Sliding glass may be convenient and make for an attractive entryway, but they are usually the biggest reason why you can’t maintain indoor room temperature for longer periods. If you have a sliding patio or balcony glass door, there is a good chance that it is letting warm air escape your home during winter and allowing hot air to enter in the summer months. This is particularly true for old doors that have weathered from the constant exposure to harsh temperatures and other elements. Therefore, to make them efficient once again, it is important to insulate the sliding glass doors every few years.
If you believe your sliding glass door is letting the cool AC air out of your home or making your home feel chilly in winter, here are a few tips on how to fix drafty sliding glass doors in your home without spending a lot of money or hiring a professional.
Though before we begin, you may want to take a look at different types and styles of doors in Pakistan to understand how a sliding door actually works.
Tips on How to Insulate Sliding Glass Doors
Want to stop the cold air coming through the sliding glass doors? Here’s how you can fix them.
- Vacuum the door track
- Install or replace weather strips
- Re-caulk your sliding door
- Use insulation film
- Hang insulating curtains
Let’s discuss each of these ways to insulate sliding glass doors in further detail.
Vacuum the Door Track
The easiest way to insulate the sliding glass doors and keep them from leaking air out of the house is to keep its channel or tracks clean. The dirt, dust particles, tiny stones, and other debris stuck in the sliding tracks may be keeping the door from closing properly. To make sure it slides all the way and seals optimally, you’ll have to do two things: vacuum it regularly and clean your shoes on a mat outside the door before entering your place.
The first tip will get rid of any dirt and debris present in the tracks whereas the second idea would keep any tiny particles and gravel stuck in your shoes from dropping into the channels.
Install or Replace Weather Strips
Can you see the rubber or foam strip installed along the side of your glass door and across the length of the sliding channel? These are called weather strips and are a budget-friendly way to insulate the sliding glass doors in your home.
There are three main types of sliding glass door insulation strips available in the market: rubber compression strips, foam strips and V-type strips. All of these weather-stripping materials create a seal between the door and the sliding channel, keeping rain, air and snow out of your home. They can also be used to insulate single and double pane windows as well as regular doors.
The adhesive-backed rubber compression weatherstrips are easy to install and last for several years. They also do a great job at sealing your sliding glass doors. Foam weatherstripping is relatively cheap and can be installed within a few minutes. However, if you use foam strips to insulate a sliding patio door, you’ll most likely have to replace them every two to three years. Lastly, v-type strips are installed against the side of the glass sliding door to create a seal and prevent temperature fluctuations inside the home.
While these three types of weatherstrips are commonly used to insulate sliding glass door tracks, you can also find silicone and felt variety in the market.
Re-Caulk the Exterior of Your Sliding Door
Another way to insulate the sliding doors in your home is to caulk the exterior of your door frame. Since harsh weather conditions can easily deteriorate the exterior caulk around the door frame, it is imperative to remove it and carefully re-caulk it.
For this purpose, you must choose a good-quality caulking gel and caulking rope so that your door frame remains properly sealed for the next few years.
It is probably the best way to insulate sliding glass doors that are a little old and have seen better days.
Use an Insulation Film on Glass Panes
Do you have single pane sliding glass doors? If so, you should consider covering them with an insulation film.
These sliding glass door plastic insulation films are available easily at hardware stores and look a lot like the regular saran wrap used to cover food in the kitchen. Since single pane glass doors don’t provide the same level of insulation as the double pane ones.
Since replacing an entire door can be rather costly, you can place the plastic film on the glass panes and seal it by applying heat from a blow-dryer. The plastic will shrink and adhere to the surface, which will help insulate the sliding glass doors.
If these thin films aren’t enough, you can also invest in insulation panels for sliding glass doors.
Hang Thermal Curtains
Thermal curtains can help keep your home cool during the summer by stopping hot air from entering through the door and windows. In winter, they can retain the heat and prevent warm air from leaking out. Whether you live in the cold northern areas where the temperature can drop drastically during the winter months or reside in the south where it stays hot and humid for the most of the year, these insulated sliding glass door curtains can help maintain the indoor temperature for long periods of time.
Here are some more ways of draft-proofing your home that you may find helpful. You can also take a look at our tips on how to insulate your windows for winter weather.
So, if you turn on your AC during summer or use a heater during winter, you won’t have to worry about air leakage. This can also help lower your electricity bill along with insulating your sliding glass doors.
This brings an end to our guide on how to insulate the sliding glass doors in your home. If you know about other ways to draft-proof your doors and windows, share them with us by dropping an email at blog@zameen.com. Stay connected to Zameen Blog – the top home improvement and real estate blog in Pakistan – to learn more about insulating and draft-proofing your home. Moreover, make sure to subscribe to the Zameen Newsletter and Facebook page to receive the latest updates about the property market in Pakistan.
