Alleviating Common Concerns about Sliding Glass Doors
Posted on September 14, 2009
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In our introduction to sliding glass doors, we saw a number of benefits for having them, as well as a number of concerns that would arise from having them. These concerns will be addressed here, and you will see that you there are measures you can put in place to be at ease with your decision to go with sliding glass doors. This can also be helpful when you start shopping for them.
Concern 1: Sliding Glass Doors are breakable
Since they are breakable, then we want to ensure we have adequate security so that potential intruders will have more to do to gain entrance than simply shatter the glass. This can be alleviated by installing a grill. There is of course more to sliding glass door security which is covered elsewhere on this site.
We also want to make it difficult for anyone to break. Also, in the event that the glass does break, we would want to take precautions to reduce the chance of the glass shattering. This in turn would reduce the risk of any harm arising from the the resulting random array of glass pieces. That can be especially scary if small children or elderly folks are around.
To reduce the chance of the glass shattering upon breaking, you can get double pane glass that is tempered.
Concern 2: Sliding Glass Doors Maintenance
We want to ensure that the doors will readily slide. Depending on how your sliding doors are installed, you might have the challenge of continually having to clear the slide track of debris like leaves. But this can be avoided from the start by having the doors top-hung from the entrance way. You should find out from the start what kind of cleaning you would need to do, and how often, to ensure your glass doors continue to slide easily.
There is also the chance that your sliding glass doors will fall out of square. With some guidance, this is probably something you can rectify yourself. Speak to the dealer or the ones doing the installation of your doors to get an idea of what other factors you need to be aware of for maintaining your sliding doors. Some you will be able to alleviate with the type you go with. But other will in unavoidable. But educate yourself beforehand so you can get the best out of your doors.
Concern 3: Spies/Privacy
People spying on you is probably not something you want. So if you’re really concerned about your privacy, you have some options to employ. Of course, you can install some curtains. But then this would block the light from coming in. To still get the benefit of the sunlight while at the same time maintaining some privacy, you can consider getting adhesive-free films for your glass doors. Etched or stained glass is also something you could look into. See window treatments for sliding glass doors for more ideas.
Concern 4: Insects
An influx of unwanted insects may result when you have sliding glass doors. This can easily be taken care of though, as you now have the option of getting the doors with an insect screen built in.
Concern 5: What about my pets?
If you want to provide a pet door, this can easily be accommodated. You don’t have to modify your wall. You can get patio panel dog doors for sliding glass doors. This is basically a panel that fits in the frame of your glass doors, with a pet door built in. This is removable, so if you no longer have pets, you can simply take it out and regain your entrance space.
Concern 6: Lack of insulation
One might think that with sliding glass doors, the insulation is poor, and therefore it would be extra cold in winter and extra hot in summer. But there are ways to deal with this. One is to get what is called low emissivity glass coating, or simply Low-E. This has the effect of reducing the heat that is transmitted through the glass. Therefore, during summer, heat from outside will not penetrate too much, and during winter, the heat inside will be contained. An additional benefit of having low-e glass, is that it protects your walls and furniture from discolouration caused by the sunlight. (Incidentally, this would be another concern that could have been listed).
Another way to insulate your sliding glass doors, would be to build layered such that there is a gap of air between them. When you’re purchasing or installing your doors, ask about this.
So as you can see, the main concerns you might have with sliding glass doors, can be alleviated and give you peace of mind. Knowing these things will also serve you well when you go to inquire about sliding glass doors.
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