Question

During hot weather, hollow metal doors can sometimes bow toward the sunlight causing problems with the door latching. Is this problem, called "thermal bow," more likely to occur in an insulated or uninsulated door? How could you "fix" this problem?

Answer

Thermal bow occurs mainly with polystyrene and polyurethane insulated steel doors when the ambient temperature differs greatly from one side of the door to the other. Hot sun striking the face of a door to an air-conditioned space can cause the core to swell out slightly and the latch to bind. Field adjusting the strike or latch would only be a temporary fix. Light-colored doors and shaded doors are less likely to have the problem.