JHow to insulate Bilco style basement entry doors

[jrsavoie]

I have a Bilco style steel basement entry from Menards. I do not know the brand.
I can not figure out how to insulte the door to eliminate the condensation the door has & retain the parts that hold the door open.
I could spray foam the inside but I would still have an issue where the doors lap.
Does anybody have any ideas on how to change the hardware so the door can be fully insulated or to replace portions of the doors to allow them to be insulated. It would also be nice to be able to instal a regulat door latch set in the doors. I've been loooking at this for a couple of years and the best I've come up with is a retractable sheet of insulation. I used 1/2" underslab reflective insulation with bubbles wrap on both sides of the foil & a 2x4 with a handle attached. It was attached at the door header & I would pull it back to the top of the steps.
The set up worked and did had the desired affect but it didn't look so nice and wasn't very handy. We use that entrance far more than I ever thought we would so I would like a solution that is a little more user friendly.
Any ideas or better places to post would be much appreciated.

[jpierce]

Does the basement entry have a second door at the bottom of the stairs? I would assume so.
I'm thinking make sure the lower door is well insulated and vent the stairwell to alleviate the condensation problem.
Just a thought.

[jrsavoie]

The lower door is a 46" walk-in freezer door I had as an extra off a job.
The floor under the stairs is heated concrete.
Does anybody make a retractable insulation? Similar to a window blind or retractable truck bed cover?

[Martin Holladay]

J.R. Savoie,
You should have bought an insulated fiberglass bulkhead door:
http://www.paramountfiberglass.net/P...es/Page387.htm

[jrsavoie]

J.R. Savoie,
You should have bought an insulated fiberglass bulkhead door:
http://www.paramountfiberglass.net/P...es/Page387.htm

You are absolutely correct but I don't know that they were available at that time. I'm sure had I seen them I would have went that route. I will look into retrofitting to my frame.

[jpierce]

The lower door is a 46" walk-in freezer door I had as an extra off a job.
The floor under the stairs is heated concrete.
Does anybody make a retractable insulation? Similar to a window blind or retractable truck bed cover?

Check out some greenhouse supply places for retractable insulation. Most commercial greenhouses use an insulated blind of sorts to hold the heat in on cool nights. You might be able to make something work by going that route. I can't think of any suppliers to recommend off hand.
But a door retrofit would be ideal and more convenient.

[jrsavoie]

I tried to call Paramount and received no answer. An email was returned as undeliverable. Any more options there?
Thanks

[always-learning]

From what I understand, you're not supposed to seal or insulate the bilco steel door systems, unless there is some mechanism that will remove the humidity / moisture from the air inside the well. If it's conditioned space, then it would work out just fine.

If you seal off the door, and prevent the air flow around the doors / between the bulkhead, you're potentially making a moist / humid environment, even more so.

[jrsavoie]

The basement is a conditioned space

[NW Architect]

Assuming the exterior is a flat plane you could do something like the following for each door leaf:
1. Set 2x2s around the perimeter of the face in sealant beds. Screw these to the face of the door - from the inside, if possible
2. Fill the void with 1-1/2" XPS foam
3. Apply a continuous bead of sealant to the upper face of the 2x2s
4. Lay a piece of galvanized sheet metal over the assembly
5. Screw the sheet metal down to the 2x2s
6. Paint it
7. Buy beer
8. Call neighbors to admire your work


I'd loose lay the foam over the door first, and test whether it will do the job.

You may have to frame a void to get to the existing hardware. You may be able to substitute a 2x6 block for a bit of the 2x2 and be able to retrofit some door or gate hardware.