A dog door is a small opening attached to any door of a home. It is usually a flapping wood material, where pets can freely enter when they want to poop or go inside and outside of the house without assistance from their owner.
You can have a dog door by having it custom-made for your home entrance. But what if you want to install a doggie door in a sliding glass door without cutting door? It is possible!
Read on to know how to lock sliding glass door with dog door.
Table of Contents
Materials Needed
- Patio panel pet door
- Electric drill or screwdriver
- Screws
- T-bracket
- Weather stripping
- Scissors
- Your preferred dog door lock
Step-By-Step Guide
Step 1: Choose the best panel pet door
A panel pet door is a ready-to-install slim door with a built-in pet flap, such as the Petsafe sliding glass pet door. It is inserted into a sliding door track and serves as an extension of the glass door.
You must consider the following:
- Size of the dog door – It’s recommended that you measure your largest dog’s height and add one inch to it. For the step over, it should be ⅓ of your smallest pet’s height from their back reaching the floor.
- Material of the dog door – The options available are:
- Plastic – most common because it’s cheap but sometimes not sturdy enough to withstand the weight of bigger dogs.
- Aluminum – more durable than plastic and is less likely to crack and get dirty.
- Track dimensions – Measure the track from the deepest part of its top & bottom and its width. This will help you choose the closest measurement in selecting the height of your panel pet door.
- Color of the door – Available colors are usually neutral to pair with the color of the commonly existing glass doors.
Step 2: Position the panel door
Insert DIY panel door in the top track of your sliding glass door. Lift the panel and place its bottom part to the lower track of the sliding glass door using the height adjuster.
Step 3: Fasten the panel door
Once the panel door fits snugly into the sliding track, attach the panel door by drilling its pre-drilled holes and locking it using screws. It is advisable to have assistance from someone who will hold the panel door in place while drilling.
Step 4: Attach to the door frame
- Find the center of the top door frame and position the T-bracket on the center mark.
- Mark the track that needs to be drilled for screws to be inserted.
- Move the door out of the way, put the T-bracket in place, and insert screws at the markings.
- Slide the door back against the frame and drill a hole through the T-bracket and into the door. Be careful not to drill all the way through the other side.
- Do the same steps at the bottom track to ensure that the flap door for dog screwed to door frame is immovable.
Step 5: Put weather stripping on the edges
Install weather stripping on the back edge of the sliding door to fill any gaps, to secure a dog door from excessive moisture and to create a seal between the panel door and the original glass sliding entrance.
- Peel the paper to expose the adhesive.
- Put it at the edge of the panel on both sides and make sure it adheres.
- Cut out the excess using scissors.
Step 6: Secure your dog door with lock
After the installation of the dog door, it’s time to think of ways in installing pet patio door security lock.
Here, we’ll use a C-clamp.
- Place the clamp on the door track’s flange.
- Then, get the screws that come with the lock and screw the clamp into place.
Alternatively, you can use a security bar.
- First, make sure the bar matches the width of your glass door. For example, the Petsafe bar will fit entrances that are 72-inches
- Finally, place the security device between the door frame and sliding panel using double sided-tape or by screwing a bracket.
Other locks you should consider are:
- Bolt locks – Considered to be the most secure and can only be unlocked using a key or thumb turn.
- Latch locks – Most commonly used and easy to install like the Pet Patio door latch lock.
- Automatic locks and smart locks – Considered high-tech locks because the former requires the use of a passcode while the latter requires the use of a paired mobile device to work.
Conclusion
Having a dog door in a sliding glass door became easier with the products available today. With the easy steps mentioned above on how to lock sliding glass door with dog door, you’ll be sure to give your fur babies the freedom they need without causing yourself any inconvenience.
Just invest in an efficient pet door sliding glass door security lock too to establish both you and your pet’s safety at home.
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