Quote:
Originally Posted by John3Dtraveler
I'm a newbie just looking into some 3 season doors. You were talking 3 season doors then you mentioned the "internal sliding glass door"
We have a 2021 Impact 367 and I really want some form of door for the patio that will keep some of the A/C inside the garage/bedroom.
I couldn't find a unit with any doors in the garage so I'd like to add a door. Any suggestions?
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(Retro-fit?) I haven't researched, but I have not seen any DIY kits for ramp/patio doors. It is my understanding that Lippert does not sell the 3 season doors to consumers as a kit; you would need to have a dealer order and install the 3 season doors like you see on the Raptor. Did your unit come with the party deck cables and guard railings? To be a patio, you would need these as well. The doors/jams need to be inboard of the ramp deck and patio railings when folded in (you loose about 10" of garage). And all of this stuff has to be designed to swing out of the way in order to load the garage. In all, it would be a very expensive "retro fit" or a very detailed home project.
(Security) Yes, our Raptor 353TS has the "3 season" plastic/screen sliding doors at the ramp end of the garage. Then we have a sliding glass door (just like at a house) that separates the front of the garage from the living area. While it is a single pane door (not very efficient), it provides security and AC separation. I really like this setup because the typical "swing in" door into the garage on most toy haulers either limits the garage by 3-4' or is unusable when your toys are loaded up against the doorway.
(AC performance) We have found the 3 season doors to be adequate even at very hot temperatures (e.g. 100°F) PROVIDED you have 3 AC units capable of simultaneous operation. The garage AC seems to handle the heat loss from the doors. If it gets really hot, it is likely that you would not want the sun shining through those plastic panels anyway and would likely close the ramp door. By code, the garage AC is NOT ducted into the AC feeding the main room to reduce the possibility of exhaust/fuel fumes being introduced into the living area. On the flip side, however, the main AC unit is ducted into the garage, but this is totally ineffective and only reduces the effectiveness of the AC in both spaces.
My recommendation: if you have 3 AC units on your Impact and they are capable of simultaneous operation, give the 3 season doors a try; I do not think they will be much of an issue (as long as you accept their drawbacks). If you only have 1 or 2 AC units, I would focus on getting more AC installed. With your 39' in length, you are going to need a lot of AC to stay cool when it is 110°F outside.
Here's a link to what is possible with 3 AC units AND the 3 season doors:
https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=39365
Hope that helps.