DraughtBusters

Energy saving advice and help

  • About
    • What people say about us
    • A typical DraughtBust
    • Helping to set up other groups
    • Frequently asked questions
    • A DraughtBusters Talk
  • Draught proofing
    • How to get started
    • A Case Study
    • Why draughts?
    • Windows and doors
      • Front Door
      • Draughty roof windows
      • Trickle Ventilators
      • uPVC door problems
      • UPVC window seals
    • Redundant AirBricks
    • Floors
    • Loft and first floor ceilings
    • Loft Traps
    • Pet Flaps
    • What is going on under your bath?
  • Finding Draughts
    • How to survey a building for draughts
    • Problem encountered during 2021/2022
    • Dry lined homes
    • Modern timber frame
    • Victorian terraced houses
    • Chalet Bungalow
    • Cross walled homes
    • Early cavity wall homes
    • Concrete panel houses
    • Solid stone and cob homes
  • Help Reducing Energy Use
  • Advanced Air Sealing
    • Problems with Drylined Homes
      • Problems with dot and dabbed walls
      • Around openings in walls
      • Draughts in the first floor void
    • Going Further
      • First Floor Void
      • Condensation mini case study
      • Controlling your heating system
      • Heat loss from unused chimneys
      • Types of damp in the home
      • Draughts and condensation
      • In House Winter Cooling Systems
    • More Advanced
      • Upgrading to Underfloor Heating
      • Lead Pumping
      • Why so many flat roofs fail
      • Summer Condensation
  • Contact

Draughtproofing windows and doors

The first thing to do is to inspect them visually, look for cracks and gaps round the frames, through the frames, through panels in doors, dark staining, cracks or gaps under sills or window boards, draughty trickle ventilators.

This window, even though it had been lived with for 30 years, had daylight showing between the sash and frame (near bottom left). We moved the friction stay hinge over 5mm to the left and no more draughts.

Check that the door or window shuts against its frame or draught strip. Often they don’t; doors can warp and so can plastic windows. We frequently adjust door keeps, window handles and sometimes have to heel and toe doors and windows and/or adjust keeps especially on French doors. There are a multiplicity of sealing strips available and this is not a one size fits all problem. We use small, medium and large rectangular foam strips, brush pile strips, E, P or D butyl rubber strips, all in brown or white.  We also use nail or screw on plastic carriers with  brush pile strips. Then seal the gaps with silicone outside and acrylic sealant inside. You may use good quality silicone inside between non wood and non plaster surfaces, otherwise use acrylic sealants.

For metal casement windows, please see this page.

For help with draught proofing, try this from Historic England relating to sliding sash window. Don’t forget to seal round the frame and architraves.

Re-sliding sash windows generally in excellent condition because a) set back into the reveal, b) surrounded by lime that sucks moisture away, c) draughty sash boxes help with this too (don’t let those draughts into the house though),  d) unpainted sides of the side rails, e) unpainted underside of bottom rail traditionally, please keep this it is IMPORTANT, e) both bottom rail and sill have good falls to outside. f) good quality wood used in manufacture.

We do not recommend doing internal doors except to cold areas.  Always check that the doors latch, lock and deadlock operate after strips have been applied.

In our opinion the guy below fitted the draught seal to the wrong part of the frame on the hinge side the strip should go on the part where the hinges are but otherwise quite useful:-

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