I can’t get the issue of the heat loss through a standard steel door frame out of my mind. I keep thinking of potential condensation issue, associated moisture problems and what difference a frame with a thermal break could make.

Then, just the other day, I found myself staring at a perfect example of heat transfer, heat loss, and subsequently condensation. It wasn’t a typical steel door frame, but an aluminum frame window.  Still the same principles apply.

In cold weather, the aluminum frame loses heat to the outside, cooling down below the dew point on the inside, which causes the condensation.

On the vertical surface of a typical steel door frame, the condensate is likely to run down and collect on the floor. Here it could cause moisture problems, such as rust at the bottom of the steel frame, and could also lead to mold growth.

It is good to have come across a visual reference on what the problems looks like. Test data on a thermal break frame are encouraging and could, I’d like to think, eliminate this problem of excessive heat loss and condensation.