How to stop entry door leaks?
HerHusband
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings.
I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping the wall
felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the opening
(bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL polyurethane
caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely sealed and there's no
possible way water is coming in around the exterior of the frame.
As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried caulking these joints also,
which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.
Unfortunately, there's no overhanging roof to protect most of the doors,
and adding an external storm door is not an option either.
I'm stumped. It shouldn't be this difficult to make a door water tight...
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Anthony
Eric in North TX
A lot of my doors and windows have a piece of angle tacked above the
top trim & it seems enough to make it drip away fro the door or
window. The older ones are lead, or something really soft, but so long
as it is metal it should work. Drip edge for roofing comes to mind.
AZ Nomad
>I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
>few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
>bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
>and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
>doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
>the buildings.
The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it. It is obviously
sitting in a puddle at times.
Build up the soil around it so water flows away. You may have to put
in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.
hr(bob) hofmann@att.net
Not build up the soil, but remove some of the soil!
LdB
Wind driven rain runs down the outside of a door to the threshold
where it is supposed to flow down and off without entering the house.
Unfortunately this is not always the case. Some finds it's way in
around the door edges and weatherstripping. If it can't run in
directly it may wick in through the smallest cracks.
I believe this is a common problem that many people are unaware of
because water soaks in under the flooring around the threshold and
goes unnoticed until the problem becomes a major one.
Two of my neighbors have the same problem. By the way we are all
building are own houses and are living ln them as they are being
completed. I found and corrected a few problems that would not have
been very visible once the finishing had been completed.
After a few unsuccessful attempts to stop the water leaking in, I
ended up installing storm doors on all my outside doors. Not a drop
of water on the floor after that.
The storm doors keep the inside door warmer during the winter. They
may eventually pay for themselves in reducing heat loos through the doors.
LdB
DerbyDad03
>
> - Show quoted text -
When I built the shed shown below, I installed vinyl drip edge on the
roof edges. When I looked at the trim above the doors, it looked like
a place that could used some protection, so I installed a piece of
drip edge on top of that and caulked the seam. When it rains, I can
see the water dripping out away from the doors so it appears to be
doing it's job.
Oren
>As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
>the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
>the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
>metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried caulking these joints also,
>which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.
I say you are correct. Often door jambs are not prime/sealed at the
bottom, so water wicks up into the wood.
Caulking is best done when the door was/is installed, not as a fix
later on.
Exterior doors clean the sill, caulk along the jamb sides the width of
the threshold. Run two 1/2 inch beads of silly-caulk the length of the
threshold and set the door. Apply some foot pressure to seat (TH).
Caulk lines (top view)
]================[
HerHusband
>>last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
>>around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
>>has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't
>>want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause
>>structural damage to the buildings.
> The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it.
> It is obviously sitting in a puddle at times.
Three doors leak, none of which are anywhere close to the ground.
1. Garage entry door. Top is protected by a 12" roof overhang with a full
gutter system. Bottom of door sill sits about 4" higher than the concrete
walk in front of it.
2. Back door of house. Gable roof end only overhangs about 6" and is
approximately 12' above the door. The sill of the door is roughly three
feet off the ground with a wood landing about 6" below the door.
3. Front door at in-laws. Hip roof overhangs about 18", but no gutters
installed. Door sill is roughly three feet off the ground with a wood
landing about 6" below the door.
In all cases, the only source of water would be windblown rain, or
splashback from the deck/patio below the door. The doors can't be raised
any higher and still comply with stair height codes.
Anthony
HerHusband
> where it is supposed to flow down and off without entering the house.
> Unfortunately this is not always the case. Some finds it's way in
> around the door edges and weatherstripping. If it can't run in
> directly it may wick in through the smallest cracks.
>
> I believe this is a common problem that many people are unaware of
> because water soaks in under the flooring around the threshold and
> goes unnoticed until the problem becomes a major one.
