Sunday, November 22, 2015

About Rubber Weather Stripping For Home And Auto

By Marci Nielsen


As people keep their cars longer and get their homes ready for winter, they need to know how to renew seals around doors and windows that may have degraded over the years. Rubber weather stripping for both house and auto are just what the handyman ordered to keep the elements out of your personal space. Different products designed to keep wind, water, snow, dust, and noise out are available for you to 'do it yourself'.

Especially in cold winter areas like Middletown, NY, keeping air, rain, or snow out of sealed spaces is important. In a home, leaky windows and doors are major energy drains. Drafts can make life miserable on windy days when you're trying to relax.

Cars have weatherstripping, too. If the windows whistle as you drive along, you get water inside the car during an automatic car wash, or stuff in your trunk gets rained on, you have a problem. A sunroof is great, but eventually you may feel rain dripping on your head.

Most people can rely on the weatherstripping put on at the factory. However, those who have to leave their cars outside in all weathers, who drive one vehicle long after the shine has worn off, or who are restoring a classic too good to discard may find that the original protection is cracked, pulled away from the frame, or even missing altogether in spots. Cleaning chemicals can damage it, as can a new paint job. Replacing it is a chore that might not have been on your radar screen, but if you go online you'll see a lot of automobile weather-proofing products. Obviously there's a demand for seals and installation tools like adhesive-off and adhesive-on.

If you need to replace weatherstripping, you'll find lots of products to choose from. Rubber foam products are made for your home, coming in strips with adhesive on one side. All you have to do is press it into place around and under doors. Windows are more difficult; sometimes it's easiest to cover the entire window with a plastic film for the duration of the winter.

Replacement weather stripping for autos is sold like any other car part. You order a specific strip for the make, model, and year of your car. Ordering this way should give you an exact match, but you need to compare the new strips carefully with the old before removing the old strips, just to be sure.

When the product description says "rubber', it doesn't mean the carbon-based stuff that comes from South American trees. The newer alternative is silicone, A similar material but one with a mineral base. It can stand up to high temperatures, is more resistant to chemicals, and degrades more slowly.

Like any other scary do-it-yourself chore, you'll find a lot of how-to sites and videos on replacing weatherstripping. You have to be careful, but it really isn't all that hard to restore your automobile weatherproofing or to seal your home tightly against the elements. Check out the different kinds of seals (like channel or bulb) and find the perfect one for the job you have.




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