Signs You Need New Patio Doors

If your deck or patio is an integral part of your everyday routine, then it deserves a good set of patio doors. If you’ve had your patio doors in Cincinnati OH for awhile, chances are it may need to be replaced soon. Renewal by Andersen® of Cincinnati shares insight on the signs that may indicate you need new patio doors.

Your Patio Doors Are Hard to Open and Close

If your patio doors won’t budge open or often get stuck in their tracks, then you probably need new patio doors. Stuck doors are common during climatic extremes, as the frame expands and contracts from the heat. Some materials keep their shape and eventually get back to normal during milder temperatures. Others become permanently warped. If your doors remain stuck all year round, you should think about getting new patio doors.

Stuck doors are more than just an annoyance. Patio doors can be considered as egress doors, which means they couldn’t be used as exits in case of emergencies. They can also be an embarrassment if you’re entertaining guests. Imagine having beautiful patio doors but having to ask your guests to go around the back if they need to get something. Also, stuck patio doors can also be a security hazard. A patio door that can’t be fully closed can be accessed by foraging animals.

Your Energy Costs Are Rising

Another reason to look into getting new sliding patio doors in Cincinnati OH is when your energy costs are rising, particularly during winter and summer seasons. Inefficient patio doors allow heat leaks, either through air leaks through gaps, or conduction through single-pane glass. When this happens, your home will require more heating and cooling, which results in higher energy bills. If you feel drafts near your patio doors, then you definitely need to look into getting new ones.

New patio doors can help you save on your monthly energy bills. Features such as double-pane glass and insulated frames help reduce heat leaks, which helps reduce indoor heating and cooling requirements. They also help prolong your HVAC system’s life span by keeping them from redlining all the time.

Make sure that you are choosing energy efficient patio doors by looking for the Energy Performance Labels. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) rates fenestrations—skylights, doors, and windows—in four aspects of energy efficiency:

1. U-Factor — U-factor measures how well a product keeps heat from escaping a room. Lower values mean better insulation. Some labels might display R-value instead of U-factor. They both rate thermal transfer, except that R-value rates resistance to it. Therefore, patio doors with low U-factor will have correspondingly high R-value.
2. Solar Heat Gain Coefficient — SHGC measures how well a product resists heat gain from sunlight. The lower the value, the more resistant the patio door will be.
3. Visible Transmittance — This measures how well a product allows natural light into the room. Tinted glass has low transmittance values, while clear glass is the opposite. Thanks to low emissivity (Low E) coatings, it is possible to have patio doors with low SHGC and high visible transmittance. This type of glass lets you enjoy the benefits of natural light, without the unwanted heat from the sun.
4. Air Leakage — This measures how much air enters the room through the product. Patio doors with low Air Leakage values are typically airtight thanks to a combination of stable materials, durable weatherstripping, and proper installation methods.

These ratings help you find the right patio doors for specific areas of your home. You can also simplify your search by looking for ENERGY STAR® certification labels, which are typically attached with Energy Performance Labels.

Your Patio Doors Are Visibly Warped

Even without touching them, you can tell that warped doors won’t do you any good. In addition to the aforementioned operational and energy efficiency issues, warped patio doors simply look ugly. Humans are conditioned to see symmetrical lines in certain environments, and can easily distinguish warped from straight doors. Warping can also put pressure on the glass panels, which can introduce cracks, or even release insulating gas fills. With a good patio door company, a new set of patio doors can help address these problems, and perhaps a few others.

Learn more about sliding and French patio doors in Cincinnati OH with Renewal by Andersen of Cincinnati. Give us a call at (866) 609-5033or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.