Weather-stripping: A Great Solution to a Common Problem

Adding weather stripping is a great solution for those pesky drafts

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest. For example, what could be simpler than weather stripping? Used properly, this easy to install, inexpensive material can save a homeowner or apartment owner who pays his own utility bills, quite a bit of money over the course of a cold winter or hot summer.

Here’s the idea. Since it is inevitable that the moveable components of a home, such as its windows and doors, will have small spaces at the meeting points between movable and fixed, weather stripping is introduced to seal those spaces. This seal keeps in the expensive hot or cold air produced with your hard earned dollars, and keeps out the hot summer or cool winter air that is trying to neutralize your efforts at staying comfortable.

Choosing the correct weather stripping for the task it is needed for is crucial for good results. Take care to make sure the stripping under a door does not overly drag on the floor or carpet, which can cause it to erode and become ineffective. Window stripping must be able to withstand the sliding movement of the panes.

There is a large selection of weather stripping types to choose from:

• Tension seal
• Felt
• Reinforced foam
• Tape
• Rolled or reinforced vinyl
• Door sweep
• Magnetic
• Tubular rubber and vinyl
• Reinforced silicone
• Door shoe
• Bulb threshold
• “Frost-brake” threshold
• Fin seal
• Interlocking metal channels