Seals Direct - Recommended!

[jayjay]

Have been pondering the problem of draughty back door - the seals on the inside have completely perished in places. A new back door is not an option at the moment, and the seals can't be replaced except at a caravan place, so very expensive. Fixed door curtain on expanding shower rail to interior of door which stops the draught a lot.

Bingo! Yesterday I came up with a solution - to put seals on the outside edges of the door, so that they marry up with the outside edges of the door aperture.

This particular site has helped me in the past (more about that later) so I browsed the site for the most likely seal and then emailed them (as I had previously) for samples of the most likely matches for the job. They arrived this morning, by first class post!

Tried them all and to cut a long story short, one seal was just the job. Tried the sample at every point (just to make sure the door would shut properly (LOL) - and no daylight can be seen from the inside. I'd thought I would just have to live with this, but on a windy, rainy night not long ago rain had forced its way into the footwell.

This stuff is brilliant! Just clips on and a really tight fit, so it's unlikely to come off again! Looks just like a neat black trim around the outside of the door. So I've ordered 4 metres immediately. It's not that cheap with VAT (around £14 for the 4 metres) but well worth the money, I think.

The firm is Seals Direct:
www.sealsdirect.co.uk/bbCMS/bbCMSrenderPage.asp

Remember the prob I had with the draught getting around the van back window aperture, twixt van and Roma body? Well I sent off for some samples then (expanded neoprene cord) and one was just right to fix that prob from the inside, together with the pipe insulation on the outside as Ant had suggested.

So that's another prob solved. Do love to solve probs! ;D

[pendel]

Hiya Jayjay. We have a problem with our door seal, see the light through it and Bingo, we are awake.
How did you know which seal to order? It never ceases to amaze me how usefull this forum is with all the handy tip's etc.
Have been in Bristol for the past few weeks so I have not had chance to come on. Hope you are well. Penny.

[glenw]

they might be getting a few orders, we have a similar problem with our door!

[jayjay]

May 8, 2008 9:04:30 GMT glenw said:

they might be getting a few orders, we have a similar problem with our door!

The one that fits the ouside edge of my door is ET57, Glen. I asked for a few more samples also, one esp for motorhomes as well, neither of the others fit, but this is lovely - fits like a glove with good grip. Email them and ask for a few samples, or call and ask for advice, they are very helpful.

I'll put up some photos before and after when the stuff arrives and it's done.

Hi Pendel too! Yes daylight, not good. I put up a curtain to stop the draught (and for privacy!), but it doesn't stop the rain when it's the driving, windy variety as I found t'other week! The footwell and carpet was wet right behind the door, obvious that was where the rain was coming in.

It took me months literally to think my way around this. I can't do anything with the inside seal - it's sort of 'nailed' on between two strips of aluminium. It's in the door aperture and in parts is very worn. Plus the door doesn't fit properly anyway. I think at some point before I owned Daisy, someone had tried to break in and had used a crowbar, there's a light warp on the door itself.

It wasn't until the other day I came up with the idea that if I could do nothing about the aperture, or the warp on the door (without great expense) then perhaps I could find something that would go onto the outside to improve the situation a bit.

And hey presto! This stuff just pushes on and clips onto the 'lip' of the outside edge of the door!

I contacted Seals Direct ages ago regarding this prob, but they asked for a sample of the seal from the door for identification, that's when I noticed it was never meant to be taken out, ever. No idea how to get it out from between those two metal strips.

So this is a compromise, but I think it will be a good one and pretty effective!

[jayjay]

May 8, 2008 7:37:40 GMT pendel said:

Hiya Jayjay.
How did you know which seal to order? Hope you are well. Penny.

Hi Penny, very well thanks, hope you both are too!

I just looked long and hard at every single likely seal until I had narrowed it down to about three, then emailed the firm for samples, which arrived the next day! Funnily enough, the cheapest seal was the one that was the best fit! Not usually my luck!

[playallday]

May 8, 2008 7:37:40 GMT pendel said:

It never ceases to amaze me how useful this forum is with all the handy tip's etc.

I sooo agree with you, Penny. What a find for newbies like me!

And as for you, Jay Jay, I'm so glad I'm a few weeks behind you in the preparations for my trip, because you either have the answers or ask the questions which I need. The seal thing is great news, I have had a problem with daylight (and wind) through the back door, and like you had decided the seal was never meant to be removed. Hooray for lateral thinking!!

[jayjay]

Well here's the result and I'm very pleased with myself!! ;D ;D

At first I thought the seal was a shade too big - I couldn't get the door to shut tight from the inside (you could push it shut from the outside, but that's no good if you're inside!) as there's nothing really you can pull on apart from the handle in the middle.

Pondered for a whiley, went to ask my Dad. I wondered if the seals needed to 'bed in'. He said to tap them lightly with a wooden mallet and they now fit excellently well - still need to bed in for a few days, says Dad, but:

There is no daylight coming through the door at any point:
We were inside in a heavy rainshower earlier and there were no leaks:
there's no more draughts!!!

Here are the before and after pics. They're not too good and I couldn't get a pic of the inside either showing daylight or not so here are the outside shots!
This is the door before I put it on:


this is the door after, with the seal on around the outside edge.

[jayjay]

posted twice - oops!

[jayjay]

By the way, I now need to slam the door shut from approx 2 inches away rather than just gently close it. Dad says a lot of van doors are this way anyway, but that the prob should go away when the seal has bedded in for a few days. And you need a stanley knife to cut it - it has reinforced metal inside but lots of little bits, so easy to cut in between them, right where you need to.

I started at the top edge next to the top hinge and went from there right the way around the top and down the side to the stable door split (it bends really well around the 'roundy' bits at the top of the door), then another length from there down to the bottom edge. Then started again doing the other bits at either sides of the three hinges.

I didn't put it along the bottom edge of the door as there's a lip which sticks out, so the rain can run off.

So there you go - problem solved.

[fuzzy]

Hi Guys
This site is brilliant I like the way everyone is learning something new together. It is really encouraging to see that people are so willing to share their experiences - a problem shared is a problem vanished on this site.

Jayjay is so practical in the way all her problems have been solved - you should have been an engineer Jayjay or were you.

[jayjay]

Jun 10, 2008 21:10:13 GMT fuzzy said:

you should have been an engineer Jayjay or were you.

LOL Fuzzy! I'm a 50 yrs old partially disabled grannie!! Never been an engineer but I've enjoyed the challenge of some of the more compicated problems I've had to solve - but I had a lot of help from the good ppl on here!

I just love solving problems! I find 'where there's a will, there's a way' is my favourite saying where my little old romahome is concerned! ;D ;D