Replace That Old Sliding Glass Door

Patio Door Replacement

You Know You Need to Replace the Door When:

You just try to open or close the door and struggle to get the darn thing to move.  Or maybe it's a sweltering summer morning and you feel heat radiating through your slider. What may be even worse is a chilly winter morning and you feel a cold draft flowing through the room. Take a closer look at your sliding glass door and you'll likely see some of these problems:

  • Dirty or broken rollers
  • Misaligned door
  • Bent track
  • Broken or damaged glass
  • Gaps in the door
  • Damage to the door frame
  • Weather damage
  • Obviously poor installation

While one or two of these problems may not justify the cost of replacing the door any number of them should serve as fair warning that your door may soon need to be replaced.

Why You Should Choose a French or Patio Door Replacement

Removing pesky sliding glass doors and replacing them with French or Patio doors is one of the best things that you could do for your home and here's why.

  • Security
    Hinged, swinging Patio or French doors are a significant safety improvement over sliding glass doors. Sliding glass doors on tracks and rollers can easily be pryed or popped from the outside by a burglar with common tools. The majority burglaries not involving the front door take place when the bad guys pop the sliders out of the tracks and remove the entire panel, gaining access to the home. In most cases, sliding glass doors have weak locking mechanisms. The simple push up and down from “locked” to “open” just does not compare to the security that comes with a French door.

  • Ease of Use
    Here's a practical example of why you would want to change and retro fit the doors. If you have a six foot sliding glass door, you can only get a maximum of three feet open. The same width unit in a French door would allow you to open both doors fully to gain nearly the entire 6′ of open space. The extra space is invaluable for moving large items in and out of your home. Smaller width sliding glass doors only makes the problem worse. Also, consider the wear and tear of daily use. Sliding glass doors can be very heavy and they function on rollers that often wear out quickly due to the weight being forced upon them. Combine that with debris that inevitably gets stuck in the tracks and you may be straining just to open and close them.

  • Energy Efficiency
    Probably the biggest reason to do the replacement is because of the energy savings gain with French doors.This is no longer up for debate. Today’s French doors are made of high performance fiberglass with glass that is Low E, at least one inch thick and double paned. The U-Factor or solar hear transmission of the French doors with Low E glass is nearly four times better than an average sliding glass door unit. A hinged, swinging door also seals better. French doors have weatherstripping that tightly seals from outside air and water. Sliding glass doors are often just metal on metal. When you stand by a sliding glass door when it is very hot or very cold outside you will be able to feel the temperature difference. With fiberglass French doors you will not be able to tell the difference in the outside temperature.

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