ᐅ Condensation on Aluminum Exterior Door

Created on: 27 Nov 2019 14:04
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fattdogg
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fattdogg
27 Nov 2019 14:04
Hello everyone,

We replaced our front door with an aluminum front door. Overall, I am satisfied with the door, but I have the following problem. When the outside temperature drops to about 4°C (39°F) or lower, condensation forms at the bottom area of the door (frame, leaf, hinge). I have attached some pictures.

At an outside temperature of 4°C (39°F), the lower part of the door is still at 14°C (57°F), but at around 0°C (32°F), it drops to only 12°C (54°F) on the door. This is definitely too cold.

The door components are thermally separated. The door was professionally installed (with foil and PE foam) by a company. However, the installers could not see whether the foam had spread completely under the door because the laminate flooring inside was already covering the view underneath the door during installation.
Could it be possible that the condensation is caused by missing PE foam?

Thank you very much for your help and ideas.






tomtom7927 Nov 2019 14:08
That's an extremely high amount of water. What is the room air humidity and room temperature?
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Lumpi_LE
27 Nov 2019 14:09
If so much water condenses at a surface temperature of 12°C (54°F), you are ventilating far too little. How warm is the room?
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fattdogg
27 Nov 2019 14:19
Condensation occurs when there is too large a difference between the air temperature and the surface temperature. A quote from another source states: "The ideal humidity is between 40 and 50 percent, with a temperature of 21 degrees Celsius (70°F). The temperature difference on the walls should not exceed 2 degrees Celsius (4°F), and on the window panes, not more than 6 degrees Celsius (11°F)."

In the hallway, the air temperature is approximately 20 degrees Celsius (68°F), with humidity around 50 percent. We have already replaced all windows and patio doors with new ones and have no issues with condensation anywhere. The frames of all windows have a surface temperature of about 15 to 16 degrees Celsius (59 to 61°F) when the outside temperature is around freezing and below.

Any surface temperature below 15 degrees Celsius (59°F) is not acceptable. And yes… we ventilate daily.
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Lumpi_LE
27 Nov 2019 14:29
No matter how absurd it sounds, without mechanical ventilation, you would need to ventilate by fully opening windows about 10 times a day.
At 20°C (68°F) room temperature, the surface should not be that cold with a properly installed door – as you already mentioned. It is also hard to believe that it has something to do with the installation. You could try attaching some polystyrene foam from the outside at the bottom and around the edges; then you could at least check whether the issue is related to the construction or if there is something else wrong.
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fattdogg
27 Nov 2019 14:56
From the outside, it is no longer possible to access underneath or beside the door. Concrete stone slabs have now been installed there.

You will probably need to remove the laminate flooring from the inside and then look under the door.