I have kel-pane sliding glass doors, and there seems to be some sort of...stuff...between the panes which makes it hard for me to get sunlight in my room. I've read that the panes are supposed to be sealed for life, but that would seem to me that stuff shouldn't be able to get in between the panes if that were true.

There are some patches of the glass where it is clear. Once I had to run a hose from my hot water heater out of the house by the glass doors, and I think that the steam might have dissolved some of the stuff. Are there any devices that any of you have used to clean in between the panes without taking the door apart? Is that even possible, or are all sliding doors not meant to be tampered with in that manner?

Thanks

 

gnu,

Welcome to DoItYourself.com and the Door and Window forum.

I gather that you have dual pane glass in this slider. If so, the seals of the IG units are shot. The only cure is to replace the Insulated Glass (IG) units. Not that big of a thing, assuming that you have a way to transport the glass panes, and a large work table available to change them out on.

Realistically, you are probably better off calling a local glass shop and letting them deal with it. They have the racks on their trucks to transport the IG units safely, and have long since figured out an on-site work table. They probably have the IG units in stock -- these things are a standard size, and therefore aren't all that expensive. You are looking at $500 (give or take) to replace both panes, which is a lot cheaper than replacing the entire slider.

 

Thanks for the welcome.

I'm a college student, thus, broke, lol. I'd really like to get the glass panes all cleared up if possible, but if I can't do it myself for free, there's really not much choice I have, let alone $500 for replacements.

Is there a way I can tell if it is insulated? The panes seem to have rubberish weatherstripping along the edges. Are all two-paned sliding doors insulated? Have you ever heard of any that could be taken apart so that you could clean the insides manually instead of purchasing new doors?

Thanks.

 

If the slider has dual paned glass, that is insulated. There is no such thing as taking it apart and cleaning it yourself. You have no way to reseal the glass units. One way to save some money would be to take each of the panes TO a glass shop, and let them do the replacement there. With the glass still in the frame, a friend with a pick up truck san transport them rather safely. Do one this month, and the other in a month or two, as money permits.

 

I have the same problem with my sliding glass doors (two of them) at my mountain cabin. It is so remote that there are no glass shops near by, so I am looking at replacement of doors some time in the future. Once seals deteriorate windows begin to fog between the panes.