Draught Excluder 21 September 2022 at 9:24AM in Energy 7 replies 879 views

Kathryn_Fin

I made my draught excluder out of 2 cardboard rolls the width of the door.  These are slipped into a material cover which is slipped under the door so that they fit either side of the door.  This  has the advantage of moving  with the door so you don't have to keep moving it.

Brywalker

Great idea. Thanks for sharing.

MSE_Laura_F

Nice work @Kathryn_Fin. I'd love to see a photo of it, if you have the time to upload one.

Alnat1

Can do the same with 2 rolled up bath mats and some elastic bands, it's also washable 

justwantedtosay

If you put a draught excluder on the side the door opens away from you don't need to keep moving it - interior doors only, obviously. I just fold up an old towel and leave it in place all winter unless royalty is visiting. It fills the gap far better than a bought one if you push it well into the angle of door and floor and stepping over it very soon becomes second nature.

wittynamegoeshere

If you have any kind of fire that burns anything - gas or any kind of solid fuel (or a very old boiler) then any draughts may be needed to feed it fresh air.  Sometimes doors deliberately have a gap under them for this very purpose - it's not because the bloke who fitted it couldn't measure properly.  Also vents may be fitted in external walls for the same reason.  If a fire is used in a sealed room then this can result in the flue stopping or reversing (pulling fumes into the room) and/or production of toxic carbon monoxide (due to incomplete combustion resulting from a lack of oxygen).

Draughts should only be eliminated where nothing at all is being burnt, e.g. if only radiators or electric heaters are being used.

Sorry for (again) being the voice of doom, but you have to be careful you're not inadvertently creating a safety issue.

Max68

May I add to this that a curtain across my porch door into the lounge made a big difference last winter, and also in the summer when it made the lounge cooler as the sun didn't shine in.  Not even a thermal curtain either.  Curtain and rail came to about £60-£70 in B&Q, thinking of getting one for my door in the kitchen this year as the kitchen with tiles gets cold.

EssexHebridean

This thread has reminded me that it’s reaching the time of year when the larder door fraught excluder will need to be reinstated. (It’s as simple as an old bathmat rolled up tightly and secures with a couple of magnetic rubber ties.)