Pet Doors
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General Information About Pet Doors "In Glass"

The major thing to realize regarding an "In-The-Glass" pet door is that you cannot cut tempered glass!! If you attempt to cut tempered glass, it will shatter.  For most people, this is not the pet door approach to take. There is usually an alternative that is easier, cheaper and better. However, if you're determined, read on... 

How do you tell if your glass is tempered?  Tempered glass usually has an indicia, or 'bug' as it is called in the trade, in one corner. If you see a bug, the glass is tempered. If you don't see a bug, well.... it may be plate, which you can cut, and it may not.  Older houses are more likely to have plate glass; newer houses probably have tempered. Dual-pane, insulated glass units are almost certainly tempered and shouldn't be cut into anyway. Countries outside the USA would appear to have more plate glass.

Plate glass can be easily cut with a glass cutter. Problem is, it isn't very strong. Some pet doors are specially designed to spread the force over a wide area (see below) but they're only meant for cats or for small (and non-hyper) dogs.

The best way to put a pet door "in the glass" is to replace the glass with 'Lexan'--the generic name is polycarbonate--which looks like glass but which can be drilled and sawed like wood. Use a minimum thickness of  ³/₁₆" if possible. Also, look for 'scratch resistant' Lexan as the main disadvantage of Lexan is that it is softer than glass and scratches more easily. Also, do not clean it with products containing ammonia as it will cloud! Use dishwashing detergent and water.

Once the Lexan is installed, you can install most pet doors in it. Just be sure the pet door is appropriate for thin cross section installations.

Obviously, you can substitute thin plywood, Plexiglas or any other suitable material for the Lexan.

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