Frequently Asked Questions
HOW DOES YOUR SLIDING GLASS PANELS SYSTEM OPERATE?
To open the sliding glass walls, you must begin on one of the extreme ends — either the extreme left or the extreme right; however you elect to design your system, it is where it will open and stack. The opening door will be a non-sliding door, and will open in the same way any regular door would — just simply unlock the door (and depending on if your system opens to the inside or the outside) push or pull open. As soon as the first door is opened, it then releases/unlocks the next panel (and so forth), allowing the user to easily slide each door to their desired position. As soon as a panel hits the edge of the track, simply push or pull open to begin stacking your doors at a 90° on the side.
DO I HAVE TO OPEN ALL SLIDING GLASS PANELS TO ENJOY MY SPACE, OR WHAT (IF ANY) OPTIONS DO I HAVE?
You can open your exterior and interior glass wall systems in whatever way you see fit — that’s the beauty of our system. We offer flexibility for our sliding glass walls that other systems may not; because the sliding glass panels operate individually, you have the ability to create any type of opening you desire — half open, partially open, fully open, two panels open — the options are endless. Another added feature is that when opened and stacked, each panel magnetically locks to one another, so if a strong gust of wind comes, or if anything accidentally bumps into the panels, they will stay securely locked in place.
CAN YOU CREATE A FRAMELESS GLASS DOOR SYSTEM THAT GOES AROUND CORNERS AND/OR UNIQUE ANGLES?
Yes we can, within reason. The angles we are able to seal are 45°, 90°, 120°, 150°, 160°, 170°, and the standard 180°. For a visual of the available glass sliding door angles.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM/MINIMUM HEIGHT OF YOUR SLIDING GLASS PANELS? WHY?
Our systems can be up to 9′ 4″ tall; there is no minimum height per se, but we suggest a minimum of 2′ 6″ H. Our height is limited to 9′ 4″ because without the added structure of a frame at above that height, sometimes the glass will have a tendency to bow. As we want ensure our systems always operate smoothly, we choose to stay safe rather than sorry. Similarly, we recommend a minimum height of about 2′ 6″ tall so our internal operating systems remain fully functional.
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM/MAXIMUM WIDTH OF EACH SLIDING GLASS PANEL?
In order to find the best panel width for each system, we typically take the width of the proposed area and divide it into equal sized panels. We recommend staying in between 24″ – 33″, simply due to the increased weight of the door as the panels increase in size, however, depending on each individual job’s needs, we do have the ability to create a panel at a minimum of 18″ wide and as wide as 36″.
Can YOUR Frameless Glass Doors Withstand Wind And Bad Weather?
rain or shine, our sliding glass doors and windows will be protected from the elements. With UV-protective interlinking H-channels that ensure a proper seal between panels of your weatherproof barrier you can rest easy knowing water isn’t getting in!
WHAT IS THE WEIGHT OF THE SLIDING GLASS WALLS SYSTEM?
6 1/2 pounds per square foot. To calculate the weight of your system, simply multiply the width by the height, and multiply by 6.5.
Are Your Doors A Top Hung System Or Bottom Hung Sysem?
Cover Glass is a top hung system by design to allow the weight of our system to be supported by the header to allow for effortless sliding of our glass panels and allow for seamless use for years to comes.
What Type Of Glass Does Your System Use & How Strong Is It?
Our panels consist of two pieces of tempered glass with an industrial lamination in between which makes each panel 1/2″ thick. (safety) glass with an industrial lamination in between, our glass is 5 times stronger than ‘normal’ glass.
How Do You Lock Your Frameless System?
Here at cover glass, we have several different ways on how to lock and unlock your system depending on what would make sense for your project. If you decide to have your panels open to the interior, we will have a choice of what we call our pull lock. A translucent wand can attach and detach to the top of the opening panel. When you pull that down and pull this towards you, the panel will open.
We also offer our physical handle lock which comes with a key on the exterior side and a quick release on the interior side. And last but not least, our traditional slide deadbolt lock. It locks both at the top of the opening panel and at the bottom of the opening panel, essentially the lock will slide into panel number two at the top and the bottom, which you can be used with your hand at the top and your foot at the bottom
can your system be alarmed?
