Sliding glass door parts?

[Jon R. Pickens]

Hi all...

Here's the dilema. I just moved into a different house that has a sliding glass door out back. I need to install a pet door. I did the obvious, and ordered a panel (insert) that goes in the track between the actual door and door jamb.

I went to install it today, and there's three problems:

1. the panel is huge (it has to be, the dog is also huge) therefore only allowing me to fit through when I turn slightly sideways.

1. there's a gap that starts small up top and opens up to about 3/8" at the bottom, between the door and the panel.

2. there's not what I feel is a good way to lock the door. Instead, there's simply a small pin/latch mechanism that mounts at the bottom on the track to keep the door from opening.

So, after analyzing the construction of the door, I feel I could make my own if I had some long pieces of the aluminum stock that makes up the frame. I could utilize the latch mechanism from the original door, and have the bottom section of the door solid (probably plywood), with the pet door installed in that, and the top half of the door would be glass. Furthermore, I'd actually be able to open and close the whole thing as a single unit, allowing full and easy access to the patio.

So has anyone tackled this before or does anyone know where to get the supplies to make my own?

Thanks in advance.

~jp

[DerbyDad03]

Do you have to put the pet door in the door opening? What about a through-the-wall type like these examples:

Google wall mount pet doors (or similair). There's many, many styles out there.

[Jon R. Pickens]

Unfortunately, yes... the house is a rental.

~jp

[mm]

I like the one where the dog wears an RFID and the door only opens for him. I like the door that goes up like an overhead garage door. It might be worth getting a dog just so I could get a door like that.

[DerbyDad03]

- Unfortunately, yes... the house is a rental.

Save the cutout and put it back when your lease is up. They'll never notice.

[mm]

I can't follow this. Are you saying that when you open the sgd all the way, there is still only room if you turn sideways? Unless the dogdoor is wider than it has to be, don't think there is any solution to that.

GEt a piece of 2x2 or even 2x4, cut it to the length desired and put it in the channel where you don't want the door to be. Or a metal pipe. I have two lengths of metal conduit, one for when I'm away that is full length, and one for when I'm home but I leave the door open all night.

You keep saying the door, when I think you mean the door opening, unless you plan to attach the plywood and glass to the sliding part.

I'd call some glass shops with trucks. When they have to replace a door, they must often have a leftover used door, which they may save for parts. Or they will if you ask them to. I say this because it seems you need an additional latch, and maybe a wheel for the part you add on. You may also end up giving them the business of cutting the top glass.

[Jon R. Pickens]

The dog door panel is close to 20" wide. That part stays put in the door frame. Here's what I have, maybe you can visualize it better:

Mine is however, not for a cat, it's for my 90lb dog, so the opening is about 15" wide by 20" tall.

Yeah, I already know that trick. Normally most folks I know get a broom handle and cut it to length. It works great, except on the rare occasion when the sliding door is on the outside and the fixed glass section is on the inside.

Unfortunately, that's the case at my house. However, someone playing a prank could use the same technique to lock us in ;-)

No... I mean door. I want to make a new door that will replace my current sliding glass door. It would be the same size, except the bottom half would be solid--not glass.

The glass will be the easy part. Although, I think you may be right. I may need to just find a door that had the glass busted out, and then fill the bottom section with a plywood panel and make some sort of transition between that and the glass part.

~jp

[mm]

OK, I missed that entirely. I get it now.

I only brought up the glass as a reason the glass shop would be cooperative, even if they thought they couldn't charge much for the broken frame, because they might be getting some glass business too.

Then you could save the original door and put it back in when you move out. This would be useful even if you owned, but for sure if you rent. (It's because you rent that I thought you were just trying to add some inches onto the existing door.)

Hmmm. That url you gave, that I basically snipped, says "Collar tag must touch the bottom of the pet door in order to activate. This is not a proximity sensing model." I know you're not insisting on this model, but how does this model work. How can the tag touch the bottom of the pet door if it is on the cat's neck? Isn't the cat's head in the way?

And in the green box it says "A safety break-away collar/tag comes with the door." Is this like, In Case of Fire, Break Glass. ?

[Jon R. Pickens]

Well, it is a good idea... worth exploring.

That's kind of the idea. The next house may have a similar door. The main point is to make any modifications to the property quickly and easily reversable, as not to upset the landlord.

Hmm.... not sure. I only used that link because it was the first one I came to that showed something similar to what I have. Good question about the collar and tag. My dog doors are fairly simple, just heavy plastic sheeting that the dogs muscle through. The only additional features included are a magnetic strip at the bottom to keep the wind from blowing it open, and a slide-in insert for locking it when you're away or don't want the pets coming in and out (convenient when you're bringing in groceries or cleaning house).

~jp

[mm]

BTW, I forget how wide your door is, but mine are alumininum frame with two-glass windows, one narrower than th eother and I considered both of them quite heavy. Afraid they would fall over backwards, or knock me over, or I would hold it but the bottom would slide out away from me. And I just had to put each door a few feet to the side while I did something (forget what). I didn't have to carry one to the baement or garage or anything. I think you absolutely need a helper and not a 140 pound woman.

[Jon R. Pickens]

Well, last night I did figure out why the gap was there. Apparently one of the rollers had come off the bottom of the door, also making it hard to open and close. So I'm going to have to remove the door anyway just to get to the underside. I'll probably pull both off and replace them, and in the meantime look for door parts to make a 'new' one.

~jp

[Mark Sparge]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why does it sound like your sliding door is assembled "inside out"? Can you dissasemble the door and put the slider on the inside track where it (usually) belongs?

If it's the typical slider, it was assembled onsite, so it should be able to be disassembled and "fixed" onsite as well.

HTH, Mark

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Then the lock would be on the outside. Some doors, Pella is one, have the sliding portion on the outside. Their reasoning is that in a wind, the air pressure is pushing hte door closed tighter, not causing leaks.

[Jon R. Pickens]

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It was designed that way unfortunately. The fixed section (inside) is not on a track, it's secured, and the two tracks are for the sliding (glass) door and sliding screen door.

Believe me, that was one of the first things I checked, and my first thought was "I can reverse this..." Nope :-(

~jp

[Mark Sparge]

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, I guess I learned something new today!

Thanks, Mark