Effective letter flap for front door?

[lancasterlad]

I'm going to be fitting a new timber front door which has no protection against the prevailing wind and weather. Our current door, a cheap softwood door, lets in draughts and rain through the letter flap.

Any thoughts on how to keep a letter flap and cut out draughts and water ingress? I saw this, looks awful but may be quite effective - http://www.ecoflap.co.uk

I'd rather have a flap than an external box on the wall for convenience.

Any thoughts?

[Little John]

I'm going to be fitting a new timber front door which has no protection against the prevailing wind and weather. Our current door, a cheap softwood door, lets in draughts and rain through the letter flap.

Any thoughts on how to keep a letter flap and cut out draughts and water ingress? I saw this, looks awful but may be quite effective - http://www.ecoflap.co.uk

I'd rather have a flap than an external box on the wall for convenience.

Any thoughts?

The flap needs to have a strong spring on it, with a fibre screening at the back of it to minimise the wind and rain getting in when stuff is being posted through. You can also have a box with a lid on the top fitted to the inside of the door behind the flap. This means, when the flap is pushed open for letters, the outside air mainly only mixes with the air in the box and not the air from inside your house.

[Ballard]

wot steve said

[woodburner]

If you mean by "fibre screening" those horrid brush things, spare a thought for people trying to deliver your post. Trying to push thin letters through is either a two handed job or you get squashed letters. FFS how much rain snow and pestilence is going to get through in the time it takes to push a letter through.

Now, an inside box is a good idea.

That eco flap better not be as bad as the site. The slides change so fast I can't read the words before the next slide. Whoever designed the site has failed.

[Tarrel]

If you mean by "fibre screening" those horrid brush things, spare a thought for people trying to deliver your post. Trying to push thin letters through is either a two handed job or you get squashed letters. FFS how much rain snow and pestilence is going to get through in the time it takes to push a letter through.

Now, an inside box is a good idea.

That eco flap better not be as bad as the site. The slides change so fast I can't read the words before the next slide. Whoever designed the site has failed.

Agree 100%! Having done a fair amount of leaflet-stuffing in my time, I think I can safely say I HATE draught-proof letter boxes! (Also, unreadable / hidden house numbers and modern housing estates whose layout would test a MENSA member!)

[woodburner]

Try building an entrance for the letter box the same as the Royal Mail letterboxes. They don't get full of rain, and the draught could be dealt with by having a gravity, external flap, instead of an internal, spring loaded, finger trap.

[emordnilap]

Put a letter box on the wall next to the door and get rid of the hole in the door?

[lancasterlad]

Put a letter box on the wall next to the door and get rid of the hole in the door?

I'm starting to think it may be the best solution. The front of our house faces the prevailing weather. Sometimes I can hardly shut the door against the wind!

I'm now looking at those parcel boxes that also take letters that I could mount outside. The benefit of one of these is that parcel deliveries can be made whilst we're out keeping the parcel secure and dry. A code on the inside of the door counts as a signature on delivery.

[woodburner]

If you cut a hole through the wall to mount the box in, you could have a sealed door on the inside of the house to empty it. That way you don't get the huge blast when you open the front door to empty it from the outside (and making a joke of having a draught seal on the letterbox.

If there's a code on the door for parcel receipts, doesn't that mean that theives could also get in and take the parcels?

[kenneal - lagger]

Build a storm porch over your front door to form an airlock.

[lancasterlad]

Build a storm porch over your front door to form an airlock.

Would love to but wouldn't get away with it. I live within the boundary of a listed building.

[lancasterlad]

If you cut a hole through the wall to mount the box in, you could have a sealed door on the inside of the house to empty it. That way you don't get the huge blast when you open the front door to empty it from the outside (and making a joke of having a draught seal on the letterbox.

If there's a code on the door for parcel receipts, doesn't that mean that theives could also get in and take the parcels?

The walls are 3ft thick so it would be a bit of a job. The code on the inside of the door is purely for proof of delivery. The combination lock to open the door has its own code.

[notdraughty]

If you mean by "fibre screening" those horrid brush things, spare a thought for people trying to deliver your post. Trying to push thin letters through is either a two handed job or you get squashed letters. FFS how much rain snow and pestilence is going to get through in the time it takes to push a letter through.

Now, an inside box is a good idea.

That eco flap better not be as bad as the site. The slides change so fast I can't read the words before the next slide. Whoever designed the site has failed.

The website slides - have you tried clicking on them to pause and to take you to the appropriate page?

[notdraughty]

The Ecoflap - now renowned - is the latest in letter box design and was launched at Ecobuild in 2009. Thousands have been sold.
"It looks awful" . Well this is subject to personal opinion of course, but...if it does the job?...and....it is after all a retro fit and fits onto the back of the door to work with the existing front letter plate.

Nothing to crunch mail or to jam the letter box open to dissipate the energy costs that you have worked so hard to pay for. Also a strong safety issue - it does not bite your fingers. No springs. It's all hard to believe but it's true.

I suggest you look at some of the videos on the website Better still, if you are attending Ecobuild please visit our stand 1064. Meet the Inventor.

The following product is being tooled up at the moment. The full letter box system which is known as the Ecoflap Twin. Just search Ecoflap Twin in google or the website. In fact - just google Ecoflap.

The twin is a traditional design in whatever material or finish required by door furniture suppliers to the door manufacturing companies. It will be available also to the individual customer. Incidently all products are - and more to follow - covered by International Patent.

Its all up to your choice of course...and we respect that. We personally look after our customers and our products are bearing the customer in mind. http://ecoflap-blowawaydraughts.blogspo ... -wind.html

[lancasterlad]

I'm assuming 'notdraught' is Richard Jessel?

The twin looks a lot better.