It’s no secret that families in the UK love having pets as part of their household. With this often comes the need for pet doors in the home to allow easy passage for your feline (or in some cases, canine) friends. Here is some useful information for pet door installation in both uPVC and glass doors.
Why pet doors are useful
There are many reasons why someone might want or need a pet door in their home. It is often dependent on the needs of the animal and owner. Here are some examples:
Cold weather
During the winter, having doors or windows open for their pets to come and go as they please is not ideal. As well as the obvious discomfort it could cause by creating a cold house, it also diminishes the effectiveness of the heating system within the home. This would then make it cost more to heat up the home to a comfortable temperature. By having a pet door installed, there is no need for the warm air to escape your home and leave you cold.
Night time
Getting up through the night to let an animal out for a toilet break can lead to broken sleep and an irritated owner. Training the animal to use a pet door at all hours of the day can eliminate this stress and allow the pet to ease their needs whenever it comes.
During working hours
Much like installing a pet door for nighttime use, it would also be very useful for those who need to leave a pet at home while they go to work. Once a pet door has been installed, the pet no longer has to wait for their owner to come home to relieve themselves, or risk an accident in the home as a result. Again, this would also reduce the stress for the pet owner as they don’t have to rush home from work in the same way.
You can install a pet door in uPVC and glass doors
Most pet doors can be installed in both uPVC and glass doors, but they require different techniques for how they should be put in.
uPVC
Pet door installation into a uPVC door is often easier than a glass one, and if you are diy inclined then you could even install it yourself. Most pet doors come with instructions as to how to install their specific style, so make sure to read those very carefully if you do decide to undertake this project.
Make sure you have all the necessary equipment to complete the installation in one go so as not to leave a rather large hole in a door to the outside. The equipment is likely to include:
- a drill
- a saw to cut through the door
- sealant and applicator
- Sandpaper to smooth out the hole you cut
This, however, is not an exhaustive list and you should always check what you need before starting the project.
Glass
Glass doors are much harder to install pet doors into. You don’t want to go drilling into glass haphazardly as this could cause cracking and breaking in the panes, or defective double glazing due to gaps that allow airflow.
The best course of action when looking at installing a pet door into a glass door, is to contact a local glazing company. Due to their industry knowledge, they are likely to either be able to give you advice for how to do it properly, or recommend having it done professionally.
If you are looking at changing your door for a new glass one, speak to your glazier directly about having the pet door pre installed to save time and money later on.
Get more information on our glazing services or contact a member of the team today to see how we can help you!