>
> Two of my neighbors have the same problem. By the way we are all
> building are own houses and are living ln them as they are being
> completed. I found and corrected a few problems that would not have
> been very visible once the finishing had been completed.
>
> After a few unsuccessful attempts to stop the water leaking in, I
> ended up installing storm doors on all my outside doors. Not a drop
> of water on the floor after that.
Yep, we had the same problem with the entry doors of our old mobile home.
No amount of caulking would prevent the leaking, but a storm door did stop
the water.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons I do not want storm doors on the
doors that are leaking. Especially for the garage and back doors where
we're often hauling large objects in and out. My in-laws just splurged on
a decorative door and don't want to cover it with a storm door.
Anthony
AZ Nomad
>>>I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
>>>last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
>>>around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
>>>has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't
>>>want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause
>>>structural damage to the buildings.
>> The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it.
>> It is obviously sitting in a puddle at times.
>Three doors leak, none of which are anywhere close to the ground.
Then you need storm doors if rain is that intense.
AZ Nomad
>On Jan 22, 10:43?am, AZ Nomad <aznoma...@PremoveOBthisOX.COM> wrote:
>> On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband <unkn...@unknown.com> wrote:
>> >I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
>> >few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
>> >and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
>> >doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
>> >the buildings.
>>
>> sitting in a puddle at times.
>>
>> in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.
>Not build up the soil, but remove some of the soil!
ie: sculpt
HerHusband
>> As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door
>> sill at the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down
>> the sides of the door against the weatherstripping then along the
>> crack between the metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried
>> caulking these joints also, which has helped, but the water is still
>> getting in somewhere.
> Caulking is best done when the door was/is installed, not as a fix
> later on.
> Exterior doors clean the sill, caulk along the jamb sides the width of
> the threshold. Run two 1/2 inch beads of silly-caulk the length of the
> threshold and set the door. Apply some foot pressure to seat (TH).
When I installed the doors I wrapped the wall felt into the door opening.
Then I applied flexible door/window flashing tape along the bottom of the
opening, extending it about 6" up the sides of the rough opening. Next, I
applied the flashing tape along the sides of the opening, and finally
along the top of the door. All layers overlapping in shingle fashion.
Before setting the door in place, I ran three beads of caulking along the
bottom of the rough opening, with a little extra along each side in the
corners. I also ran a bead around the outside of the opening, so the
brick moulding sealed against the sheathing when I fastened the door in
place. After installing the siding, another layer of caulk was applied
between the siding and brick moulding (top and sides).
I also caulked all seams on the exterior door trim, jambs, etc. EXCEPT
for the bottom of the door sill. This allows any water that might find
it's way in to have a way to get out. The gap is covered by lower trim,
so there's no way water can splash in from the outside. The beads of
caulking under the door sill ensure any water that does end up under the
door should go out and not into the building.
Once the door was fully installed, I also caulked along the inside of the
door sill, and about 12" up between the framing and door jamb on each
side. The larger gaps up higher were filled with minimally expanding
foam.
On the outside of the door, I caulked the seams on each side where the
metal sill meets the wood jambs.
Despite all my efforts, water is still coming in somewhere (showing up as
a small leak on the subfloor right in front of the door jamb, centered on
the door opening). At first I thought it was water dripping off the
bottom of the door when the door was opened, but my in-laws confirmed it
shows up even when the door has been closed all night.
In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.
Anthony
Red Green
news:slrnhljldr.e...@ip70-176-155-130.ph.ph.cox.net:
Is it on an eave side where the water splashes up? If so, you need to
stop the water from splashing or stop it from running off the roof so
intensely. Mulch may be a quick half effort thing but that may get washed
away and/or dragged in the garage and/or just look like crap.
Can a rain diverter be put under the shingles above? Certainly would help
minimize splashing.
