also, if you go for a new door, consider PVC. They only come in white and wood effect, but they're better for insulation that aluminium. Aluminium's only advantage is it comes in a range of colors. Thermally broken aluminium costs similar about to PVC, PVC may be slightly cheaper.

We are acutally considering PVC to replace the Al windows but I hadn't budgeted to replace the front door - I can ask them to include in the quote when they come to quote (which they have been very slow at doing).

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