Comet Sliding and Stacker Doors — Opening Up the Back Wall
Two ways to open a wall onto a deck: a sliding door, which is the stronger tested unit, or a stacker, which opens a much larger share of the opening. The numbers below are from our AS 2047 test reports and certified WERS ratings.
What they are and where we use them
A sliding door's panels slide past one another, so at best you open about half the opening. A stacker's panels collect against one another as they slide, opening much more of it — it's what we recommend when a client wants the wall to genuinely disappear. A hinged door remains the alternative when sealing and wind rating matter more than a wide clear opening.
Wind rating and tested performance
Our Comet two-panel sliding door tested to N4 under AS 2047 with 2000 Pa ultimate pressure. For very exposed rear elevations catching Melbourne's southwesterlies, a hinged door generally seals better and carries a higher rating — our thermally broken hinged door tested N5 general / N4 corner — so we'd want your site's wind classification before recommending either.
One limitation we publish rather than bury: the three-panel stacker’s test report records 150 Pa water resistance — the lowest of any door we hold — and no wind class at all. Fine under a deep verandah; not the right unit for an exposed opening at N4. The full side-by-side is in the door weather table.
Energy performance and glazing options
Double glazed, the Comet sliding door reaches a whole-window U-value of about 2.6 — unusually strong for a large glazed door, and better than most operable windows we build. Sliding door sashes take 4, 5 or 6mm single glazing and an 18mm double glazed unit. Tested acoustic result: Rw 23.
Sizes and configurations
We build the Comet stacker up to 2400mm high by 3600mm wide as a three-panel, and up to 2400mm by 6000mm as a six-panel centre-opening configuration. These are maximums, not recommendations — we'd confirm against your specific configuration and the glass weight before quoting.
What we'd recommend them for
Sliding door: when performance is the priority — it's the stronger unit on wind and energy alike. Stacker: when the brief is a wall that opens right up, and the elevation is reasonably protected. Either way, a sealed double glazed unit can't be re-cut, so sizes get confirmed on site before the glass is ordered.