Hello AT,
I have a question regarding modifying a sliding glass patio door. We live in an apartment with a small yard in Williamsburg.
We recently installed an insert into our patio door track, in order to provide a doggie door for our beagle. We weather-stripped the edge of the insert, and the door itself, but the joint is not airtight, and leaks cold air into our apartment.
We want to know if it is ok to drill into the edge of the sliding door, so that we can attach an aluminum bracket which will sheath the edge of the pet door insert and provide a better seal...
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You should be able to. We drilled into the metal frame of our first-floor slider in our last house to insert security pins through the doors and it worked perfectly.
I've never seen one of these doors, but it seems to me that any strip or fabric that overlapped the opening enough to cover the gaps would interfere with the door opening or closing. You might try hot-gluing the strip first, to try out the idea.
FYI
If you hit the glass, it will shatter, as it is probably safety glass.
I have a cat door that lets in a lot of cold air and I'd appreciate any tips which would trap the air but still allow the cats to go in and out. Right now I hang a velvet curtain over the door the way restaurants do -- it helps a bit but not much.
I tried to drill into my sliding glass door in order to install a "burglar bar." It didn't work but I was able to epoxy the piece to the door and it's held for over a year.
If you have a fancy high-end door it may be double-pane with an inert gas between, but most likely it's not. I think my concern would be more one of creating an opening for water to get into the frame and cause damage. If your apartment is a rental your landlord might take issue with permanent alterations like drilling holes in door frames as well.
I installed a burglar bar on mine and my mothers sliding doors with no problem. I think the screws that go into the frame were pretty short. The glass is only about an 1/8- 1/4" bigger than what you can physically see, so it should be pretty hard for you to hit it. You might try calling the manufacturer or go to the web site. Andersen has a good web site and their people were very helpful. If you do break the glass, you will have to buy a new panel costing about $600 for a generic andersen one.
Here's an example of a creative installation of a doggie door.
http://www.obsoletepc.org/?uddoor
:)