ᐅ Condensation on Aluminum Exterior Door

Created on: 27 Nov 2019 14:04
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fattdogg
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.
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apokolok
28 Nov 2019 11:06
fattdogg schrieb:

The hallway air temperature is about 20°C (68°F). The humidity is around 50 percent. We have already replaced all windows and patio doors with new ones and have no problems with condensation anywhere. The frames of all windows have temperatures of about 15 - 16°C (59 - 61°F) when the outside temperature is around freezing or below.

That can’t be correct.
At 20°C (68°F) and 50% relative humidity, the dew point is about 9.3°C (49°F).
Besides, shouldn’t there have been sealing tape instead of foam used there? You clearly have a thermal bridge somewhere.
“Daily ventilation” might be enough for older houses, but if the building is newer and not equipped with a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, you will need to increase the airing frequency significantly.
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guckuck2
28 Nov 2019 12:07
The door looks like an aluminum model from the 1970s, when thermal separation between the interior and exterior shells was not yet available. This amount of water cannot be explained by improper ventilation.
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fragg
28 Nov 2019 14:12
Which winter is this house currently in?
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fattdogg
28 Nov 2019 14:32
The door has been installed for about three months, so it is brand new. The components have thermal breaks.

The house is an older building from 1979.
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fattdogg
28 Nov 2019 14:41
If condensation occurs at around 14°C (57°F) temperature of the frame, the relative humidity in our hallway would have to be about 65%. I need to check that.

There is definitely a thermal bridge because none of the window frames in the house are warmer than 15°C (59°F), even when it’s below freezing outside.
11ant28 Nov 2019 14:46
fattdogg schrieb:

The components are thermally separated.
The house is an older building from 1979.
fattdogg schrieb:

There is definitely a thermal bridge, as none of the window frames in the house reach temperatures above 15°C (59°F), even in freezing weather.

One might speculate about an incorrect choice of installation depth—Is the exterior wall a single layer? Has any thermal insulation been retrofitted?
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