I saw an ad on TV for the Twin Draft Guard and knew that I wanted to see one. I looked up their web site and saw they looked like they could do the job but that delivery was 3 to 5 weeks. Too long.
I then looked them up on Amazon and found that the folks who marketed them there did not show instant availability. It must be a popular item this winter.
On the same Amazon page, I spotted an ad for a Door Draft Protector that looked just like the Twin Draft Guard except it was navy blue instead of brown. The ad from Stack and Stacks indicated that it was “in stock,” so I ordered one.
I receive a confirmation email the next morning that it had been shipped. Good it was in stock.
How much did it cost?
I requested the standard shipping because that was the least expensive. The shipping still added almost 50% to the cost.
Price plus shipping made a 20-dollar bill disappear.
The two for one deal for the Twin Draft Guard would have driven the cost per each down below $15. But, I only wanted to try one.
Delivery
A full seven days from the date of shipment FedEx brought it to our home. I looked up the tracer information at the FedEx web site and found that it was shipped in California and that it took 7 days to reach Ohio. Back in 1969, I took 10 days to drive from California to Michigan but I drove it to enjoy the trip not to deliver the goods.
Faster delivery is available but why pay more when you are trying to save money?
Interesting first discovery, both the label on the item and the enclosed instructions identify it as a Twin Draft Guard not a Door Draft Protector. Apparently, the Twin Draft Guard has at least one alias.
So how well is it made?
My wife, the quilt maker, looked it over and commented that the 35% cotton and 65% polyester fabric was a good choice for the job. It will dry fast she said.
Her next comment was that it looked like it has been machine sewn by a beginner. The stitches were set up a little long on the machine, no doubt for speed. There was minimal back stitching at the end of the run, so the stitches could unravel after some heavy use.
Yes, it is made in China.
How can I cut it to length when it is already short?
The printed instructions said to measure the doorway opening and cut the two tube shaped plastic foam inserts ½ inch shorter than the door opening.
Ok I measured the front doorway. No surprise it is 36 inches. The most common doorway size. I then measure the foam tubes and fount them to be 34-1/2 inches. According to the instructions, I need cut them down to be 35-1/2 inches.
I am skilled at cutting things too short, but no way can I cut things again and make them longer. I know because I have tried it before.
Time to Test drive it
Well I decide to try it on our front door any way. We have a tile floor inside the entryway so it is easy to slip the draft stopper under the door ready to use.
When I closed the door, the Twin Draft Guard rolled right out from under the door. The gap between the bottom of the door and the tile floor was too big. We have a rather high threshold so it will not work at the front door.
Our back door out to the sun porch is also 36 inches wide. Here we have carpet flooring. It was a little more work to slide the Twin Draft Guard under the door. A tug here, pull there, and it was ready. The door opens and closes just fine. It really is an inch too short but it does seal the gap under the door ok. It looks like it has found a home.
Will it save 20 bucks on the heating bill?
Maybe not right away since it is starting out half way through the heating season. I do think it will pay back more than the cost in a year because it will help save energy in the air conditioning season too.
It is making the living room more comfortable and that is worth a lot to us.
Click here for Twin Draft Guard aka Door Draft Protector
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