Draughty house.

[garywayne]

Hi folks.

I'm sitting here in front of my computer, in the living room, with freezing cold feet. The floors are floorboards.

Does anyone have any sensible suggestions to what I can do to prevent the cold from getting in?

There are a couple of other things I would like to ask.

My back and front doors are PVC or UPVC, (I haven't a clue really. White plastic stuff), with a wooden core. The front door is warped so I have a gap which lets in the cold, and draughts. Does anyone know how to unwarp it?

The back door has a draught excluder at the bottom. As I approached it the other day, I noticed a gap. On closer inspection I noticed that part of the rubber excluder was missing. Does anyone know if the draught excluder can be replaced by myself.

If there is someone out there who can help, please reply. I really hate having to be in my home having to ware padded shirts and body warmers. I really need to stop these draughts.

I would really appreciate your advise. Don't forget, I am poor. So I am unable to replace the doors.

Thanks for listening.

 

[ike]

Hi Gary,

What heating system do you have?

 

[chiba]

I have a heated carpet about 50cm square under my computer desk. Works well. I think they even make USB ones now!

 

[andys wood shed]

Hi garywayne

don't know if you have got cavity walls but in febuary of this year had cavity wall insulation fitted cant believe the difference it has made no more draughts from under the up stairs floorboards, assume it has closed up all the gaps where the joists are set into the inner wall

cost an unbelievable £139 (you get a goverment grant to cover the rest of the cost which the installers arrange)

just wondering if I could get the same deal for my workshop :lol: :lol:

Andy

 

[RogerS]

Gary..although this might sound facetious, it DOES work and we used it all the time when I was on BBC OB's in a very old and cold 'scanner'. Get an empty cardboard box and put your feet in that...

Can't help with the doors, I'm afraid as no experience

 

[garywayne]

OK, lets start at the top.

Ike.

We have gas central heating throughout the house. The boiler is a very old Glow worm floor standing boiler. The heating is sufficient, but not great. Although we do want a combi boiler, more economical. Another item on the wish list.

chiba.

Good idea. I'll keep that in mind.

Andy.

We have cavity insulation. Apart from the doors being knackered, I think the biggest problem is the draught coming up through the floor. I am seriously thinking of siliconing the entire living room floor.

Roger.

It just so happens I use a cardboard box with news paper in it. My feet and ankles are still like blocks of ice.

Thanks Guys. If you have any other suggestions/ideas, please let me know.

 

[Adam]

You can buy some sort of draught proofing tape which you knock down between the gaps. still allows some expansion. Try googling for a range of terms.

Adam

 

[garywayne]

Thanks Adam. I'll go and have a look now.

 

[ike]

Unless the boiler has a balanced flue it's going to pull air in from somewhere. If so can you duct outside air closer to the boiler. Can you twist the door forcibly the opposite diagonal. Maybe it might straighten a bit. If not a sliding bolt top or bottom to close the gap.

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldnt put silicon all over the floor, its expensive messy and isnt intended for draaught proofing. If the floor is the main problem I'd consider putting in a floating floor with 50 mm foam on the existing boards then t&g chipboard on top of the foam?? Also is the loft insulateted?? that makes a big difference especially in an old house

Your u pee vee cee door has most likely warped because of heat from the sun (yes thats what it is) I used to make placcy doors and windoes and I know they are cwap.

The wood "core" is most likely 5 or 6 mm plywood. The sun expands and contracts the plastic skins (only 1.2 to 1.5 mm thick) until they actually delamimate from the polystyrene foam in some cases

 

[Russell]

If the doors are UPVC and have shoot bolt locking mechanism the "warper" is possible due to adjsument needed on the locks and hinges. Get a UPVC window repairer to look these doors often can be adjusted to close correctly sealing against the gasket strip around the door.

 

[Anonymous]

If not a sliding bolt top or bottom to close the gap.

