Reducing Heating Costs - Sliding Glass Doors?

[lisasayzhi]

Hey everyone! In my new apartment, we have a sliding glass door that leads out to the patio, and now that it's getting colder, I'm worried about how this will suck the heat out of our apartment. I have a towel down at the bottom of it, and it's shut as tight as can be, and there are floor-length vertical blinds that stay closed in front of it. Does anyone have any ideas as to what else I might be able to do to stop it from killing our heating bill this winter? I thought about it as I was putting towels down at the bottom of the door and windows, and I found one window that isn't sealed well at all and actually has moisture coming in (it's in the bedroom too... no wonder it was FREEZING this morning!! ). But I got dh to go put a maintenance request in at the landlord's office tonight so she'll get it bright and early in the morning and hopefully it will be fixed by the time I get home tomorrow night. Anyways, any ideas for the sliding glass doors other than replace them which I can't because it's an apartment, and we're not allowed to install anything without prior permission...?

[tinapbeana]

which direction does the window face? does it get full sunlight during the day? if so, at nighttime i'd carefully hang a lightweight blanket in front of the door using the bracket up the vertical blinds. if the doors don't get any direct sun, just hang the blanket up and leave it till the seasons change.

[HalMd]

There is a solution for sliding glass doors that is popular in cold states like Michigan.

It is essentially a large plastic film, like Saran kitchen wrap, that you stretch over the frame for the winter months. It works great, but the downside is that you cannot practically use the door during the winter, which may or may not be a problem for you.

Here is a link that I found using a Google search:
http://www.consumerschoicewindowfilm...ndow_Kits.html

[Squantum]

You can pick this kind of window kit up at Home Depot or similar places. I don't know if they make the pieces of film big enough for sliding glass doors, though.

[mom-from-missouri]

Walmart has them for sliding patio doors-even for window AC units. If its a door you have to use, try making a large curtain for it out of tablecloths from the dollar store. Get the kind that are flannel on one side, and vinyl on the other. Just sew (or duct tape) them together. Use some adhesive velcro to put them taunt on the doorframe-you can remove it when needed-but due to the weight, you will need to connect it to the curtain rod on the top (use shower curtin circles for that). The vinyl stops the wind and the flannel is a small amount of insulation. To futher the insulation effect, pin a qeen or king quilt to it and hang with the pretty side to the inside of the apartment.

[LuxLiving]

I put foam backed insulated drapes on ours and use a quilt over it in the winter. But, if you've got moisture coming in then you really need to get that fixed, especially if anything you put up will come in contact with the glass - you don't need a mold problem on top of the cold air and heating bills.

[lisasayzhi]

Well, the maintenance guy came and said the windows just sweat bad and are double paned and blah blah blah. Grr, so he wouldn't do anything, so I just stuffed a thick towel down at the bottom. As far as the sliding glass doors, for now I have a thick towel stuffed down at the bottom of the doors and we put a large thick blanket over the whole thing. I'll look into the window insulation idea as well, but I'm hoping I can make due without having to purchase anything. We do have lots more blankets if we need them, lol. Thanks for the tips!