Storm Door - Fire Hazard??

#1

Iv’e seen glass storm doors exposed to direct sunlight melt the plastic decorative trims on older steel doors. The other day I received a call from my brother-in-law recounting what he thought was overheating furnace or possible elec. short. After calling out HVAC tech. and a thorough furnace check they discovered the source of the odor was coming from his over heated front door. The previously dry paint (year old house) felt tacky to the touch.

Any similar reports, or worse, any actual fires resulting from this condition??

Russ Meyers

#2

Russell,

Welcome to iNACHI.

Naaah, it’ll never actually burn, the reflecting sun just melts everything plastic inside the storm door.

I see this quite a bit. If direct sunlight hits the storm door, the excessive heat builds up inside this cavity and melts everything plastic on the door.

Here in Massachusetts, I only see this happen in the hot summer months and I simply recommend removing storm window and replace it with screen. Now the heat won’t build up.