The sliding glass door traces its ancestry to the Japanese “Shoji” and “Fusuma” sliding panels. While these panels are traditionally interior pieces, the Western sliding glass door is an exterior piece also called a “patio door”, for the patio they usually open onto. These doors are made of glass and allow a great amount of natural daylight in. Once an architectural luxury, the post-war building boom saw them installed in many homes, usually ranch-style houses.Early sliding glass doors looked great, but they were a source of energy loss and a weak point for security. Modern sliding glass doors look even better, are stronger, and much better insulated.A basic sliding glass door by itself costs around $300.00. This is the classic door that most people think of, which is a 6-foot pair of plain glass panels that sit inside of a clean, simple frame. An 8-foot door usually runs from $700.00 to $1,000.00.Some doors are available pre-hung. This is an entire unit that basically only needs a hole in the wall to be put into.
These tend to cost $1.000.00 to $4,000.00 or more depending on features such as screens, blinds, triple-pane glass, or a grid that imitates French doors.Impact-resistant glass is designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. However, this added bit of security can double the cost of the doors.The price ultimately depends on the manufacturer and what their models offer. For example:The length of the warranty varies by manufacturer, specific product, and/or components of the door. Typical warranties vary between 10 and 20 years. Check with whomever issues the warranty to see if modifications, such as glass tinting, voids the warranty.Sliding glass doors require a large hole in your wall. If you are installing a new sliding glass door, local codes most likely require a permit and a contractor. It constitutes a major alteration to a load-bearing wall (all exterior walls are load-bearing) and can affect the structural integrity of your house. Get 3 to 5 quotes from licensed contractors who have experience in making wall alterations.
Removing the old door is a moderately involved process that usually requires a helper. Remove the interior trim first, then lift the movable pane out. Next, remove the trim and anything holding the stationary panel in. Once the panels are removed, remove the exterior trim, the jamb, and then the frame. Finally, clean the opening out of any old screws, nails, or other debris left behind.Pre-hung doors install relatively easily, usually taking about a day. This doesn’t count the clean-up work like repairing the exterior and interior wall areas. This is considered a moderate DIY job. Custom hung doors, however, usually require altering the supports in the walls. This should be done only by a professional with experience in altering load-bearing walls. The location of interior components such as vents may prevent you from placing the door where you want, and electrical wiring should always be altered, moved, or handled by a professional.Locks have long been the weak point of sliding glass doors.
Any burglar wishing to avoid the noise of broken glass could simply jiggle the door strongly enough and get it open. Modern locks for sliding glass doors are much more secure, and auxiliary locks can be purchased for added security when you are away.A basic lock for a sliding glass door costs around $10.00, but other options are available for between $20.00 and $40.00. These locks include foot locks, deadbolts that install at floor level, and telescoping security bars.Screen doors for patio doors come in two types: sliding and retractable. Sliding screen doors cost about $125.00. Retractable doors work like sideways venetian blinds and cost around $330.00.Replacing a sliding glass door can be done DIY, but the doors are heavy. You will need an extra set of strong hands. Also, a truck will be needed to deliver the doors to your home, and they won’t fit in the family car. If you don’t have a truck of your own that can haul the doors, you will have to pay for delivery. Finally, whether DIY or professionally done, the job should be done during fair weather.
You will have a large hole in your wall for at least a day, and you don’t want cold air, rain, or other discomforts getting in. Starting early in the morning will give you the most time and the best chance of getting the job done in one day.As a side note, keep your children and pets away from the work area. If glass gets dropped, they can get injured on broken glass.To keep your patio door opening, closing, and locking well, some basic maintenance is needed. Fortunately, most of this is easily accomplished with a screwdriver, a rag, and maybe some nylon shims.Keep the tracks clean of debris and build-up. When you vacuum, use the window track attachment to vacuum the track for your door. This is easiest way to keep it clean. During wet weather it can become clogged with whatever gets tracked in off of your feet. All you need for this is a rag, some cleanser, and a little elbow grease.If your door is starting to drag, add a little lubrication to the track. If this doesn’t do the trick, check the rollers on the top and bottom.
