Introduction

Patio door weather strip seals slowly degrade and wear, letting in small drafts that are barely noticeable. Achieve better sliding door insulation by replacing the seals. Here's how.

Drafty doors? Add Sliding Door Insulation with New Seals

If you spent the winter kicking up the thermostat (or grabbing a blanket) just to be comfortable near the door, you’ve already wasted enough money on heat to buy several sets of weather-strip seals. If you open your patio door frequently or the door is exposed to sunlight, it pays to replace the weather stripping every 10 years. Spring is the perfect time to do this.

We bought all the seals for this early ’90s Marvin sliding patio door for about $65 including shipping. Replacing the seals is a one-person job, but enlist a friend to help lift the heavy door in and out of the track. You just need a screwdriver, a hammer, hooks and picks, and a putty knife. The entire job takes just a few hours. Here’s the process.

Find the make and model

Some patio door manufacturers engrave their logo on the door pull lock hardware, but others hide the branding and model information. If you can’t find a manufacturer logo or model label, look along the door edges or jamb for a gold sticker from the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA).

If you find the label, shoot a digital photo and go to aamanet.org and click on ‘certified products directory’ to decipher the codes and get the brand and model information. If you can’t locate the label, copy the numbers on the metal strip between the panes of glass. Then go to igcc.org to decipher the codes. If neither approach works, or the manufacturer no longer sells replacement weatherstrip seals, you’ll have to use off-the-shelf weather stripping and come up with a custom fix.

Next, measure the stationary and movable sections. Take a digital photo of the entire door, track and jamb. Then contact the manufacturer’s customer service/parts department to order replacement parts.

If you can’t find the factory parts

If you can’t locate manufacturer weather-strip seals in stores, try these sources:

• amweatherguard.com
• biltbestwindowparts.com
• strybuc.com
• swisco.com

If you’ve checked all online sources and still can’t find an exact match, you’ll have to improvise with off-the-shelf materials. V-seal can be used in place of factory jamb, header and track leaf seals. Just fold along the score line to form a ‘V.’ Remove the backing and stick it in place. Place EPDM foam rubber on the jamb and adjust the latch to accommodate the thickness. Use entry door seal strips to replace factory pile strips in mating areas.