HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-10-09, Page 50'
Are you losing valuable energy through
your doorways? If you are, and you're think-
ing of replacing them, be sure that the new
ones will be energy savers. The things you
should look for in a new door are stability,
thermal resistance, cost, appearance and
security.
Stability and thermal resistance go hand
in hand. Look at the weatherstripping — it
should be strong, secure resilient and easily
replaceable since it will be under a lot of
stress from movement and traffic. Because
all doors can warp or change shape, try to
find weatherstripping that can be adjusted,
particularly if it is attached to the surface of
the door. Make sure there is
weatherstripping on the hinged side .of the
door as this is often overlooked.
Insulated doors are the most energy effi-
cient. They are filled with a high RSI
material and are a substantial improve-
ment over regular uninsulated doors. But
because RSI values depend on type of
material and thickness, check the deor's ac-
tual insulating value with the manufacturer
or distributor.
Boyd Hodgins of Ottawa Door Consultants
says that doors vary substantially in price.
The average cost of an uninsulated wooden
door is about $200 to $300, while the average
cost of an insulated metal or wooden door
ranges from $300 to $500. A wooden door
with double glazing would be even more ex-
pensive, the bottom of the line ranging from
$300 to $500.
Hodgins says the most cost-efficient and
popular door installation today is a steel in-
sulated door, because it is energy efficient
and comes with its own frame and
weatherstripping.- With a wooden door, you
often have to purchase the frame and
weatherstripping components separately.
The installation of a prehung wood or steel
insulated door is easier and cheaper, involv-
Weatherstripping
insulated
steel door
ing less labour because most of the work is
already done.
Appearance and security are not as com-
plicated. Appearance is simply a matter of
personal choice. Choosing a secure door just
requires common sense — you need a solid
door with a proper strike plate, hinges on
the inside and a reliable.lock.
With garage doors the rules are pretty
Paige 7,
yOur home
• chimnpyis
important
well the same. Make sure the door is air-
tight, because even an unheated garage can
limit heat loss from the house if it is well
sealed. Weatherstripping must be of the
heavy duty type since garage doors are very
heavy. Hodgins says there are a number of
insulated garage doors on the market, and
they have proved to be quite energy effi-
cient.
part ofheating
A properly constructed and operating
chimney is the most important part of a
wood -fired heating system. Although it is
often neglected, the chimney affects the effil
ciency and safety of a wood -fired 'stove or -
furnace system.
Hot flue gases rising through the chimney
F produce the draft needed to maintain com-
e
bustion.
work properly if it is co ne t d ova
deficient bhimney.
A common problem is a chimney flue that
is too big for the wood -fired heating system.
Excessively large chimneys allow slow gas
movement, leading to cooling and poor
draft. Chris Rodman, a salesman for S & D
Smith Central Supplies in Antigonish, Nova
Scotia, says that both the flue pipe and
chimney diameters should match the size of
the appliance flue collar. Flammable
creosote condenses quickly on cool chimney
liners. An insulated chimney helps protect
against creosote formation by keeping the'
chimney wanner. New high-temperature
chimneys offer increased protection to sur-
rounding building structures should a
chimney fire occur.
Rodman says masonry chimneys are
often not suitable for use„with a wood -fired
heating system. Their original liners can be
too large in diameter and most are built on
the' outside of the house, leading to conden-
sation and creosote problems on the cold in-
ner chimney surfaces. Masonry chimneys
can be lined with properly sized and approv-
ed stainless steel liners to overcome these
nrnblems.
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