AZ Nomad
They're called gutters.
aemeijers
Actually, they are called roofs or awnings. This is one of the things we
lost when deep covered porches went away. Exterior doors really need an
overhang over them. They also need a step down in front of them, so
there is no ponding at threshold level. My garage service door has same
problem, but I won't replace it until I figure out how to lay some
pavers in front of it a couple inches lower than threshold level, and
maybe also add a little eyebrow awning over it that doesn't look TOO
tacky. Front door needs a roof too, but short of adding an actual
dormer to the house roof, no way to do it that would look right. Top of
door is only a couple inches below the soffit. Overhangs on that part of
the house are only 18" or so, instead of the 36" they should have been.
--
aem sends...
MrMomWorld
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/maintenance/Re-How-to-stop-entry-door-leaks-420524-.htm
:
Eric in North TX wrote:
> On Jan 22, 9:30=A0am, HerHusband <unkn...@unknown.com> wrote:
>> I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over
>> the last
>> few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
>> around th=
> e
>> bottom. =A0The first was the entry door to our garage, which has
>> now rott=
> ed
>> and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any
>> other
>> doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural
>> damage to
>> the buildings.
>>
>> I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping
>> the wall
>> felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the
>> opening
>> (bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL
>> polyurethane
>> caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely sealed and
>> there's n=
> o
>> possible way water is coming in around the exterior of the frame.
>>
>> As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door
>> sill a=
> t
>> the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the
>> sides o=
> f
>> the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between
>> the
>> metal sill and the the wood jambs. =A0I've tried caulking these
>> joints al=
> so,
>> which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's no overhanging roof to protect most of the
>> doors,
>> and adding an external storm door is not an option either.
>>
>> I'm stumped. It shouldn't be this difficult to make a door water
>> tight...
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Anthony
> A lot of my doors and windows have a piece of angle tacked above the
> top trim & it seems enough to make it drip away fro the door or
> window. The older ones are lead, or something really soft, but so long
> as it is metal it should work. Drip edge for roofing comes to mind.
-------------------------------------
What Eric is referring to is called Z flashing. One edge tucks up under
the siding above the door or window, the center (horizontal) section
extends over the top edge of the door or window and the opposite edge
extends downward at an angle outward. The whole purpose is to keep water
off of the top edge and from running down the side. Therefore, it's
important that it extend outward past the right & left sides of your door
or window.
Red Green
Gutters are another option. What I was mentioning is the strip that under
the shingles a few rows up and slants to one side.
But if wind driven rain against the door is the root cause, none of that
will help. As mentioned, storm door.
benick
news:Xns9D089CF1FF...@188.40.43.245...
Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4 I
installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed tighter and
it is fine now...HTH....
Oren
<unk...@unknown.com> wrote:
>Despite all my efforts, water is still coming in somewhere (showing up as
>a small leak on the subfloor right in front of the door jamb, centered on
>the door opening). At first I thought it was water dripping off the
>bottom of the door when the door was opened, but my in-laws confirmed it
>shows up even when the door has been closed all night.
Does this door have a transom window above and/or side lights at the
door? Water can travel, even along an outside light that needs a
little caulk around the edge trim.
A picture of your trouble spots, perhaps?
Post @ http://tinypic.com/
Tony
>
> In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
> www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.
>
> Anthony
I could have used one of those before installing my garage entry door.
Only a problem with wind driven rain, but it only takes a very light wind.
vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com
I took a PDH in waterproofing a few years ago and the
main point was you don't stop water, you redirect it.
- = -
Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist
http://www.panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm http://www.facebook.com/vasjpan2
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---
[Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards]
[Urb sprawl confounds terror] [Phooey on GUI: Windows for subprime Bimbos]
HerHusband
> 4 I installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed
> tighter and it is fine now...HTH....
The garage entry door is a little looser, which may have accelerated it's
demise. But, the other doors fit tightly against the weatherstripping.
Anthony
HerHusband
> door? Water can travel, even along an outside light that needs a
> little caulk around the edge trim.
