Hi There is a gap between my sliding doors and heat is escaping. See the pic:
You can use a brush type door sweep for a weather seal. The fine brush will conform to odd shapes without interfering with the door clearances.
And face the fact that no solution will ever turn a sliding door into a well engineered wall opening. I put one in 30 years ago because wife insisted on it. We have both cursed it ever since. Promised her that comes spring that abortion is disappearing.
Yes it was a quality door (Anderson).
Harry K
They have made great improvements in 30 years. We had Anderson sliders in the previous house and they were very tight. That coupled with the Low-E glass, made them almost feel like a wall. In this house we have an el-cheapo door. While it's not that bad, the Anderson was far better. The only reason we didn't get Anderson, was because this unit came in at less than half the cost.
I looked around on the net expecting to find ready-made vertical seals for sliding doors. No luck. Don't know why. It's not rocket science. You could make your own by gluing hollow rubber seals or even foam to beveled wood strips. Like this, top view where the left and right sides are the leaking door faces when closed.
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Another option is vertical cleats on both doors, one with hollow rubber or foam weatherstripping on it to press against the bare cleat. The rails are plenty wide to accommodate them. You just need to watch the depth. Sort of like this, top view, not quite closed.
!__! __ ! !
No reason sliding doors can't be well sealed on the vertical. It's the top and bottom where it has to be loose to move well. There you might as well stick rags in when you need them.
--Vic
I had 3 Andersons put in 3 years ago and one warped slightly to let in air and warped half was replaced by contractor under warranty this spring. Waiting for repair, I stuffed foam in the crack. With new E glass, they made a huge difference over the old sliders which were double paned but seals leaked.
In addition to the other suggestions, consider heavy, full-length, drapes.
The heavy drapes will work well if you staple them to the wall with no air leaks, otherwise any savings is so small it's not worth the bother The heavy drapes just create a downward convection current with all the cold air coming out the bottom and your warm air going in the top.
Tony Miklos wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net:
All I can think of is some weather stripping that can be attached so that it's on the outside edge and won't hinder the closing. Maybe something like the stuff that is glued to refrigerators?? It's good to get it blocked because mice possibly will come thru there. I had a problem with the sliding screen in the nice weather. I wasn't sure, but I thought a mouse squeezed between the screen and the stationary side of the slider. I found some "thin padding" in the store and glued it to the inside edge near the bottom. It was easy with the screen since it can be taken out.
An interlocking fin seal is best, and what MANY doors have (had) from the factory
You've had lots of suggestions for weather stripping, but I gotta ask this:
How did the gap get there?
If it's been there since installation, it was a piss poor installation.
If it has appeared over time, then either the door is warping or your house has some serious settling issues.
A gap that big needs the root cause determined and fixed, not just stuffed with weather stripping.
And face the fact that no solution will ever turn a sliding door into a well engineered wall opening. I put one in 30 years ago because wife insisted on it. We have both cursed it ever since. Promised her that comes spring that abortion is disappearing.
Yes it was a quality door (Anderson).
Harry K
I agree with Harry...For some northern climates like here in Maine where it can drop to 10 below they just plain SUCK...Other climates they might be OK...I got rid of mine and the difference was amazing...So much so my dad ditched his as well...Both of us now have a nice full view steel entry door , full view storm door with built in screen with a new window next to it..Header was already there just had to frame window and door opening ...Vinyle siding was a breeze to do and I do drywall for a living..Trimming them was easy too..Couldn't be happier and MUCH warmer..To each their own ofcourse...
"benick" wrote
I'm in CT but we get some below zero. I have Pella 8' slide in the family room. If I had to take it out, I'd sell the house. That big glass opening is one reason I bought the house, so I could enjoy the view of the woods next to me. I really don't get drafts and the room is the same temperature as the rest of the house.
When we were looking at the house we live in, I walked into the family room, which is at the back of the house and full story above the backyard. I looked out of the 2 side by side double hung windows and the first thing that came to mind was "This place needs a deck."
The first summer we were in the house I built the deck, tore out the windows and put in a Crestline wooden sliding door. 25 years later and I don't regret it for a second.
The previous owners raised 4 kids in this house (as did we) and they spent 30 years walking out of the front door and all the way around to get to the back yard. 6 months after the wife and I were in, we were sliding the door open, crossing the deck and walking down the stairs into the yard.
I wouldn't change a thing.
I made the promise to myself and SWMBO to replace it as I was kneeling there digging the snow out of the track at about 15 degrees with a blizzard going. Dogs want out, open door, shut door and it shoves a plug up against the jamb. Get out hair dryer, screwdriver and dig away while gtting snow blown down my back. Repeat as long as the wind is blowing snow around every few times the dogs go out.
Harry K
A set of french doors would accomplish the same thing, seal better, lock one whale of a lot better, no more replacing wheels (what a fun job that is!), no more cleaning out tracks, etc. No matter how you slice it, a slider is not a well engineered solution to having a way through a wall. Yes, there are ways to "improve" them with aftermarket stuff but it still comes down to trying to "polish crap".
Harry K
I've had to replace a wheel on my Crestline once in 25 years. Piece of cake. I don't what kind of door you have that makes you say "what a fun job that is" but my Crestline is no problem at all.
As far as locking, my Crestline has a deadbolt that goes into the oak sill and another that goes into the oak strip that holds the slider in place. You can't lift my door out, you need to remove the interior oak strip (10 screws) and then the door falls into the room. Coming in through my garage would probably be easier than coming in through my slider.
Do french doors open 180 degrees (serious question) or do they take up space in the room when open? That wouldn't work in my family room without some very inconvenient rearranging.
As far as cleaning out the tracks, I'll give you that one. Snow can be a pain, but the few times that it's an issue is far outweighed by all the other things I like about the door.
To each his own.
"Harry K" wrote
When my house was built, it had an aluminum framed slider that froze closed and I has similar issues. Metal framed doors a dumb north of Atlanta. When it came replacement time, I considered French doors, but at 8', it was not a good idea. I chose a Pella slider and could not be happier. It has never stuck or froze or needed track cleaning in the snow. We use this door as our main entrance also so it gets a lot of use.
You are aware that french doors can be installed to open _out_? It is amazing how much interior room is saved by 'out opening' doors. My entry and back door are that way now and when I replace that abortion it will also open out...maybe. Where it, and the furniture inside winds up would also work for an in-opener.
My BIL in Canada replaced his slider when he bought the house with an "out-opener"
Harry K
There as a cheap sliding door in our house when we bought it 29 years ago - it was 8 years old and a real peice of trash. It's the first repair we did to the house the following summer - vinyl clad wood door
- kinda like a golf ball. It has been totally trouble free for 27 or
28 years, and seals nice and tight. Never any leakage problems, even with the nasty winters we sometimes get here in south/central Ontario. Being on the south side we get some solar heating in the winter, and being shaded by a big maple, it does not overheat in the summer.No way I'd ever replace it with french doors (my experience is they generally don't seal any better, if as well) or get rid of them in any other way.
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