They could be wearing down. The good news is that these are easily removed and replaced. If the rollers haven’t worn down, they may just need adjusting. An adjusting screw is usually found toward the bottom and top of the door.Like rollers, locks also can get out of adjustment or need lubrication. If the latch is fighting you when you try to lock it, and hardware store should have lock oil. The more handy homeowner might even open up the lock and clean and lubricate the inner workings. If the lock just isn’t catching, it may be out of adjustment. Loosen the lock a little and move it to where it catches.Sliding glass doors, once a luxury found only on the finer homes of America, are now practically a staple. They allow great daylight, which can cut down on lighting costs. They also provide a great view of the outdoors and a way to go and enjoy it.If you're deciding what type of glazing you want for your windows, it's more than just looking at the fact that double glazing has two panes of glass, and triple glazing has three.
All factors must be looked into in order to understand the true difference between the two glazing options. Here you will find all the answers you need for understanding the differences between double pane windows and triple pane windows including the difference in cost, energy efficiency, durability and more. Double glazing windows consist of two panes of glass with a spacer that separate them. It is required as a standard for all residential applications in Canada due to the harsher climate during the winter. Double pane windows can reduce up to 50% in heat loss, keeping your energy bills at a lower rate and in combination with a fiberglass frame, the overall energy efficiency of your fiberglass windows increase. The main benefit of double pane windows is the cost factor. The cost difference between double pane and triple pane fiberglass windows may vary. At Fibertec, the difference between the dual vs triple pane is approximately 15% while most companies reach about a 40% cost difference.
PROS AND CONS:When looking for an energy efficient window, the frame material plays a big role in determining the quality of the window. With a double pane window, fiberglass frames are the best choice because it is designed in such a way that the closed back frame (not all companies offer closed back frame) can support a double glazed window without warping. Double glazed fiberglass windows may cost more up front, however over time you will be saving money. Read more here about why fiberglass is the best window frame material to use. PROS AND CONS:With double glazed fiberglass windows, one spacer is used to separate the panes of glass. The space left between the two panes must be correct in order to achieve proper air flow between the panes of glass. Exceeding or not achieving the right space between a double glazed window can have a great effect on the energy efficiency of the window. PROS AND CONS:Double pane fiberglass windows can have a gas fill between the panes of glass for added thermal efficiency.
Gases such as argon gas and krypton gas can be used as an insulator. Argon gas is often seen as a more popular choice because it is also significantly lower in price than krypton gas and is, in most cases, a more suitable gas to use for insulating fiberglass windows. PROS AND CONS:Dual glass panes perform much better than one single pane of glass, not only because of the space between the glass. The glass itself can act as an insulator as well. By using Low-E coating on the glass, infrared light is kept out while allowing visible light to enter your home. Heat mirror film is also used in combination with double glazing fiberglass windows for added insulation. Triple pane windows are an exclusive step up from double glazed windows. With three panes of glass and two spacers instead of one, triple pane windows become much heavier than double pane windows, however if fiberglass is used for frame material, it is able to withstand the weight of a triple glazed window. Despite the weight of a triple pane window, there will be no effect on the everyday use of your windows.
The reason why people are much more attracted to choosing triple pane windows is because there is a great difference in performance between a double and triple pane window. When comparing factors such as the SHGC, or U-values, there is an approximate improvement of 20-30% in a triple pane window’s energy ratings. In most cases, companies will upcharge triple glazed windows due to the fact that other companies use a double pane frame and try to put a heavier triple pane unit inside the same frame design and try dissuade customers from using triple pane units by increasing the pricing. At Fibertec, we are able to offer a fair price difference because our closed back frame was designed to easily hold a triple pane unit, and therefore we can provide a trustworthy fiberglass window, both as a triple pane or double pane. PROS AND CONS:As mentioned before, triple glazed windows are much heavier than double glazed windows and need a strong frame material that can be durable enough to last.
Due to the properties of fiberglass, fiberglass frames are able to withstand heavy loads without twisting, warping or sagging overtime. PROS AND CONS:Triple pane windows have two spacers that separate the panes of glass in a triple pane fiberglass window. Fibertec uses a spacer called the Premium Super Spacer rather than a warm edge spacer that is commonly used. The premium super spacer is made from a superior quality silicone resistant to UV light oxidation and offers great argon gas retention for higher energy efficiency. The same gas fills used in double pane windows are used in the same way for triple pane fiberglass windows. The only difference is that triple pane fiberglass windows have gas injected into both air fill spaces between the panes of glass, significantly increasing the energy efficiency of a triple glazed fiberglass window. PROS AND CONS:Triple glazed fiberglass windows have three panes of glass. Two of three layers of a soft/hard coat low-emissivity (Low-E) film can be added on the non-exposed surfaces of the glass (one per chamber).