The first thing you will notice once your new bifolding door is installed and particularly if your bifold has replaced an old set of French doors is how much extra glass you have.
The addition of more glass is a huge benefit. Smaller properties that have their rear doors replaced with bifolds will instantly have more light coming into a room. Effectively, you will have created a virtual glass wall with the installation of bifolding doors.
If you are building a new extension, the obvious benefits of bifolding or even sliding doors will be visible as your new extension is flooded with light. If your extension also comprises a lantern roof or skylights, you will benefit even more.
How do modern glass units enhance bifolding doors?
With so much glass now in your room need you be concerned about heat loss, solar gain and increased noise levels? The answer to these questions is generally no, but it is worth having some information beforehand.
Many bifolding doors are offered with “standard” double glazed units. The glass itself will be safety glass – either toughened or laminated. However what else will you get with standard double glazed units?
Typically the glass sheets used to manufacture the double glazed units in your doors will be from Pilkington or Saint Gobain or Glaverbel. These are the major glass processors in the world and where the vast majority of glass manufacturers buy their stock glass.
Modern double glazing found in your new bifolding doors will typically be:
- Toughened or Laminated Safety Glass
- Warm Edge Spacer bars
- Argon Gas fill
- Soft coat Low E coating
With many quality bifolding door systems, the above glass specification is acceptable and more than adequate for the typical residential or commercial installation.
What glass options are available for bifolding doors?
A reputable supplier and installer of bifolding doors should be able to provide you with extra glass options depending upon your specific requirement. Examples of these include.
Anti sun and solar control glass – typically with a tinted coating on the outside
Acoustic glass – made from glass of different thicknesses
Glass with integral blinds – double glazed units with controllable blinds between the glass such as those manufactured by Morley Glass.
Smart Glass – Glass which switches tint, shade or obscurity electronically.
Your choice of glass will of course be determined by the cost however you will get the best performance from your bifolding doors if you can choose the best glass you can afford and the type of glass which best meets your individual requirements if you have any.
Glass is the major component of your bifolding doors. Any bifolding door for external use will have thermally insulated frames. In aluminium these are frames with a polyamide thermal barrier designed to bridge the metal to metal contact.
It is the glass when tested in conjunction with the frames that produces the final U value for your bifolding doors.
Therefore what is the “best glass” for your bifolding doors will depend on how you choose to upgrade the already high specification units with options as explained above. There is no ultimate best glass for bifolding doors as there are many factors that determine how your glass will perform.
If you would like more information about the glass options available for your bifolding doors, please contact us.