There are no transoms or side lights around the door. Just your basic
prehung steel entry door mounted in a wall.
Anthony
benick
news:7s0brn...@mid.individual.net...
We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the cheap
doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have them flashed
or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro and have him look
it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up something on the install
as everyone you did leaks......If it were just one in a specific location it
would be one thing but that is not the case...
Patrick Karl
> Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4
> I installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed
> tighter and it is fine now...HTH....
How do you move the latch in a bit? And by latch I assume you mean the
strike plate. I'm guessing you need to redrill the mounting holes for
the strike plate, no?
benick
news:hjfp4p$krf$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Yep...Filled them in with toothpicks and Elmer's and started over
again..Didn't move it much..Perhaps an eighth...Made a world of difference
though...
Oren
wrote:
Golf Tees (hardwood) work great. Drill the larger hole, tap the tee in
with small hammer and cut with a utility knife. You can also use glue,
so let it dry.
Tony
Huh??? Every door I installed leaks? Where did you get your
information? I've only installed one steel entry door in my life. When
the wind blows the rain to the area where the weather striping touches
the steel door, it gets wicked in between the two and flows down and
runs both inside and outside. The door opens into the garage so the
water wicked between the door and the weather stripping is already on
the inside part of the jamb.
Now where are all the others I did?
benick
news:76cnl5d44drtjv451...@4ax.com...
Yea , I saw that in the other door thread and already have it stored in the
memory banks...LOL...
benick
Sorry for the brain fart , I was responding to the OP... Quote from the
OP...
"I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings"
End quote....I should have said...To the OP...
benick
news:PuidnfoZMs-XNsbW...@neonova.net...
Forgot to add that I did have to egg out the mortise (?) a bit with a sharp
utility knife...It wasn't enough to notice though as the other side is
covered by the strike...
HerHusband
> cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have
> them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro
> and have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up
> something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If it were
> just one in a specific location it would be one thing but that is not
> the case...
No offense taken, but we built our own house, garage, several remodeling
projects at my in-laws, installed numerous windows, doors, etc. Installing
an entry door isn't exactly rocket science, and I've researched and
followed every recommended guideline I can find. I can't imagine a "pro"
would have done anything different than I did, and probably wouldn't have
taken the time to be as thorough.
It is something of a mystery, so I'm going to try tightening the latch up
this afternoon to see if that will help.
By the way, the water seeps in under the door sill on the subfloor. If you
already have a finished floor installed, you would probably never see it
leaking...
Anthony
dpb
...
> Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons I do not want storm doors on the
> doors that are leaking. Especially for the garage and back doors where
> we're often hauling large objects in and out. My in-laws just splurged on
> a decorative door and don't want to cover it with a storm door.
Well, you can solve the problem or replace the sills over and over, your
choice... :)
There are full-exposure s-doors that won't hide the face of the inner
door if that is a requirement.
W/O pictures including installation details it's hard to make any
specific conjecture but I'd say the likely culprit is there is no slope
outward so water stays where it lands rather than drains. As well,
capillary action may be pulling some under the sill if there is any
small crack at all.
Depending on where and how they were caulked, it (the caulk) may be
server more as a drainage dam than as a sealant.
--
aemeijers
If the water is coming in UNDER the threshhold, that is probably where
the problem is. Can't see your door from here, but I suspect improperly
installed flashing, or the threshold is sitting higher than you thought
and did not get bedded in the caulk. Sometimes you need to add something
to the sill of the rough opening. And how much drop is there from the
front edge of threshold to the porch surface outside? If it is less than
a couple of inches any 'sheeting' rain that get blown against door will
get in there. (A common problem when people add slate or faux brick to
an existing porch.)
Short of a remove and reinstall, you could always drill through the
threshold (in dry weather), and pump the cavity below full of silicone
sealant. Unless maybe some of the threshold trim is removable, and you
can get access that way.
