Weatherstripping works together with your entrance doorway to seal off the inside of your home from exterior elements. On a Larson screen door, the weatherstripping at the bottom of the doorway consists of a rubber strip, or sweep. These are replaceable. Replacing a damaged or worn sweep will help eliminate drafts, avoid moisture infiltration and keep unwelcome insects outside where they belong.
Replacing Easy Sweeps With no Expanders
Open the door and then prop it open while you work. Reach down and examine the base of the door. If you’re able to grasp the weatherstripping at one end and pull it from the groove in the base of the door, you have a very simple sweep without an expander. If the sweep is molded into the base of the doorway and you can not pull it loose, then skip to Section 2 to follow the instructions for replacing a strip having an expander.
Take a look at the weatherstripping. If the sweep has 2 strips of rubber extending toward the Landscaping tips Fresno, CA design Boise, ID, then buy a double-spline sweep. If only 1 strip of rubber extends to the Landscaping cost Fort Lauderdale design Flagstaff, AZ, then buy a single-spline sweep.
Pull the old strip out, or use pliers when it’s hard to eliminate.
Rub a bit of liquid dish soap to the top of your fresh sweep and slip it into the groove at the base of the doorway.
Cut the strip to fit using a pair of scissors or a sharp utility knife to get rid of any surplus rubber that extends out the border of the doorway.
Crimp the ends of the steel along either side of the groove using a pair of pliers to help hold the sweep in place.
Installing Expanders With Molded Sweeps
Open the door and then prop it open while you work.
Use a screwdriver or drill to loosen the screws holding the expander on the base of the door. This expander appears like a little cap that covers the base of the doorway from end to end.
Eliminate the expander and molded sweep by sliding it away from the edge of the doorway as soon as you’ve removed the screws.
Assess the expander and buy one of the same span, with a molded sweep. The expander cannot be cut to fit the doorway, so it’s important to select the right length.
Squirt a small quantity of liquid dish soap into the opening in your expander and slip it over the base of the doorway, starting at one end. Use the screws provided to attach the expander to your doorway.