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strong wind and rain resistant sliding Patio Doors

11 years ago

Hi,
Can anyone recommend a sliding patio door that can resist
wind drivin rain? We need to replace our old aluminum sliding doors. We live on a slope over looking a valley that, at times, experiences gusts of over 70 miles an hour. Because of moisture and a sea breeze we've not been considering aluminum or wood. We live in Hawaii and may not have access to all of the brands you have on the mainland.
Mahalo

Featured Answer

uneeda

10 years ago

That is true they are east coast and I am their northern most distributor so I handle coastal product requests for coastal New Jersey, New York & New England.

When I read the recommendation of shipping in European products I figured I would put PGT out there. I will be shipping three doors to Guam for a new house.

The 400 & 500 series vinyl were developed for coastal applications. They achieve DP ratings in vinyl doors that you only see in aluminum. Somehow PGT is able to maintain outstanding DP ratings and impact certification in multi-track doors as well with as many as six panels spanning 20+ feet.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
Sure...why not rub it in.

Just kidding of course. What a beautiful part of the world!!!

In terms of doors, you are going to want to look for a high DP/performance grade.

From Oberon....

The DP rating of a window or door is based on laboratory pressure testing in pounds per square foot or psf.

Air, water, structural is a three part test that determines much about a window's overall performance. Air infiltration is the first phase, water penetration is next, and structural is the third part of the test.

Windows are tested for air infiltration simulating a 25mph wind or a 1.56PSF pressure load - air infiltration is treated separately from both water infiltration and structural and it is independent of the design pressure of the unit. Said again - the air infiltration rate in a window is not based on the design pressure rating of the unit.

Both water penetration and structural testing, on the other hand, are based on the window DP rating. Water infiltration is tested at 15% of the design pressure and structural is tested at 150% of DP rating.

What this means is that a window with a DP30 is tested for water infiltration at 4.5psf (15% of 30psf) while a window with a DP40 is tested at 6psf (15% of 40).

A window with a DP30 rating should be able to keep out rain when its driven by 42mph winds and a window with a DP40 should be able to keep out rain when driven by 49mph winds...so while water infiltration is DP related - and air infiltration is not - the nature of air and water infiltration is different.
rnakama
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks windowsonwashington for your quick reply. So far I've looked at fiberglass doors by Milgard and Pella. I don't think I want wood or aluminum, because of wood rot and the corrosive effect of salt on aluminum. Should I also consider vinyl doors? What other manufacturers should I be considering?
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sandyponder, thanks for the details. That is a good deal, to be *sure*! I went to the local Sierra Pacific rep on Wednesday; he took all the specs and told me he'd e-mail me with a quote for pretty much what you got except brown on the outside. He has never written me back. Maybe time to call him. Where do you find auctions that have those kinds of things??? Do you go to them often? People find the most amazing things at auctions. I can tell you that reclaimed probably old-growth DF flooring goes for *quite reasonable* prices out here...no more than any other wood, and less than some...we're in the PNW, though. Now that you've told me the price, I'm going to bug the SP guy...maybe he thought I wasn't serious or was just blowing me since we're just buying one door? I don't know...but that's at least $1K less than other similar doors. Hard to resist. If I can just get him to offer it to me LOL
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PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
There are some great door options in vinyl but I wouldn't even fathom a guess as to what is available in your area.

I know the often recommended brands that are state side won't be available out there.

Check for European brands like Intus as well. They are shipping already so perhaps going to the islands isn't a big deal.
uneeda
10 years ago
I would look at the PGT 400 series vinyl sliding door; I just configured an 8/0 x 6/8 door for a coastal application and the standard DP rating is +- 60 upgradable to +- 80.

The same door is frame is used in the Wind Guard Vinyl 500 series manufactured to Dade County Florida hurricane impact specifications.

The doors are not standard with stainless steel rollers; upgrading the rollers to stainless is a must in your climate.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
10 years ago
Good recommendation.

Are they available in HI though?

I feel like PGT is somewhat regional (i.e. Florida and Gulf Coast mostly).
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
10 years ago
They do make some nice storm stuff.

Good suggestion Bill.

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