In our house in the winter we have several doors that suddenly wont shut. I am talking about severe changes in how they operate( they rub so bad at the top they won’t close). The house is 9 years old. Also we have a diagonal crack in the drywall at the top corner of the doors that won’t operate. Any suggestions as to the cause and/or cure?
Thanks, Face
Replies
Bump
Sounds like some of your framing is expanding and contracting with changes in humidity.
Filling out your profile and/or telling us where you're located would be a nice start towards getting the info we need.
Lots of other info would help too.
Like is it a one story house or two?
Stick framed roof or trussed?
What kind of doors?
located in southern indiana
2 story, stick framed roof
heat pump
masonite doors
this has been happening every year when fall sets in until late spring then it goes away. that has been my thought that it should be happening in the summer not the winter
Face,
Like others have said, this may need a little more information.
Is the problem at all related to temperature? In a cold climate, the ground can swell upwards several inches as a result of freezing.
Could water be getting under your footing and expanding?
What type of soil is under your footing?
RedDog
I'm going to guess that there's a sawn lumber header or other carrying member below the lock side of the jamb. When the house dries out in the winter, this member shrinks more than whatever is carrying the wall on the other side of the door. As it shrinks, the floor sinks on this side, but not the other. That side of the door frame follows the floor down, and it sticks.
Not much to be done short of reframing with engineered material, or trimming the top of the door to fit in the winter. If you choose the latter option, you'll have to live with a tapered gap at the top of the door for the rest of the year.Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
It's interesting that this is happening after 9 years. These sound like first year, green lumber drying out issues. Have you made any changes since last winter? New heating system? Ventilation? Woodstove? Basement finish? Anything?
As Boss Hog says, the more particulars you can give, the better an answer we can give.
Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
Usually the doors swell and stick in the summers high humidity. I cant imagine how you are getting so much humidity in the dead of winter to cause doors to stick. The rest of us are pumping moisture into the air this time of year to keep things from drying out.
I would have some one in the know take a look at your basic structure to make sure nothing is over stressed and failing. if that is all good then you have a serious moisture problem which could be caused by any number of things.
I cant imagine how you are getting so much humidity in the dead of winter to cause doors to stick
Would seem like it would be right rare in the cold, dry, North. Less so, here in the mild, damp, South.
Just this week the reported RH (that's a daily average) has swung from 17% to 78% in just one day. But, I do live between two river valleies, too, (and under the Tropic of Cancer). My doors & floors have followed no rhyhme nor reason since Christmas.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Face,
How do you heat your house?
If this happened all at once after nine years, I don't see how it can be moisture/humidity related.
Seems to me that some ground work has happened nearby to cause settling, or a bomb shifted the structure, or maybe underground water diversion has gotten stopped up or diverted.
This place must be showiung other signs of structural settlement or shifting such as gaps wedge shaped in the casing miters
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I don't know that he said that it happened all at once.
I agree w/ others and think more info is needed.
Not that you're going down the wrong path.
This will boump it anyway.Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
Could it be frost heave? Outside wall, porch? How deep are the footers?
The footers are 1ft. thick and 2 ft. wide and well below the frost line. The is no water accumulating as there is positive drainage.
At this point I am going to guess that when the door frames were set that they may be tight to the header, and so I will have to take one out to see if this could be the cause. Does that sound like the thing to do?