Blocking draft, snow, etc. under sliding barn door

[King_s_Ransom]

I need some ideas on good ways to block the draft, snow, rain, etc. that blows in under my north-facing sliding barn door.

There is a BIG gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. No overhang, north-facing.

In the past, I have stacked up straw bales and left them all winter. Works fine, except – we are really trying to reduce hay, straw and dust, etc. in the barn (due to my respiratory issues). We would like to come up with something else and stick to our no-bales-in-the-barn goal.

Thoughts?

[Calamber]

Make a “door snake” with old gunny or plastic feed sacks, you will have to stitch them together to make a tube and then stuff them with something, maybe sand?

[Bedazzle]

I have no experience with this, but would something like a mudflap work? Maybe a long strip of thick plastic?

[Inese]

The barn where I board uses a 4" X 4" block of wood covered in green indoor/outdoor carpeting, to block the wind coming in under the sliding doors at the end of each aisle. Two separate sections take care of the 10’ opening, and they fit snugly from door frame to door frame. They are moved daily when the doors are open for turnouts, but are always in place overnight during the winter.

[NoDQhere]

I made an apron for our sliding door using recycled rubber conveyor belting. It is stiff enough to keep the wind/snow out but doesn’t hinder opening/closing the door.

[Robin]

We have a similar problem with a 14’ sliding door on our indoor arena which is also on the north side. I have used 4" jump rails on the ground under the door but we need to be able to drive through that doorway from time to time and the rails tend to freeze down. I put J hooks on the bottom or the door and installed grommets into an old rubber inner tube (large one from a tractor) which I cut into long strips to act as a “floor curtain” for the door. Not a perfect seal but keeps most of the cold wind and snow out.

[Bluey]

After fighting our big metal sliding doors for years in our Quonset barn, two 9 1/2’ wide by 14’ tall doors on each end, we took the problem doors on one end clear out and closed the hole with a metal wall.

Later, as we again used the barn more and needed a door there, went with a wonderful overhead door.
Wish we had done that sooner, all problems solved and a very usable door.

There are rubber strips for the bottom of doors sold at hardware stores.
Home Depot and Lowes have them.
Some are solid rubber tubes, some flaps, some thick short brushes.
We have those brushes on the sides of the overhead doors.
Some attach on the side at the bottom, some on the bottom itself.
You may want to check what they have in your area.

[ShotenStar]

We went low-tech for our solution to the same issue: a pressure-treated board across the entrance with dirt ramps on both sides so the muck cart, tractor, etc can get over it. The board is sitting up on its edge and is nailed in place at both ends. The door clears it by a scant quarter inch. The dirt ramps are mostly in the center, but could run the entire length if needed.

star

[Belg]

I stapled grain bags to the bottom of the doors one year(SnowMaggedon); we were expecting west instead of north winds for the snow. Helped a lot. Looked tacky, but sure beat shoveling out the barn aisle. Again. Used paper grain bags versus the thin plastic ones for stiffness.

Barn’s pretty well laid out for normal years though.

[Bluey]

We had some blizzards push snow thru the sides of our overhead doors, until we put this there.

http://precisionbrush.com/custom-brush-weather-seals

That or something similar would work fine on any place, like the bottom of your sliding doors.

[rmh_rider]

I also use a 4x4 piece of wood on the inside, and/or outside of the door opening. I have this on my stall doors, that way no animals can slip under the door and start living in there. Or, in my case, a skunk, which decides at that point it is holding the whole barn hostage.

The big doors have a concrete channel and the door slides inside the channel so nothing blows in/out.

The wood and the channel proved to be tornado and hurricane proof.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=rmh_rider;7235968]
I also use a 4x4 piece of wood on the inside, and/or outside of the door opening. I have this on my stall doors, that way no animals can slip under the door and start living in there. Or, in my case, a skunk, which decides at that point it is holding the whole barn hostage.

The big doors have a concrete channel and the door slides inside the channel so nothing blows in/out.

The wood and the channel proved to be tornado and hurricane proof.[/QUOTE]

Here, you have to be careful what you use or how you build such doors, because they will freeze to the ground on you and require a crowbar to pry open and much chipping to slide.

Been there, done that, not really worth it.

[rmh_rider]

[QUOTE=Bluey;7235972]
Here, you have to be careful what you use or how you build such doors, because they will freeze to the ground on you and require a crowbar to pry open and much chipping to slide.

Been there, done that, not really worth it.[/QUOTE]

Been in this house/property since 1997. Nope hasn’t happened. I do live in AL. But had this in WA also. So this was worth it to us. Also has kept the skunks OUT of the barn.

[Robin]

Up here in the upper Mississippi Valley I know exactly what
Bluey is talking about which is why the “curtain” on our door has to be removeable since it is likely to freeze down. We have a pickaxe which is kept handy for winter ice removal when the big sliding door has to be opened after a major snowstorm.

[SLW]

Sand bags.

[King_s_Ransom]

SLW, I am still in Kentucky, so haven’t been able to check in, but I was thinking of sand bags. Is it possible to get long, skinny ones?

[SLW]

I buy sandbags at the Family Center. Because they are dead weight you wouldn’t want them to big or David will swear at you when he moves them. If you have leftover screenings you could build up the height inside though folks have chimed in with very nice permanent solutions.

Caution though, if your barn is pretty air tight do allow for some air to get inside and let bad air out. Not all gaps are bad gaps. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

[allpurpose]

[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;7235294]
I need some ideas on good ways to block the draft, snow, rain, etc. that blows in under my north-facing sliding barn door.

There is a BIG gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. No overhang, north-facing.

In the past, I have stacked up straw bales and left them all winter. Works fine, except – we are really trying to reduce hay, straw and dust, etc. in the barn (due to my respiratory issues). We would like to come up with something else and stick to our no-bales-in-the-barn goal.

Thoughts?[/QUOTE]

How about stacking them outside the door instead?

[2DogsFarm]

[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;7236413]
SLW, I am still in Kentucky, so haven’t been able to check in, but I was thinking of sand bags. Is it possible to get long, skinny ones?[/QUOTE]

Home Depot & places like sell long, skinny sandbags as weight for the back of pickup trucks.
Around $30 IIRC.

For a no-drag solution:
A barn I boarded at had a 2X4 running the length of the door, covered with a strip of indoor/outdoor carpeting - like a mudflap -attached to the inside that was dropped down in bad weather.
It was attached so that it could be flipped up & held in place when you needed to open the door or weather was good.

I rarely get snow blown in as my main doors faces South.
But I agree anything permanent or immovable will eventually get iced into place & require much hacking & swearing to free the door.
BTDT on the rare blizzard occasion, even w/o anything added to the slider.

[Jaideux]

What about affixing something like tire mudflaps along the bottom of the door as a skirt? They’re heavy, so should keep stuff out, but still somewhat flexible. And, if you can hang a couple, so they’re like overlapping petals, they’ll be easier to maneuver and replace if necessary. And they’re probably a bit nicer looking and more heavy-duty than feed bags.

But I’m up north, where the driving snow and wind and rain NEED to be kept out. KY might not require quite as much reinforcement to get the job done.