At the moment, the cooler temperatures are a mild respite from the heat of summer in Lee’s Summit. Soon, however, homeowners will find themselves spending more time indoors trying to escape the chill of winter. To keep your home comfortable and efficient, it’s a good idea to take some time to prepare for winter. While that includes many aspects of home maintenance, one thing not to neglect is your patio doors. Patio doors can be a great asset to your home this winter, if you maintain them.
Keep Clean
Autumn is a great time to clean your patio doors before winter settles in. Patio doors, whether hinged or sliding glass, offer extended views so you can enjoy your outdoor space even if the weather doesn’t allow you to be outside. No one wants to look at the first snow of the season through a film of grime. So, before the weather becomes too cold, wipe down your patio doors. If you have sliding glass doors that run on a track, make sure the track is clear, and keep the threshold free of debris for all other types of patio doors.
Check Weatherstripping
Weatherstripping is essential to your home’s winter maintenance. Weatherstripping will ensure that you don’t lose heat through your windows and doors, including patio doors. With poor weatherstripping, your home will feel cold and drafty, and your HVAC bills are sure to rise. Before it’s winter, check the weatherstripping for your patio doors and make sure you don’t need to reinforce it. However, sometimes the problem with heat loss isn’t as simple as weatherstripping. If that’s the case, the next step is to…
Replace If Necessary
How much heat are you losing through your patio doors? If you find that your home still feels drafty near your doors even after weatherstripping, the problem could be the doors themselves. One way to test the amount of air your doors let through is to light a candle near them and see if the air pulls in a particular direction. If your patio doors are causing you to lose too much of your home’s heat, it’s time to switch to a more efficient solution, such as ProVia hinged patio doors or Marvin Integrity sliding glass doors.
If you need help preparing your patio doors for winter, just contact Johnson County Siding & Window Co. We can offer more information as well as a free quote on replacement patio doors.
