Modern Sliding Doors for all seasons
Year-round efficiency
We’re passionate about our slimmest sliding doors, and why? Each bespoke system we make is destined to become beautiful, transformative architectural glazing for someone’s home. But it’s not just about looks.
Designed with exceptional thermal efficiency and optimal solar control, sliding doors ensure a home is a pleasure to live in all year round, preventing rooms from overheating in summer months and retaining precious warmth in the winter.
Whatever the weather, sliding doors will maximise light and deliver year-round comfort. Indoor/outdoor living is a central principle of many of the renovation and new build projects we are involved in. Architects use our ultra-slim framed large panel sliding doors to create a bridge between interior spaces and the outside world to be enjoyed throughout the year.
how to choose Sliding doors for your lifestyle
While a sliding door system will not deliver a complete glass free opening – you’ll need bifolding doors for that – you’ll have a very versatile set up for your indoor/outdoor lifestyle. Enjoy a meal with friends with views of the garden without the worry of rain. Barbecue on the patio with seamless connection to your kitchen. Chill out on late summer evenings relaxing on a sofa that’s open to the stars. Sliding doors do change the way you live in your space!
We recommend spending time exploring the flexibility of sliding door configurations in a showroom. With a combination of fixed and sliding panels, you can see how high specification systems like the ultra-slim ODC SL800 glide and lock in position.
Sliding doors perfect for chilly spring mornings
Sliding doors have exceptional energy efficiency. Their low u-values will keep your home insulated, maintaining indoor temperatures at those times of year when daylight hours are short.
However, a spring morning is the ideal time to open your doors just as much as you want to encourage a little ventilation, refresh your space and reduce the humidity that can build up over winter.
A quick cup of coffee on the patio or a stroll around the garden with the dog to see what’s starting to grow – sliding doors whatever their size glide open easily for instant access to the outside.
Why can I see condensation on the outside of my sliding doors?
If you see a little condensation on the outside of your sliding doors in the mornings at this time of year, it’s quite normal – it means the temperature of the outside surface of the glass has fallen overnight and moisture-laden air has condensed as dew on the panes of glass. It’s all positive – it means the sliding doors are doing a good job of keeping the heat inside your home. Panels with high thermal insulation have lower external pane temperatures and so a higher likelihood of condensation. It doesn’t last long and evaporates with a little sun or light wind.
Sliding doors in hot weather
With record-breaking summer temperatures in the UK, you might be concerned that a room with huge panes of glass could turn into a sweltering greenhouse, but sliding doors are designed to handle these conditions perfectly, even in south-facing installations with the sun on them all day.
Solar control coatings specified at the time of manufacture prevent UV damage to flooring and furnishings as well as cooling the air temperature within. As the sun moves around you can also slide panels into position to maintain solar protection exactly where it’s needed, without losing your light or views.
Will my sliding doors cope with a heatwave?
Toughened safety glass that’s been heated to around 250 degrees and aluminium frames powder-coated in a process that reaches over 200 degrees make up a sliding frame system that can easily withstand high summer temperatures. Sometimes sensitive locking systems can be temporarily affected by extreme heat – hosing the external surface areas with water will reduce any thermal expansion and allow the mechanism to operate correctly.
Sliding systems to cope with autumn storms
Sliding doors are tested independently in rigorous industry-standard laboratory conditions which mimic extreme weather events. Wind tunnels and high pressure hoses are used to see whether seals and systems can cope with whatever UK weather can throw at them. Sliding doors are awarded a British Standard weather performance class depending on their capacity to withstand wind, water and air pressure. With a BS standard you can be reassured your sliding doors will cope with our increasingly unpredictable seasonal weather events. You can read more about the weather performance of our different sliding doors in this quick read guide
How will my sliding doors cope with intense rain episodes?
To cope with periods of heavy, intense or persistent rain, sliding door tracks have drainage chambers installed underneath to channel the rainwater away. It’s a very effective system handling over 100 litres of run-off water a minute. If you see some water visible in the inner drainage channel, don’t worry! This water will clear and drain away in due course as long as the drainage holes are clear. However, debris like leaf litter and grit can clog the drainage system so it’s important to clean the tracks regularly. Vacuuming with a small nozzle attachment and following through with non-abrasive kitchen cleaner – simple but essential year-round maintenance.
Sliding doors for cosy winter evenings
Sliding doors have superb thermal efficiency – with sophisticated seals and weatherproofing, draughts are non-existent and cosy heat is retained. How? Contemporary aluminium sliding doors have thermal polyamide breaks designed to limit the heat transfer from one side of the unit to the other.
Will huge panes of glass make heating my home very expensive in winter?
No. Sliding glass systems with a full thermal break or barrier effectively reduce the flow of thermal energy between conductive materials like glass and metal. This thermal barrier prevents the metal frames from conducting heat to the outside and stops heat from escaping in the colder months. ODC systems are effectively thermally broken to prevent heat loss and expensive heating bills.
Our largest sliding systems can also warm up a space through solar gain. It’s a passive way to heat a building; solar coatings cleverly reflect heat back into the interior. Potential solar gain is a complex calculation and one you can discuss with expert glazing designers on the ODC Glass team.
If you’d like any guidance on the best sliding door system for your project then please give us a call on 03300 586 792. Alternatively you can complete our contact form and we will get back to you as soon as we can. We’re here to help.
