Fiberglass exterior doors can deliver efficiency, beauty
"The significant efficiency of a fiberglass door is that it will not warp with changes in humidity and it requires very little maintenance."
Q. My wood front door needs to be refinished again. Also, when I put my hand on the door from the inside, the material feels cold during the winter, and I think I can feel a chilly breeze coming around it. I’m thinking of just replacing it. Would a stainable fiberglass door be a good replacement?
A. In my opinion, no door compares in beauty to a finely finished natural wood door. Unfortunately, however, although most people think of wood as a good insulator, it actually is a poor insulator when compared to a steel or fiberglass door that’s filled with insulation.
If your door — whether wood or fiberglass — has glass windows, as many door models do today, the door material becomes less important from an insulation standpoint.
For example, many insulated fiberglass doors have uninsulated wood rails and stiles along the edges. If you also subtract the area of the glass, the actual insulated area may be only one-half of the total door. I suggest that you select a new insulated door with minimum glass for efficiency and security.
The significant efficiency advantage of a fiberglass door is that it will not warp with changes in humidity, and it requires very little maintenance.
My guess is that much of the chilly sensation you feel around your existing wood door is actually from air leakage around the edges. If a wood door is not properly maintained and regularly sealed, even the best doors will warp and leak over time.
If you decide to go with a stainable fiberglass door, here is some basic information that will help.
Modern fiberglass doors have natural grain rolled into the surface. Once they are stained and finished with urethane, it is difficult to distinguish a fiberglass door from a real wood one — until you touch it. Fiberglass doors also weigh less than solid wood doors, making them easier to open and close with your arms full.
I recommend using a staining and finishing kit from the door manufacturer. Most manufacturers offer a variety of stains, and you know the kit will be compatible with the door material if it comes from the same manufacturer. Also, when the door needs to be refinished, the stain in the new refinishing kit will match. Even a fiberglass door, if it is exposed to the direct sun, will need occasional refinishing.
There are several insulation options for fiberglass doors. Some use a preformed rigid foam insulation panel that fits inside the fiberglass skins. Other doors have been injected with expanding foam after assembly. If both methods are done correctly, there is not a significant difference in efficiency, so don’t be swayed by marketing hype about one or another.
Since you probably will want some glass in your new door, make sure it is triple-pane glass, which provides two insulating air gaps. The insulated fiberglass door I have on my house has a beveled decorative plastic pane sandwiched between two glass panes. This protects the decorative pane and makes the smooth indoor and outdoor glass surfaces easier to keep clean.
The following companies offer fiberglass entry doors: Jeld-Wen (800-5353936, www.jeldwen.com), Pella (877473-5527, www.pella.com), Plastpro (800-779-0561, www.plastpro.com), Taylor Door (800-248-3600, www. taylordoor.com) and Therma-Tru (800843-7628, www.thermatru.com).
Q. We have a heat pump, but our neighbors have gas heat. Our heat pump cools well, but it does not produce much heat in the winter. We cover the unit during the colder months, like our neighbors do their air conditioners. Should we cover the unit or not?
A. It is fine to loosely cover the outdoor unit of a central air-conditioner during the winter to keep out debris, but a heat pump should definitely not be covered. The heat pump’s outdoor unit needs to have air circulation to draw heat from the air.
Your heat-pump compressor probably ran like crazy all winter trying to produce heat, and your backup resistance has been coming on. It would be wise to schedule a service call to have the heat pump inspected — and don’t cover it next winter.