Doors and Windows - Sliding glass doors

I somehow broke my outside glass on my thermopane patio doors, its the one that is fixed side that does'nt slide, is that side removeable and can I replace it without buying a whole new door setup.

Generally, yes. I say generally because I replace the glass on a set of wood doors that IF I'd had any idea how much of a pain it was going to be, I would have told them to FORGET ABOUT IT ( Soprano accent OFF) :)

Look for what holds your glass in.....if you're lucky, it will be a pc if plastic trim inside and out with screws on the inside that run into the outside moulding and "clamp" the glass in the opening. Sometimes they put little plastic plugs over the screw holes and paint them over, so they are a bugger to find ( I always throw them away for just this reason), you'll have to pry them out to see the screw head. This plastic trim is used a lot on metal and figberglass doors.

If you have a wood door, there will probably be a wood trim strip nailed around the inside to hold the glass....may also have some REALLY REALLY REALLY sticky caulk holding the glass on the outer side to seal it from water.......this can be a certified B#%@^ to get the glass out.....that was the case in the wood one I refered to above.....had to chisel all the little pcs of glass off the wood lip that the caulk held in......I tell ya....I'd throw the door away before I'd do it again.....but maybe you'll be luckier...

If it's a vinyl door, there is probably again a keeper strip on one side....you have to take a wide flat screwdriver and tap the strip out starting at one corner.....they sorta "clip" into a groove you can't see and are sometimes hard to get out....

If it's an aluminum door, you have to take the panel out, generally, and screws hold the frame together. The glass sits in a rubber U shaped bead.....

To remove the panel, look for some type of method they used to "lock" it from sliding.....this may be a clip on the inside, may be a snap in pc on the header, may be screws thru part of the header....whatever.....you need to get the panel to slide over toward center a few inches so you can grab both sides, lift up and swing out to remove.......On SOME doors, you have to remove the rolling panel first, but most don't.

When you finally DO figure your door out, measure the glass that is left for height and width, then measure the overall thickness of the unit where ever you can find enough of the broken side to do so.....the glass company needs this measurement to know what size spacer to put in so you get the same thickness unit back.....then call a glass shop and order a unit.

it looks like these part of the door is built in place and will not move, its looks like plastic or vinyl. is there some special way to get the air out or how can I get it to be thermal again, Thanks for the help. Joe

As Andy said, by replacing the glass or the unit.
A homeowner can't repair an insulated glass panel once it looses its seal.
Good Luck!
Mike

See how much typing you would have saved me if you'd have said it was a vinyl door to start with :)

You probably can't remove the fixed panel, nor do you need to.

The glass, as I said above, is held in with a "keeper" strip of vinyl.
Should be on the inside....you will see a seam about 1/2" to 3/4" in toward the frame from the glass......this is the keeper strip. Removing it can be a boogger....take a wide, flat screwdriver at a shallow angle in that seam and tap it fairly hard......the wider the tip, the less likely you are to damage the keeper strip.....and YOU DON"T WANT TO DAMAGE IT TOO BAD, or you have nothing to hold the new glass in place......

>>>This, by the way, is JUST ONE of my objections to "welded" vinyl doors and windows, if anyone is considering them <<<<<

Once you do finally get it started, it should come out fairy easy. Best if you wait until a warm day, or turn the heat up in the house so the vinyl isn't brittle.......cause you DON'T want to bust this strip.....trust me.....

Remove all four pcs and the glass will pop right out.

Andy,
mineral spirits.......cuts the #$%@@ down to a minimum........

JD you may need to run a utility knife on the inside of the window between the glass and vynil to release the glass after the vynil bead is removed.......Remove one strip and you'll be able to see how far the glass unit is set back in the frame to measure for a new unit....To measure the thickness of a replacement unit Take the measurement from a tape set against the good pane to the outside of the broken pane. then add the thickness of the broken pane for the total.........Clear the broken glass back to an edge to take the measurement.