No disrespect Ike but a sliding bolt on a upvc door is about as much use as a pair of slingback wellies or a chocolate fire guard. :lol: With only about 1.5 mm of vinyl and about 15 or 18 mm of polystyrene foam and sometimes a thin ply core theres nothing solid to fix it to.

 

[garywayne]

I'd like to thank you all for your input.

Ike. Glad you pointed out the flue thing. I didn't realise there where differences. The boiler has a traditional flue, So is pulling air through the house. There is also a 9"sq air brick in the kitchen. Perhaps it would be a good idea to make sure it isn't blocked, and perhaps draught proof the kitchen door to the hallway.

Regarding bolts. There are bolts top and bottom, (fitted by the manufacturer), but they don't pull the door fully closed. At one stage I tried to twist the door by locking the bottom whilst placing a block of wood between the door and frame at the top. With the idea of counter-warping the door. It started to rip the frame apart.

mr spanton. I had thought of foam insulation, but under the floor. The reason that I haven't done it ,is because I have a broken leg, and traumatized knee. (I'm on crutches). The idea of moving all the furniture out of the living room into the hall, and taking up the whole floor, securing netting beneath the joists, positioning the foam, and then replacing everything just doesn't seem plausible. For me to do that would probably take about a week. I don't think Sheela, my wife, would be very happy about that. Because of my leg, it takes me an age to do anything, where I have to keep taking breaks to rest the leg. To put the foam on top of the floor would create a step between the living room and the hallway, which I believe would be a hazard, and the door would have to be cut.

Russell. Thanks I'll check that one out.

The sooner we can decorate and sell this house the better. Anyone know of a nice little place in North Devon.

 

[Les Mahon]

For the floor what about a fitted carpet? I know you said cost was an issue, but it might be the cheapest solution in the long term?

Les

 

[Anonymous]

It started to rip the frame apart.

Thats why upvc doors and widnows are cwap, they arent structurally strong. They break even if you knock them with a furniture when your carrying it into the house, the welds get brittle with age especially if they used a cheap high wax/low polymer plastic :roll: which they mostly do

 

[CHJ]

For the floor what about a fitted carpet? I know you said cost was an issue, but it might be the cheapest solution in the long term?

Les

I'm with Les here Gary, even a carpet from the cheaper ranges would make a vast difference to the foot comfort at least in an old boarded floor house, I know the door(s) MAY have to have a cm trimmed off, but that is not a major task.
My daughter started home ownership in a old terraced house and went the trendy stained and polished floor route, common sense arrived with a new partner who laid cheap felted-back (non woven) floor covering and some cheap "surplus" industrial carpet tiles and we could actually sit in comfort when we visited.

As you are not envisioning long term occupation I should look around the "end of roll" merchants for something that will fit.

 

[garywayne]

Sorry everyone. We have fitted carpets and a thick close woven rug under our feet in front of the sofa. We both have to put our feet up on foot stools to keep them warm.

 

[gwaithcoed]

Hello Gary
You say you have gas central heating, can I ask where are the radiators fitted?

If they are fitted under the windows OK that's where they should be.

However if they are on a wall opposite the windows (as many were to save costs) this could be part of your problem.

Cold air comes in through the windows, drops to the floor and travels across to the radiator before being warmed.

When I was installing central heating if rads had to be fitted other than under windows then they had to be up to 50% bigger Bthu wise in some cases.

Alan.

 

[garywayne]

Hi Allan. Thanks for your reply.

The bedroom rads upstairs are all on internal walls. Whereas the downstairs rads are under the windows.

I have always been a bit dubious about the lounge radiator though. The lounge is quite small, only 12' x 14', but we have quite a large window, (I think),which is 6'8" wide, by 5'1" high, (double glazed). The radiator, to me seems small, measuring, 7'8" long; by 1'9" high; by 11/16" wide, (1,328.25 qu inch's,(I think)). Being a x central heating installationer, doe's that sound sufficient to you :?:

 

[woodbloke]

garywayne wrote:

what I can do to prevent the cold from getting in?

...all excellent ideas here, but a largish tot of rum in your coffee ought to help as well :lol: - Rob