Yes it can. If you are using a wireless contact like peel and stick product, it can then be peeled and stuck on the track where the opening panel opens and to the glass thus when the contact is broken, your alarm will sound. If you are using a hard wired system, you can run wires inside the upper track above our wheels. There is space to run wiring all the way across inside of our side jam.
WHAT COLORS DO YOU HAVE AVAILABLE FOR THE FRAMING & GLASS?
We offer over 100 different colors for our track and for our glass, our standard color is clear. but we also carry light gray, light bronze, blue glass, green glass, and a reflective bronze.
WHAT ARE THE TRANSMISSION PROPERTIES?
Properties will vary based on glass provider and tint. Please contact us for specifics.
How Strong Is the Glass?
As our panels are made up of two pieces of tempered (safety) glass with an industrial lamination in between, our glass is 5 times stronger than ‘normal’ glass.
Will The System Corrode Over Time?
We’ve gone through extensive testing to ensure all of our materials are resistant to corrosion. Our panels are made of tempered, laminated low-e glass, our tracks are entirely aluminum, our weather strips are a UV protected polycarbonate, and our wheels and any accessories are polymer and stainless steel.
WHAT IS THE SIZE OF YOUR Bottom TRACK?
With our bottom track we have two different size options:
1 3/4″ W x 2 1/4″ H
& 1 3/4″ W x 1 1/4″ H
CAN THE LOWER TRACK BE RECESSED?
Yes. On most of our projects, our clients usually elect to recess our lower track to match their finished floor height on either the inside, outside, or both; recessing the track adds to the expanse of your space, and ensures you and your guests will have nothing to step or trip over when moving between spaces. Additionally, when installation is complete, you may also ask your contractor to cover our top track, as all our parts run on the inside of our profile.
IF THE LOWER TRACK IS RECESSED, WILL WATER GET IN?
As our NCTL results verify, Cover Glass USA is rated for indoor and outdoor use, regardless of if the track is recessed or not. Under normal weather conditions, water will not get in — this is because during installation, we will assess what the best way to get water out of your system will be, and will either create weep holes or attach drainpipes to remove any water before it gets inside. Under normal conditions, Cover Glass USA is weatherproof.
Can Your System Withstand Wind?
Our system has been tested to withstand winds of up to 222 miles per hour. If you live in a high wind zone and are concerned about rattling, we do have the additional option of securely locking each panel into place. If this is something you are interested in, please specify when contacting us.
HOW SECURE IS THIS SYSTEM?
When you install a Cover Glass sliding glass walls system, not only will our tempered glass protect you from flying golf balls, but our lamination will work as a sound barrier that will greatly reduce sound when closed. And most importantly, unlike other single track sliding systems, our panels cannot be lifted from the track, and unless you request it otherwise, all our systems are made to lock from the inside only — making access impossible for potential intruders trying to get in. Rest assured that when you choose Cover, you’re getting a system that keeps you and your loved ones protected.
What Is Your installation Process?
Installation for us is a two-step process that begins with inheriting a clean opening from you — you and/or a contractor would need to remove all systems that might obstruct or interfere with our tracks; this includes leaving the header and sides exposed. If one is interested in recessing our bottom track so it can sit flush with your finished flooring, we would also need you and/or a contractor to provide the cut into the floor (we will work with the contractor to provide all these details). After the rough opening is ready,
Part One
of our installation process begins – we weatherproof, install our track, and drill for weep holes. As soon as we are complete with this, we laser measure and order the glass from our supplier.
Part Two
is when we come back to install the glass 10 – 12 business days after and complete the installation. This process may slightly vary due to project needs.
HOW LONG DOES INSTALLATION TAKE?
Approximately 1 day per 18 feet of track or glass with a lead time is typically 3 – 4 weeks. This may vary depending on demand and on our pre-existing schedule.
WHAT IS YOUR WARRANTY?
See our warranty page
