Sliding Patio Door Advantages
Easy to Fit Into a Tighter Space
The panels on these doors slide on a track rather than swinging in or out, so no clearance is required with these doors. This leaves your floor space entirely free for furniture placement inside and preserves the whole patio or deck outside as usable space.Lots of Daylight
Large glass areas let in more daylight than many of the hinged alternatives with comparable opening sizes. That means a brighter room for you and your family and reduced reliance on artificial lighting during the daytime.Full Advantage of the Birmingham, AL View
Does your home have a nice view? Then you'll love how the continuous glass offers a relatively unobstructed view of the exterior. It's a lovely way to make the most of one of your home's best features.Simple Operation
Once the rollers are functioning, it takes less force to open these doors than swinging doors, which is great if you have elderly or very young people in the house. You'll be able to get frequent use and accessibility out of them with less concern about maintenance and breakage.Getting the Best Energy Efficiency
Old sliding patio doors were huge air leaks, but modern versions commonly use double- or triple-pane glass with low-emissivity coatings, gas fills, thermally broken or insulating frames, and continuous weatherstripping to overcome these disadvantages. These features limit conductive heat transfer and air leakage and make modern sliding doors nothing like their predecessors.In a climate like ours, we also have to be worried about the solar heat gain coefficient: that is, the amount of heat that enters a home just from the sun. Alabama is mostly an IECC Climate Zone 3A, warm-humid, which means summers routinely bring high temperatures and humidity. Look for doors with ENERGY STAR criteria that are appropriate for southern and south-central zones, low-emissivity coatings, and effective seals.
Vinyl and fiberglass frames are usually the best choices, as they will resist moisture absorption, swelling, and warping. These are usually a better choice than wood, which can rot or warp in our humid conditions. Thermally broken aluminum is also used on these doors, especially if you're particularly concerned about strength and need a slim profile. You can also get the best efficiency from your doors just by making sure that installation includes strong weatherstripping and interlocking rails.