You have an exterior door that you purchased from Southern Front Doors. You have bought a weatherstrip for the side of the door, but you are still feeling air come through. A weatherstrip is supposed to fix this problem, but it isn’t. Try examining the tightness of your lock.

When you get a weatherstrip, of course, it is meant to fit into the spot that you have for it. And its job is to close the gap between the door and the frame. Keeping heat from the sun and drafts caused by the wind out of your home or building. So why is it that you are still feeling a breeze come in? This might be because your lockset is not tight.

The importance of a tight lockset on your door

Look at your lockset and make sure that it’s tight

A lockset is meant to protect your home from intruders and acts as a security system, but it has another function. For a weatherstrip to really do its job correctly, the door must be close to it. On its own, the door can’t get as close. This is where the lockset comes in.

The lockset brings the door closer to the weatherstrip. You want your lockset to be tight so that the door is up against the weatherstrip. That way, there is enough compression to create a tight seal. And when there is a tight seal, then the weatherstrip can complete its primary purpose.

The weather can affect your lockset

You might be thinking my lockset is tight. The truth is it might not be. Did you know that the weather can affect your lockset? No matter the type of lockset you have, the weather can move it out of balance.

When it is warmer outside, usually during the summer, exterior doors can sometimes expand. This is because of the heat, and this can cause door jams. This can cause your lock to be hard to turn. Ideally, this sounds like a good thing for the purpose of your weatherstrip, but you don’t need it t be unopenable.

It’s almost the same thing for the colder parts of the year, except that the door shrinks. This causes the door to seem like it does not fit. In this case, you will need to adjust and tighten your lockset because it is more than possible that it has loosened and moved out of place.

Both of these scenarios usually happen to wooden doors, which are popular in the Greater Houston area. So, it important to check on your lockset. Make sure that it stays tight and in the right place every season. It is possible that you don’t notice that it is loosening, so keep an eye out for it.

To find the perfect door for your exterior, visit Southern Front Door or give us a call.