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Chuck,
Pellas have the operation panel on the outside. If you have the screen in use with the door open and then shut the door all the bugs are now in your house because the screen is on the inside. If you live in an area without bugs and driving rain I suppose it’s a tossup. If it rains or you have bugs it is Andersen all the way
Jay M.
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I've had two houses with new Anderson sliders. Both sets of doors were great. But, the screens were awful. Door looked like it had originally been designed for wheels top and bottom, but someone decided to save $.02 and replace the top pair of wheels on each screen with a flimsy tension spring. They were always falling off the track. Solution: fit a pair of wheels in the top of the screens (minor cutting into the aluminum face to provide access to the adjusting screw) and fit the same wheels as go in the bottom. Now you can properly tension the door. Its a shame they didn't do it right, but I still like the door. I found the sill a little too high, although I neve had rain blow in the bottom either. If wheelchair access were an issue though, that would be a problem.
Carlos
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Chuck,
YOu have the begining of the answer.My biggest complaint ( I checked the doors on display at depot today) is the way the glass is held in the door. The plastic surround in not held in by screws. Instead the whole unit is assembled & placed between the halves of the door & then the door is crimped on the frame to hold every thing together. Admitedly, this does provide a clean look with no scew holes to hide. The BIG problem is the surround needs to be cut apart with a razor knife if the glass needs replaced. When the glass is replaced, the part of the surround that was just cut away now is reinstalled using finish nails ( I prefered paneling nails, the ring shank held better in the plastic) & caulk where the glass & surround meet.
This fails WAY to often. The factory would claim if it failed you did it wrong. What I think the real problem is : when the peice is seperated you have 2 different thermal expansion rates. With the high expansion & contraction of plastics, it simply would pulll its self apart.
When the seal breaks, it lets water work its way down inside the door where it will do its damage.
If the glass would never fail this would be no problem. While the faluire is probobaly fairly low, the incedence of broken & damaged glass on construction sites is high enough for this to be an issue.
Another complaint is the roll form aluminum skins. there are other things that I saw but I hve not looked at the full line of doors in quite some time to know if hte issues have been corrected or not.
Does this long answer help?
*Chuck,Please be sure to cover security (locks, window strength, any "easy" ways to break in (remove window lights, hinge pins, etc). I would also like to hear about retro-fitting the doors into old houses with non-standard wall thickness and wavy plaster.Looking forward to the article!
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Hello Breaktimers -
I'm researching an article on patio doors - sliders, hinged, French.I'm going to address problems with favorite companies, (or those you love to hate), materials, finishes, glass seals, hardware, installation, etc., so any input from you would be appreciated. I'm also interested in if Romeo solved his installation problems (posted back in Sept.)Sorry for the scattergun approach, but any posts will be helpful. Thanks very much in advance.
Chuck Bickford, FHB
*really like the anderson and pella sliding and french doors, Millgaurd makes a real good vinyl but the 8 footers sag at the head and remember your not supposed to nail the head fin. Have installed Therma true and not real impressed, can not replace the glass if it breaks so replace the whole door and good luck staining the fiberglass to match the older one ( in a french door set up). Had a friend take a insulated metal french door system and skinned it in maple for entrance to a sunroom, looked beautiful. Sometimes it is not the door that makes it great but the install and the trim.
*Thanks for that, Josh. Any difference between Anderson and Pella installations? How about callbacks?
*Chuck, Pellas have the operation panel on the outside. If you have the screen in use with the door open and then shut the door all the bugs are now in your house because the screen is on the inside. If you live in an area without bugs and driving rain I suppose it's a tossup. If it rains or you have bugs it is Andersen all the wayJay M.
*Chuck,I have installed many patio doors over the years. Andersen, Pella, Crestline, Lincoln are the names I recall and there are a few I can't recall. I belive you can't get a better door than the Andersen sliders and french doors. They are more solid, tighter, and very easily adjustable. Service has been excelent for both the Andersen and the Pella units. I was recently told Andersen is offering or will be offering an oak lamination on the interior wood of their Frenchwood patio doors. I had bad luck with receiving warped doors from Crestline and slow service. That may be a reflection of the retailer I purchased them from however. Overall the Crestlines, in my opinion are not as solid or as tight or very adjustable. I purchased quite a few Lincolns in the 80's and I better not say anything about them other than my customers were not happy so I wasn't happy. I have no recent experiences with Linclon. I recently was told by a friend that they loved the Milguard vinyl slider but I have not used it yet.
*I spent a couple days last fall lookin' at sliders and French doors for a customer and far an away the most impressive I saw were at a Kolbe + Kolbe showroom. That K-Kron finish and their hardware are things I remember. I was really disappointed with the joinery and aluminum exterior on even the top of the line Pellas, and the interior screen is definately a design flaw. . Marvins were OK. The windows and doors this customer needs to replace because they are falling apart after 25 years are Andersons (probably a "builder" grade), so that wasn't a company we looked at.I have installed a few Insullate vinal sliders and for 400 bucks, they are a hell of a good door for the money.
*I'm a homeowner who does his own work. I installed one of the Andersen french doors this past fall. I was impressed with the quality and the ease of intallation -- caulk, slide it in, plumb, put the nine screws in, and install the two handles. Most impressed with the fact that all hardware except handles are preinstalled and the locking system -- noway a guy would be able to jimmy the lock.Like Josh said, "Sometimes it is not the door that makes it great but the install and the trim". These doors with the two side lights make an old fashioned dining room the palce to be -- I added pilasters on either side and fancy capitals and raised panneling above the doors -- it looks like it has always been so -- the dramatic impact is beyond words.
*This may not be what you're looking for, but oft times, an old house design won't allow a double width entry to the patio. Am in the third winter with a Therma-Tru fiberglass patio door (single French, almost all glass), and we like it. Down to ten below there's been no noticeable inside temp problem. It's on the east side, so direct sun isn't a factor for longevity or warping potential. It replaced a kitchen window, and, fortunately, the window's header matched the door kit, so installation was a snap.
*Mostly I use Norco when I get to spec the manufacturer. It's a good quality door that can be custom sized, offers a lot of options & is Aluminum clad with extruded aluminum. NOt roll formed. Anderson's are Ok but I find it a pain to have to assemble the door. I'm also not a fan of vinyl cladding & they only offer set sizes & configurations. I really like Marvin but they have become to inflexible on price (local distributor). Pella I have always seen as over priced. The proline they offer thru home centers is a less than desireable product. Pella has also beeen using roll Formed aluminum & extruded wich fade at different rates. Also the roll form dents easier.I did factory service for Peachtree about 12 years ago. there is a reason they offer such a great service program.Because I do remodeling, I hope the builders around here keep using products like LP, Wenco, Peachtree, Windsor/Lincoln, etc. as it provides an endless supply of fast good paying work.
*Thanks for the comments; this really helps me. What typically goes wrong with these units? Rob, you didn't seem too enthusiastic about Peachtree - anything in particular? In my own experience, the locking hardware, weatherstripping and (of course)the screen failed 'way before they should have... What about vinyl; does it stand up to UV over time? heat differentials between hot outdoors and A/C indoors? Anything else? Finishes? Glass?