--
aem sends...
benick
The 2 in the garage and the one in the basement I would and the one in the
kitchen was without trim or finished floor for quite a while as I was doing
it on just weekends when not working..Actually it was the kitchen door that
I had the leak in that I fixed by adjusting the strike as was recommended by
a carpenter I do alot of drywall work for..You know , one of those pro's
that do shit work and just rip folks off.......Like I said you have
something going on that we can't diagnosis without seeing it which is why I
said have a pro look at it....But if your already better at it than somebody
that does it DAILY and has to pay for damages caused by leaks than I guess
we are done here......Good Luck......
Oren
<unk...@unknown.com> wrote:
> Installing
>an entry door isn't exactly rocket science, and I've researched and
>followed every recommended guideline I can find. I can't imagine a "pro"
>would have done anything different than I did, and probably wouldn't have
>taken the time to be as thorough.
I had some tutelage from a pro. A two man crew. We hauled a LARGE
picture window up the scaffold. Set the window with a couple of
fasteners.
The more I looked I figured out what was wrong. The window was upside
down and weep holes were on top.
Also it is easy to think you have the flashing/wrap tucked correctly.
In such a case I found it before the (another) window was set. The
*moist wrap* on one side was lapped wrong, so water would get behind
it - eventually.
Point being? The leak is right in front of you!
Tony
OK, I'm over it. Shit happens.
benick
Nah , he is an expert who is more thorough than anybody else could possibly
be...It can't be something he did...I mean , only every door he has
installed leaks..It has to be the rotation of the Earth or some strange
phenomenon..Either that or he is cursed by the Door Gods....LOL...
benick
Thanks..I'll sleep better now...LOL...
HerHusband
Relax... I never said I was an expert, just that I had more experience than
the average weekend handyman. I wouldn't be here asking questions if I had
all the answers. Obviously I'm overlooking something or the door wouldn't
be leaking. I make mistakes, I learn, I move on...
> I fixed by adjusting the strike
I adjusted the strike plate yesterday to get the door to seal a little
tighter to the weather stripping yesterday. We only work at my in-laws on
weekends since they live out of town, but I'm having them keep an eye out
for leaks. Naturally, it's not supposed to rain much this week. :)
There are a couple of small spots I want to recaulk, but I can't really do
that while it's raining heavily.
Sorry to offend, but thanks for the input!
Anthony
HerHusband
> probably where the problem is.
Yep, makes sense... :)
What's strange is the leak is right in the middle of the door. Until
yesterday, the space on both sides of the door were open (to the interior)
and were completely dry. If the exterior flashing was incorrect, or the
caulking along the sides was failing, I would think the leak would tend to
come in along the sides. But, I know water can travel in strange paths
sometimes.
> Can't see your door from here
Yeah, unfortunately, without tearing things apart again I can't see it
either. I didn't take photos along the way because I didn't expect any
problems.
> the threshold is sitting higher than you thought and
> did not get bedded in the caulk.
It's possible. Oddly, I left drainage on the outside, but sealed the
inside. In theory, any water getting in should drain out, but it's seeping
under the interior caulking instead. I verified the subfloor was level
before installing the door (actually had a very minor slope outwards).
That's what makes me think the water is coming in at the sides and running
down BEHIND the caulking I installed under the door.
> how much drop is there from the front edge
> of threshold to the porch surface outside?
About 4-5 inches right now. We will be rebuilding the front steps and
landing this summer when things dry out again and the new landing will be a
couple inches lower.
Thanks for the advice!
Anthony
ad...@doorbrim.com
> I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
> few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
> bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
> and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
> doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
>
> I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping the wall
> felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the opening
> (bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL polyurethane
> caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely sealed and there's no
> possible way water is coming in around the exterior of the frame.
> As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
> the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
> the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
> metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried caulking these joints also,
> which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.
>
> and adding an external storm door is not an option either.
