Draft Eliminator Reduces Workshop Heating Costs

Draft Eliminator Reduces Workshop Heating Costs BUILDINGS New Techniques Tony Bunniss built an extension on his tuck-under garage to expand it to a 4-car garage which Bunniss heated and air-conditioned The original garage section then became a machine shop Preventing cold winds from blowing through became a challenge and Bunniss knew that merely caulking the cracks wasn’t going to cut it Bunniss first installed insulated doors “Then I installed a vinyl flexible seal that is mounted into a doorstop type wood trim It can only be installed lightly touching the door or it puts too much of a drag on the opener ” he shares This system worked well through the summer but winter winds posed a problem As Bunniss explains “While the seal would initially touch the door blowing winds would bounce the door and push it away Being that the material was cold and stiff it would not follow the edge of the door to maintain a seal ” As a result snow tended to accumulate inside the door making his furnace run nearly full time The solution was to build four devices two for each door to hold each door joint against the vinyl strip “This draft eliminator is initially set by just closing the door which spring-loads the hook ” he explains “As the door comes down the hook latches into the slot which happens during the last inch or so of door travel It then pulls down on the rod that is connected to the three roller housing’s levers ” The rod compresses the unlatching spring located on the top of the rod which pulls the rod up upon opening the door pivoting the latches away so that the door hinge below it clears each of the latches as the door moves upwards With this system wind becomes an advantage “As the wind rocks the door back and forth the latching spring will pivot the latches tighter eventually holding the door against the vinyl strip/door jam tight enough so that the wind can’t vibrate it ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tony Bunniss Webster Minn glennlee1964@gofast am

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