We replaced a couple of our old windows with Milgard sliding ones last summer, and they look great and slide smoothly, but now that it's getting colder, I'm noticing a slight chill near the window edges. Not sure if it's just me being paranoid or if these windows don't seal as tight as I hoped. Has anyone else noticed drafts or sealing issues with Milgard sliders? Maybe I got unlucky or something...
Had a similar experience with Milgard sliders a couple years back. Installed them in our family room, and at first, I was pretty impressed—smooth sliding, nice look, all that good stuff. But once winter hit, I swear I could feel a slight draft near the edges too. Thought maybe it was just me being overly picky (my wife definitely thought so, lol), but after checking closely, I noticed the weatherstripping wasn't sealing perfectly in one corner.
Ended up calling the installer back out, and they adjusted something minor—can't remember exactly what—but it did help quite a bit. Still not 100% airtight, but way better than before. Honestly though, I've had similar issues with other brands too... sliding windows just seem trickier to seal completely compared to casement or fixed windows.
Did you check if the weatherstripping looks even all around? Or maybe it's just the nature of sliders in general...?
Interesting to hear your experience—I get what you're saying about sliders being trickier, but honestly, my experience has been a bit different. We put Milgard sliders in our kitchen and bedroom about three years ago, and they've held up surprisingly well through some pretty harsh winters. I was actually expecting drafts (because, like you said, sliders have that reputation), but ours have stayed pretty snug.
One thing I did differently was spending extra time on insulation and sealing around the frames during installation. Not sure if that made the difference or if we just got lucky with our particular windows. Maybe it comes down to the installer or even slight variations in manufacturing batches? I do agree casements generally seal better—had those at our old place—but sliders can still be pretty solid if everything lines up right.
Could it be something else causing the draft, like uneven framing or settling of the house over time...? Just throwing ideas out there because sometimes it's not always the window itself that's the culprit.