ᐅ Driving rain resistance for floor-to-ceiling windows

Hello dear forum community,

We are installing two double-leaf patio doors on the ground floor, each 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) wide. However, these are not designed as floor-to-ceiling windows and include a window sill.

We would like them to be floor-to-ceiling with a 2 cm (0.8 in) threshold. Although the window manufacturer will install them this way, they refuse to guarantee rain penetration resistance.

As an alternative, we are also considering having one pane as fixed glazing and the other as an operable door. This option is also refused a warranty for rain penetration resistance.

Is it generally the case that floor-to-ceiling windows with a 2 cm (0.8 in) threshold are not guaranteed to be watertight against driving rain?

Thank you very much!

So a 2cm (0.8 inch) threshold is not flush with the floor 😉
There is a DIN standard for this. What you are describing is a typical patio door.
I have never seen a patio door with a windowsill.
Usually, a drain channel is installed in front to prevent water from pooling.
Every window installer should know and be able to do this...
And no, this is not normal regarding the warranty.
We have three sides of glass (floor-to-ceiling and frameless). It’s not a problem at all.

rick2018 schrieb:

A 2cm (0.8 inch) threshold is not considered floor-level 😉
There is a DIN standard for this. What you describe is a regular patio door.
I have never seen a patio door with a windowsill.
Usually, a drainage channel is installed in front to prevent water accumulation.
Every window installer should know and be able to do this…
And no, that is not normal regarding warranty.
We have glass on three sides (floor-to-ceiling and frameless). It’s not an issue at all.

I just realized this or noticed it in our house. On the ground floor, we have floor-to-ceiling patio doors on three sides. Now, there are "windowsills" attached everywhere, even though we wanted to go outside through these doors. 🙂 Yesterday, I asked my husband if you can step on the "windowsills" when going out. He firmly believes they are made for stepping on… Since he is an engineer, I tend to trust him. ;-)

I’ll try to take a photo and share it later. If this in any way turns out to be a bad decision on our part, we will definitely need the forum’s help. 🙂

We haven’t dealt with the issue of driving rain in this context and were neither warned nor advised about it.

We have several floor-to-ceiling windows. The narrower door at the back is even wheelchair accessible.

In front of all the doors that open, we have installed rain gutters. These are also meant to protect against driving rain. So far, no water has penetrated the seals.

In front of the main entrance door, an additional slot drain was installed. So if water should ever flow toward the house—which ideally shouldn’t happen—it could be intercepted there as well. Just a thought to consider.

We have installed these rain gutters in front of all floor-to-ceiling doors and windows, including on the terrace in front of the lift-and-slide element. Better safe than sorry.

These are not floor-to-ceiling windows for me either, but this is exactly how you do it with a drain channel.

Just like @Mahri23, we wanted that and would have, of course, installed a drainage channel in front as well. But even then, the window manufacturer does not guarantee protection against driving rain (despite an additional charge of 1000 Euros for both doors).
The drainage channel is installed by the landscaping contractor, right?