Draught excluder
{{short description|Insulator to keep cold air from coming under doors and windows}}
A draught excluder or draft guard is a device used to prevent cold air from entering a building through gaps around entry points such as doors, windows and fireplaces.
Types
= Door =
A door draught excluder is placed at the bottom of a door to cover the gap located at the threshold.{{cite news|last=Griffiths|first=Sally Cameron |date=5 January 2010|title=How to make a draught excluder|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/05/how-to-make-draught-excluder |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=8 April 2012}}{{cite news|last=Clark Howard|first=Brian|title=20 Adorable DIY Draft Snakes Fight Chills|url=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/door-draft-stoppers-draft-snakes-460109 |department=The Daily Green (blog) |work=Good Housekeeping |accessdate=8 April 2012}} In the Victorian era these draught excluders would be sausage-shaped and made from fabric stuffed with sawdust.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lEmi-UVl4gsC&pg=PA104 |page=104 |title=The Draft Excluder |magazine=Old-House Journal |year=1977 |volume=5 |issue=9 |issn=0094-0178 |publisher=Active Interest Media}}
Tubular sand-filled fabric draught excluders are commonly referred to as "door snakes" in Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/creaturefeatures/make/doorsnake.htm|title=Make It Yourself—Door Snake |publisher=ABC Television |accessdate=8 April 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.staff.utas.edu.au/news/articles/donate-a-door-snake|title=Donate a door snake|date=15 March 2012|publisher=University of Tasmania|accessdate=8 April 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031002814/http://www.staff.utas.edu.au/news/articles/donate-a-door-snake|archivedate=31 October 2014}} Jenny Agutter told The Guardian that the hotel in the Outback where they stayed while making Walkabout used them to keep venomous snakes out of the guests' rooms.{{Cite news |title=How We Made Walkabout |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/09/how-we-made-walkabout-jenny-agutter-nicolas-roeg-luc-roeg |work=The Guardian |location=London}}
= Window =
Draught excluders can come in the form of a self-adhesive roll of rubber or other flexible material. The material can be applied over fixed gaps in window frames.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PXEeoS88lQC&pg=PA153 |page=153 |title=Architect's Illustrated Pocket Dictionary |author1=Nikolas Davies |author2=Erkki Jokiniemi |year=2012 |isbn=9781136444067 |publisher=Taylor & Francis}}
= Letter box =
Letter box covers usually take the form of a brush-like cover fitted to the inside of the door. Other types include spring-loaded flaps also fitted to the inside.
= Key hole =
Key holes can be draught proofed with a simple proprietary key hole cover that is fitted to the inside of the door.
=== Chimneys and fireplaces ===
Unused or infrequently used chimney flues can be draught proofed with balloon or fabric type excluders that are fitted in the lower section of the flue. Fireplaces can also be draught proofed using a cover over the opening.