10 foot sliding patio door with 2 panels

[av]

Some manufacturers don't want to do it, because they say 5 foot panels can be problematic. Polybau says they typically don't and they want to use 3 or 4 panels. The salesman said Polybau doesn't do 5 foot panels becuase they want to be able to fully stand behind their lifetime warranty. Brothers says they can do a 2-panel ten-footer because their C30 frames are strong enough.

What do you think? I also wonder whether with smaller panels the sliding door will remain properly adjusted longer.

[Guy]

Personally I would go with three even width lights. Any time you get an operating sash over 42" I think your risk of problems go up. The weight of the bigger operating sashes put a big strain on the rollers and track. Almost every manufacturer has a door they feel comfortable with up to 8' wide. Pushing the size up to 5' sashes sounds very scary. Just handling the sashes themselves would be a nightmare for one man to service or install. I think you'd get much more longevity out of three 3'2" sashes and they'd be much more energy efficient. Just my opinion though.

[av]

Almost every manufacturer has a door they feel comfortable with up to 8' wide.

Do you mean for the operating sash? Or do you mean 8' wide with two panels, and hence a 4 foot moving sash?

Pushing the size up to 5' sashes sounds very scary. Just handling the sashes themselves would be a nightmare for one man to service or install. I think you'd get much more longevity out of three 3'2" sashes and they'd be much more energy efficient. Just my opinion though.

I am not worried about handling the door, as I am sure it will be a more than one man crew installing it. But I do indeed wonder about structural rigidity and good adjustment. Wooden houses expand and shrink a lot, and the longer the moving sash the more likely that it will experience smooth operation problems.

The manufacturer who is willing to do a 2-panel slider quotes a C30 rating for their windows. Would such a frame still flex a lot?

[Guy]

Not True! The shorter the moving path the better the operation. The wider door will be more prone to issues because of door weight and distance of travel. The heavier door will be riding on that thin rail and create wear much faster than a lighter door. The wide span of the door will also be more suspect to warpage or movement at the meeting rail. I'd go with the smallest doors you could get. JMO though.

[av]

Not True! The shorter the moving path the better the operation. The wider door will be more prone to issues because of door weight and distance of travel. The heavier door will be riding on that thin rail and create wear much faster than a lighter door. The wide span of the door will also be more suspect to warpage or movement at the meeting rail. I'd go with the smallest doors you could get. JMO though.

So what are you referring to with "not true?" I think I shared and expressed in somewhat different words the same concerns you wrote above The only thing I am not worried about is the crew being able to install it. The crew that showed up at a friend's house had four workers.