Ask RiotACT: How to draft seal a new double glazed large sliding door

Our builder cautioned against using stacker doors for this very reason. He said look nice, but cause a lot of grief. Seems he was correct. Personally, I think you need to go back to the builder and point out the doors you have do not meet intended purpose. Do not delay it, and do not fiddle with it yourself without getting some good advice. And good luck with it.

The gaps at the top are so the doors can be lifted up allowing the bottom to swing out and the door be removed from the track. The bad news is this is standard in Australia as we don’t have to build air tight houses, so the window companies don’t need to look for a solution. The good news is that the doors generally don’t need to come out that often so the suggestion of a stick on raven seal for that little section will sort the problem out.

DeadlySchnauzer said :

“Problem is that they are not sealed properly and it’s getting so cold in winter”

What makes you say that? Modern glazed doors have to pass building code requirements for sealing/draft proofing… I doubt sealing is a real issue if it is a new townhouse.

Energy efficiency of a building depends on a huge number of factors. You should have received an EER report when you purchased the property, that can give you a much clearer idea of where any deficiencies are.

These are “stacker” sliding doors and I believe the “sealing” problems would be at the top of the sliding panel/s where the horizontal rollers align the panels to ensure the panel runs true on the bottom track. I have a similar problem with a set I have which the supplier claimed were draught proofed especially for air-conditioned zones. The doors seal OK at the edges but cold air rushes in over the gap between the top of the panels and the top of the door frame.
I am working on a solution whereby I will affix sections of a Raven stick-on door seal with brush to the top inside frame of the panels so the brush rubs against the inside top of the door frame. It’s a fiddly process but it should work. Watch this page.

“Problem is that they are not sealed properly and it’s getting so cold in winter”

What makes you say that? Modern glazed doors have to pass building code requirements for sealing/draft proofing… I doubt sealing is a real issue if it is a new townhouse.

Energy efficiency of a building depends on a huge number of factors. You should have received an EER report when you purchased the property, that can give you a much clearer idea of where any deficiencies are.