>
> I'm stumped. It shouldn't be this difficult to make a door water tight...
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Anthony
The best solution for your problem is a DOORBRIM Door Hood. See them at https://doorbrim.com.
TimR
German doors had lips on them. Hard to describe, but rather than just fitting inside the jamb, they also overlapped the jamb.
Can you get doors like that in the US? There's no way driven rain can get in.
(a lot of German construction practices were designed to save energy - I was paying 27 cents a kWhr there.)
Paul Drahn
Paul
dadiOH
_______________
>> I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
>> last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
>> around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage,
>> which has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously,
>> I don't want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet
>> cause structural damage to the buildings.
>>
>> I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping the
>> wall felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the
>> opening (bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL
>> polyurethane caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely
>> sealed and there's no possible way water is coming in around the
>> exterior of the frame.
>>
>> As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door
>> sill at the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs
>> down the sides of the door against the weatherstripping then along
>> the crack between the metal sill and the the wood jambs.
the threshold/sill. By doing that, the manufacturers have guaranteed that
the jambs are doomed to rot sooner or later.
The way I've fixed mine is...
1. Cut out the rot at the bottom of the jamb
2. Get rid of the staples
3. Take up the aluminum threshold
4. Lay a bed of mortar so as to fill the underside of the threshold and put
it back
5. Fill the gap where the rotted part of the jamb was at the ends of the
threshold with mortar, contouring it the same as the threshold. (My walls
are concerte block; if wood. you'd need a barrier)
5. Fill the missing part of the jamb - the part that was rotted and cut
out - with Bondo. Leave about 1/4" gap above the threshold. If there had
been a gap in the first pace there wouldn't have been any rot.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net
home...@home.com
>The best solution for your problem is a DOORBRIM Door Hood. See them at https://doorbrim.com.
willing to wait to view it. A simple photo would have told the story
much faster and easier. So much for bloated websites in this decade.
However, I assume it's similar to what was called an awning in the past.
I put awnings over all my doors, but I build them out of wood and
roofing steel.
home...@home.com
wrote:
>Do the German doors open "out", or "in", like American doors do?
toolshed, because it's a small shed and the door would waste lots of
space. I would have had to pay more than double to buy a pre-hung door
that opened out, because it was custom made. So, I made my own frame,
and just bought the door. Worked well. I was able to buy a steel door
that was on sale for $10 because it has a very small dent in it. The
wood for the frame, threshold, door sweep, and weather stripping cost me
about $50. So, for $60 and a little extra work I got what I wanted.
A no-frills steel door pre-hung was around $140. They wanted about $330
to custom make one that opens out!
Ed Pawlowski
>> I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
>> few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
Wow, it took you almost three years to find a post so you could spam
your product. You need to hire a 12 year old to help your internet
marketing.
HerHusband
>> last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
>> around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage,
>> which has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously,
>> I don't want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet
>> cause structural damage to the buildings.
In almost every case, water ran down the sides of the door jambs, and
wicked up the bottoms of the jambs. This quickly caused the door jambs to
rot.
My solution was two fold:
1. I replaced the door frames with composite frames (PVC material like
Trex decking). I just measured the door and hinge locations to the
nearest 1/32", and ordered them from the local Lowes store. The steel
doors were fine, so no reason to replace those. The old doors and hinges
attached to the new frames with no difficulty.
2. Once I had the old frame out, I repaired a couple of minor rotting
areas in the sheathing beneath the door. Then I installed PVC "Jamb
Sill" (www.jamsill.com) trays in the door opening before reinstalling the
new door frames.
Finally, I caulked around the door jambs as I would do in any normal
installation. The composite frames should be more resistant to rot, and
shouldn't wick moisture like the old frames. The Jambsill tray ensures
any water that finds it's way in will exit out the bottom and not cause
damage to the building structure.
I don't recall the exact prices now, but I think the cost per door was
less than $150. Not cheap, but it was a small price to pay to ensure a
long lasting installation.
