Ontario winters bring a change in weather that impacts your daily life. While most homeowners focus on putting winter tires on their cars or pulling heaters out of storage, they often ignore their glass front doors. These doors use glass panels to offer a stylish look that complements both your home’s exterior and interiors. They also present a distinct appearance from a solid wood door. They let in a lot of natural light and are a great way to give your visitors a positive first impression.
Just like other elements of your home, like windows and ceilings, your glass front door needs to be in the best condition and also functional. So, before winter sets in, it is vital to prepare it to ensure its best performance and durability.
In this post, we discuss common winter problems with front glass doors and how to prevent them.
Common Front Glass Doors Problems in Winter & Their Solutions
These are the most common front glass door issues that may occur in winter and how to prevent them.
Cracking
This is one of the key front glass door problems that occur during the cold season. Cracking usually occurs near the door’s edge and then slowly spreads throughout the glass. This happens due to rapid temperature fluctuations.
How to Prevent It
You should take the right precautions to safeguard your doors from unwanted cracks. Your best option is to consult a reliable emergency glass door repair company to inspect the condition of your door and decide accordingly if it should be sealed. After all, if it is not properly sealed, these doors waste energy which results in higher energy bills.
Also, you may install two-panelled glass doors that can withstand cracking, especially those occurring from thermal stress due to extreme cold.
Condensation
Condensation occurs because of extreme differences in temperature. For instance, when it is extremely cold outside and you use heaters, this causes condensation that fogs your door glass.
How to Prevent It
When you witness condensation over a long period, you may assume that the moisture has entered through a minor gap in the glass. This may affect the insulation level of your home.
The best solution for decreasing condensation is to use a dehumidifier. If fogging continues then you have to replace the glass. So, it is advisable to get your door checked by a professional before winter arrives for any gaps or insulation issues.
Insulation
Most homeowners use sealing to prevent cold air from coming in through gaps in their front doors. However, some warm air must remain inside. Especially if you have a sliding glass door that takes up more space than other doors, you will want to ensure that warm air does not get lost easily through convection. (Convection is where heat is lost by warm air leaking outside when doors are opened or cold air entering the house through openings or cracks in doors, windows, or walls.)
How to Prevent It
Using a strip at the bottom of a sliding glass door helps to prevent warm air from escaping through the door’s bottom.
Formation of Ice
This is another common problem faced by Ontario homeowners. In fact, cold weather facilitates the formation of ice in the spaces between windows and doors. And warm, moist air leaking through these gaps starts to freeze when it comes in contact with the cold air outside. When this happens then it becomes difficult to open or close the door.
How to Prevent It
Use exhaust fans or dehumidifiers to expel excess moisture from the air and lessen the risk of ice formation.
Leaking
When you feel cold air leaking in, check the door’s hinges immediately to make sure they are firmly attached to the frame. Warping and regular use can loosen them.
How to Prevent It
Make sure you tighten the hinges slowly; never fast. Use a screwdriver instead of a drill to protect the door from further damage. Twisting the door screw more than required may strip its socket, damage the screw, and even lead to the whole door falling. Consult with a professional to fix the hinges before winter arrives.
Now you are aware of the common issues occurring in glass front doors and how to prevent them. For more information on different types of glass doors and their repair, consult Academy Glass. Read our reviews to learn how well we serve our customers.