Are Sliding Glass Doors Double Paned? 

Welcome to this fun Friday article where we are discussing patio doors. A huge surface area of patio doors is made up of glass. It’s important to have glass that insulates, protects, and gives you more stable room temperatures inside your home. In today’s article we’ll teach you about patio doors and if they are double pane or not. 

Truth be told the concept of double pane glass is a fairly recent invention. It didn’t even make it to the market until 1952 when the welded insulated window idea came out. It was just the next year, in 1953 that insulated glazing came out to protect the windows. This glass found its way into homes the following year giving people better U-factors than ever before. 

Double Paned Patio Doors

This specialty glass wasn’t just used in windows. Soon after they made double pan windows, they started making double pane patio doors. Most patio doors today come standard as double pane. Most companies don’t make or sell single pane patio doors anymore. It’s just not common practice any longer because single pane glass does not protect from the weather. Double pane is standard across the board because of its insulation properties and energy efficiency.  Places like Conservation Construction can even make them triple pan as well. Overall a new patio door can save the average homeowner up to 40% on their energy costs. Really, energy efficiency is what new patio doors  were designed for specifically.

Double Paned Patio Doors & U-Factor

The U-factor of a patio door means its ability to regulate energy loss. The lower the U-Factor on a patio door the better it is at maintaining energy efficiency. You’ll find the more coatings and panes of glass a patio door uses the more energy efficient it becomes. This is due to several factors . . . 

1. Gas
   1. New patio doors often come filled with a specialized gas between the panes to ensure a better “cushion” of insulation. This gas is better at insulating than air and prevents the outside temperatures from getting into your home. At Conservation Construction we use a  specialty mix of Krypton/Argon gas to get the best insulation possible. This gas also prevents air infiltration! 
2. Low-E Coatings
   1. Low-E coatings are pretty standard on new patio doors as well. These coatings sit on the glass and have small amounts of silver in them to reflect sunlight back outwards and prevent your home’s temperature from rising. They also prevent bleaching of the floors and furniture on the inside of the home. At Conservation Construction we use a supreme coating called LoE-366 Glass Coating which is better than other standard Low-E coatings. It’s even better at reflecting light back outside while giving you clear views. 
3. Vinyl Frames
   1. The frames of the patio door are just as crucial a part in a superior patio door. The frames hold the glass in place and make the door functional. They must  stay in place, prevent wear, and stand up to extreme weather. Our doors do all that and more. At Conservation Construction we custom make your door based on measurements to ensure that it gets the tightest seal possible. You’ll get an easy to slide door that is functional for life. 
4. Double Panes
   1. Conservation Construction patio doors always come standard with double pane glass but can be made to order with more panes too. You’ll get superior protection against harsh sun and energy loss. 

Final Thoughts

  We  hope you’ve learned a ton about patio doors this article. Know that it is standard for patio doors today to come with Double Pane glass, but you can even get more panes than that if you go with Conservation Construction. Please comment below on what your favorite part of the article was. We’d be happy to set you up with a free quote. Click here!