Obviously, it would have been smarter to use composite frames and jamb
sill trays during the initial construction, but I didn't know about them
back then. Still, it only took a couple of hours to replace each door
frame.
Other than the cost, the only downside is painting the composite PVC
trim. I had to apply primer and about three coats of paint for adequate
coverage, but three years later it still looks great.
Anthony Watson
Mountain Software
www.mountain-software.com/about.htm
dadiOH
>>> I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
>>> last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
>>> around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage,
>>> which has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously,
>>> I don't want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet
>>> cause structural damage to the buildings.
>
>> The way I've fixed mine is...
>
> I originally posted about the rotting door frames about three years
> ago. In almost every case, water ran down the sides of the door
> jambs, and wicked up the bottoms of the jambs. This quickly caused
> the door jambs to rot.
>
> My solution was two fold:
>
> 1. I replaced the door frames with composite frames (PVC material like
> Trex decking). I just measured the door and hinge locations to the
> nearest 1/32", and ordered them from the local Lowes store. The steel
> doors were fine, so no reason to replace those. The old doors and
> hinges attached to the new frames with no difficulty.
>
> 2. Once I had the old frame out, I repaired a couple of minor rotting
> areas in the sheathing beneath the door. Then I installed PVC "Jamb
> Sill" (www.jamsill.com) trays in the door opening before reinstalling
> the new door frames.
make their doors properly in the first place, there would be no need for the
"jamb sills". Hmm...I wonder if they are in cahoots :)
HerHusband
> in the first place, there would be no need for the
> "jamb sills".
the door frame. Or, a "one piece" frame like vinyl windows have. But, I
couldn't find anything at any price. Every door frame seems to be made the
same way, with the same vulnerability to wicking and rot.
The composite frame and sill liner combination seemed to be the best
alternative approach (if you don't want a storm door on the outside).
psch...@gmail.com
So finally I found I could take the sill plate (really a molded plastic strip) completely off by unscrewing all four of the bolts. I believe this is the source of the problem. Intense rain and splashing against the door causes a back flow of water that comes up underneath this molded plate and flows inside.
Has anyone found a solution for this? Should I put a thick bead of silicone on the underneath side of the plate, let it harden, and then hope it acts like a gasket? It would be great not to have to buy storm doors.
--Phil
Karasam2
It's always advisable to protect a door from rain first to minimize the chances of leaking. Check out an affordable solution from http://doorbrim.com.
HerHusband
>> last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
>> around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
>> has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I
>> don't want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet
>> cause structural damage to the buildings.
>>
>> wall felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the
>> opening (bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL
>> polyurethane caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely
>> sealed and there's no possible way water is coming in around the
>> exterior of the frame.
>>
>> As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door
>> sill at the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down
>> the sides of the door against the weatherstripping then along the
>> caulking these joints also, which has helped, but the water is still
>> getting in somewhere.
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's no overhanging roof to protect most of the
>> doors, and adding an external storm door is not an option either.
> minimizing the amount of rain that affects it. Check out an affordable
> solution from DOORBRIM at http://doorbrim.com.
That message is FOUR years old, and I wouldn't exactly call a $190
plastic brim "affordable". Not to mention all of the sample photos show
commercial installations, not real attractive for residential use.
Also, the brim also wouldn't do anything to prevent water from splashing
back up from the decks or sidewalks. My in-laws have a roof overhanging
their front door, but their door frame is rotting at the bottom from
splashback just like mine did.
In any case, I solved the problem by replacing the wood door frames with
composite frames that won't rot. The door itself was fine, so I simply
measured the existing door, hinge, and lock locations, then ordered a new
frame from Lowes. To protect the structure from any water that might leak
around the frame, I also installed a Jamsill tray (www.jamsill.com) in
the door opening before installing the new door frame.
I haven't had any problems since then and the total cost was less than
the "brim".
Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com