The wool pile weatherstripping in my patio door frame is disintegrating. The bristles are just falling off on contact. Parts of of it (most likely a section that deteriorated early) had previously been covered with a felt weatherstripping tape.
I've looked at instructions for how to replace it on a window and they all rely on being able to access an end of the strip to slide out the old one and slide in a new one. That won't work for me because this is an aluminum door frame that cannot be disassembled. The tracks run all of the way to the ends.
I have seen zipper pile products that look like they would work in this situation.
Is pile even the best solution in this situation? This isn't a sliding door, it is a normal hinged door, so it does not require pile for motion.
Would I get a better seal by simply removing the remaining pile and replacing everything with 3/4" felt?
Or should I be looking at a high density foam or rubber product? Priorites and technology has changed since 1969...I'm not convinced the pile is still the best option, and the cost differences are marginal.
Here's what the bottom corner looks like. The pile on the vertical is already gone, some is left on the bottom, but it falls off if you touch it.
Here's a section showing where the felt tape is still in place as well as a section where the tape adhesive and the worn down pile underneath is showing.