strange pario doors.........

Amberlee_2

Hello, I’m hoping someone can shed some light on some very unusual patio doors.
I am looking at renting a property that has a sliding patio door at the back.
I think these doors are from the 1970’s.
I have never seen anything similar to them and am concerned about the security aspect.

To get them open, you seem to pull the door forwards at a tilt and the whole door seems to come forwards. You then can slide it open. It is like a tip/tilt window that then slides.
There appears to be no lock- the doors have a very large, long handle that operates the tilt/tip/slide.

The estate agent wasn’t very forthcoming and the fact they don’t appear to lock concerns me.
Has anyone ever come across this type of door before??

ormus

like these ones?

ormus

Yorksboy

Hi

These are tilt & Slide patio doors. They don't usually have a handle on the outside - so can only be operated from inside - the handle acts as the locking mechanism. It is possible to fit a handle with a lock. Just google tilt & slide and you should find a number of suppliers of spare parts - a locking handle will cost around £30.

Amberlee_2

Yes!!

They are very, very similar- older tho’- as the house is pretty 70’s all through
They sort of tilt when you open them as if the patio door was going to fall in- then you have them as you have in the picture.
So no lock is pretty normal?
I did wonder if it had some sort of secure mechanism that held it all in place.

Thanks so much, both of you- I feel much happier about them now!

ormus

you can fit secondary locks to top and bottom of those doors.
in fact, most insurance companies insist on it.

capeverde

Tilt and slide patios are one of the most secure doors available. They do in fact lock with espagnalettes on all 4 sides. The internal handle throws the locks depending on what position it is. 3 o clock mormally tilts the door and 6 o clock slides it. They arent available with external handles for a couple of reasons, therefore they arent suitable for entrance doors, but just as access to the garden. The handle doesnt need locks either as you have to be on the inside to operate it in the first place. Some of the handles are locking though, but this doesnt actually achieve anything unless you want to stop someone getting out! Main problem with these doors is childrens fingers getting trapped as the weight of the door can make them quite dangerous and they do tend to 'snap' shut. They were popular as they utilised door profile so they could fit into the reveal without chopping back the plaster and were 60 or 70mm from front to back.