 | Bob Crager of Lewis Street Glass is a 26 year veteran in the glass business. Lewis Street Glass is a leading Wichita Glass company, serving the entire Wichita/Sedgwick County area since 1919. They do anything and everything having to do with glass, both residential and commercial. They also do Auto glass. They are located at 743 South Market, facing Kellogg on the South, and you can reach them by phone at (316) 263-8259. You can email Bob Crager at bcrager@lewisstreetglass.com |
Glass
2010-08-01 13:01:00
Patio doors
Question: I have been reading your recent articles on windows fogging up and what can be done. I have another “fogging” problem. My patio sliding glass doors are fogging up. They also bump and drag when I roll them open. What’s the best way to handle this bad situation, and is it going to be expensive?
Answer: The answer depends on how old your sliding doors are, how many times they’ve “jumped the tracks” from ice jams or dirt accumulation on those tracks, and whether the frame was originally built to allow the replacement of the glass panels in the door. Most of them were, but some weren’t. You might want to call a local glass expert to take a look, to determine if your glass is replaceable, and whether the glass can be re-glazed if it is. If so, he’ll then measure your glass for the replacement size you’ll need. After determining this, another consideration is the age and condition of your door and components. It could be such that the rollers, guides, locks, handles, etc are just worn out. Those can all be replaced, bringing your door back into very acceptable condition. Usually that door can be rejuvenated with some new parts for less than the price of a new replacement door. Your local glass expert will be able to clearly advise you on which repairs you might benefit from.
If you are not pretty savvy with this kind of construction or repairs, you might be well advised to call in someone who does this kind of work on a daily basis. Sliding glass door replacement or repairs is a project that comes up pretty regularly, particularly in the older homes, although even in relatively new homes, due to the solvents and paints used in the construction process, there can be glass issues that come up before that new home “dries out”.
Back before energy efficiency became an important consideration, sliding glass doors were just about the most inefficient aspect of a home, without exception. If you had an older sliding glass door which faced the wrong direction, it was almost like having an opening in the wall the size of that glass door, barely slowing down the heat and cold intrusions. They were very inefficient. With newer technology, however, it’s pretty easy to make some changes that will allow you to not only beautify your home, but also do some amazing things with regard to improving your energy efficiency. There are now quite a number of patio or deck door options you can choose from. Replacing a sliding door unit with either another sliding glass door or a French door unit is not an easy enough process that you will normally be able to complete as a do it yourself project. Over a period of time, the rough opening can dry rot, and the opening can get “out of straight”, needing someone who knows what he’s doing to get that back to “true” before making the attempt to install a new unit. The new sliding glass doors are made with the same energy efficiency standards that you can get with the most cutting edge windows. You can actually get rid of that old drafty feeling around your slider that is now robbing you very quietly from the energy lost to it.
You can also choose between just a “sliding glass door”, or one of the new “sliding patio doors” instead. The second option will have wood frames, and deliver all of the beauty and design possibilities that French and swinging doors can bring you. The upgrade to the wood frames is more expensive, but sometimes it is just better to make the improvement and enjoy the better results you will have if you do that.
Next month we will talk about other options, as well as effective things you can do to even out the flow of heat and cold temperatures into and out of your living spaces.
Bob Crager of Lewis Street Glass is a 35 year veteran in the glass business. Lewis Street Glass is a leading Wichita Glass company, serving the entire Wichita/Sedgwick County area since 1919. They do anything and everything having to do with glass, both residential and commercial. They also do auto glass. They are located at 743 South Market, facing Kellogg on the South, and you can reach them by phone at (316) 263-8259. You can e-mail Bob Crager at bcrager@lewisstreetglass.com.
