How To Insulate Patio Doors In 5 Effective Ways (2023)

Patio doors are an ideal doorway since they allow in the morning light, creating a more open atmosphere until temperatures drop. It is no surprise to many homeowners that patio glass doors can be a significant source of heat loss.

Because glass is a poor insulator, it isn’t easy to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Furthermore, patio doors give numerous escape routes for the heat within your home. As a result, the area around your patio door is frequently drafty.

As the fall season fades and the winter season approaches, you begin to worry about how to keep your family warm, and knowing how to insulate patio doors is one way to do so.

Here are some ideas for insulating a patio door.

How to Insulate Patio Doors

1. Keep the door track clean

Imagine a house with open doors during winter, and you might be better off by pitching a tent outside, right.

Well, if you have a patio door running on sliding tracks and you don’t clean the tracks channels regularly, be sure that your door won’t close properly.

Patio doors are prone to lots of debris since they are outside, and if you don’t clean them, the debris will accumulate.

I used to clean mine every week until I was shocked with the amount of debris it was packing after a week and decided to give it special cleaning every three days.

Depending on the foot traffic you have on your patio, decide how many times you should clean your door tracks to keep it functional.

Furthermore, sweeping your patio door tracks won’t take long. However, I would recommend vacuuming it. Use a vacuum with a header that will fit in the slider channels to effectively remove even the tiny sand particles that will make your door not seal properly.

Please keep the patio door clean to prevent warmth leakage

2. Add or replace old Weather Stripping

A squishy lining attached to your door’s jamb is the weather stripping.

Weather Stripping plays an important role on our patio doors, and they help minimize the loss of warm air by ensuring there are no gaps between sliding glass doors. They also keep snow and rain out of our home.

However, this black rubber substance wears out and needs replacement. Inspect your door frame to see if there is any that needs replacement.

When you see the light passing through the frame, that indicates your weather Stripping is worn out. They are different varieties of Weather Stripping to choose from; there is foam tape, felt, V-strip, and tubular silicone.

Weather Stripping is easy to install; pick one that will suit your patio door frame and install it to fix the drafty door.

3. Plastic window kit

Experiencing a harsh winter climate, then this inexpensive temporary fix is the best for you. The plastic window film is designed to increase insulation, and it will make your patio door more energy efficient.

Most people refer to this strategy as old school, but many of us will agree that it is still effective. Plastic insulation uses shrink-wrap that shrinks when exposed to heat, making it easy to install yet messy.

If you can bear the mess, get a crystal-clear film heat shrink to seal out cold and use a hairdryer to seal it.

The plastic sheeting can be cut to fit any patio door regardless of the size. As you heat it, it will shrink and tighten, making your patio door airtight.

Also read: Sliding patio door lock mechanism

4. Caulking to insulate a patio door

Redo the caulk around the edges of your patio door since exterior caulk wears out over time. Caulking is very helpful in insulating a patio door; they prevent moisture and wind from entering your house.

Inspect for cracks around the frame and where the patio door meets the house. If you see cracks remove the damaged caulk and replace it with a new one

If you want a temporary fix, use a rope caulk rated for doors, it’s an easy do-it-yourself process. For a long-lasting solution, combine the rope caulk with a caulk gel.

Also read: Ideal security bar for patio doors

5. Insulated drapes

Insulated drapes are a sassy way of insulating a patio door. The curtains are thick and meant to block the draft and help prevent the warmth from escaping. You can’t go wrong if you invest in an insulating curtain.

When shopping for insulated thermal drapes for patio doors, check for the resistance value. The higher the R-value, the greater its insulating power.

FAQs About Insulating Patio Doors

During winter, you want to retain warm air as much as you can, so don’t let your patio door increase your electrical bills during this season. Maintain your patio door year all round so that you can have an easier job before winter

Cleaning your patio door tracks, redoing the caulk, replacing the weather stripping are some of the easy projects you can do by yourself to ensure your family is warm during winter.

Now that you know how to insulate patio doors, the winter months will no longer be a problem for you.

We’ll be happy to answer any questions concerning the patio door insulation; drop them in the comment section below. We are here to help. A beautiful patio is also a warm patio.