Pella, Therma-Tru, Andersen Doors…etc
LeeGrindinger
| Posted in General Discussion on
I’m looking at steel clad entrance doors…3′-0″, 6′-8″. There is quite a difference between the Pellas, coming in around $300, the Therma-Tru, around $380 and the Andersens at close to a grand. I want to replace a Therma-Tru. The weather stripping is kinda crummy, has been since it was installed.
Is the Pella better? It the Andersen THAT much better? I’m more concerned with a good seal than an elegant door.
Montana’s the place and wind’s the game.
Any other brands I should look at? I don’t mind dropping a grand if I get a grand’s worth of door, nothing fancy, half lite or full, clear glass.
Lee
Replies
Put a good Larsen full light storm door over your existing door. That ought to do it.
lee.. i use a lot of therma-tru.. they have different grades..look at their fiberclassic
Pella is not known for hinged doors..
Andersen gets my order if the customer wants to go upscale with a Frenchwood..
most of the time, they can find a Therma-Tru they like
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'm retired and doing a little building now, but when I was punching a clock, I ran Therma-Tru's engineering group, and was responsible for all product development.
Unless they have changed things, the quality of the perimeter seal is the same, from the down and dirty Construction Series steel doors up to the Classic Craft fiberglass beauties. In actual fact, the steel doors, either one, CS or Premium, will hold a seal better than the fiberglass ones, when under wind pressure. And beware of thermal bowing of the fiberglass models, extreme cases of which can make the door edge walk away from its weatherstrip up near the top corner. If your old Therma-Tru door is giving you some air leakage problems, replace the weatherstripping and door bottom gasket with their latest.
That said, if you want a full-lite glass door and want good airseal performance, and water resistance in a hurricane, go with either the Andersen Frenchwood hinged patio door or the Pella Proline. Both are available in one-leaf models, in the usual range of sizes, width and height. You simply cannot get a full-lite glass door to seal well without a three-point locking device to secure the top and bottom edges of the latch side. Andersen's is particularly good, in that the weatherstripping has a "hood" feature built into the exterior pultruded fiberglass cladding (yes, the frame cladding is pultruded fiberglass, with a very good paint job). The hood feature creates a "neutral pressure chamber" in which the gasket is protected, thus a better seal under windy conditions. Just the ticket for the great plains states . . . or the coast.
Look for a better grade of Therma-Tru or go with the Anderson.
Don't waste your time, energy or money on Pella anything.
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Re Therma-tru, I think what we decided here before was that the door slab is made in a (the?) Therma-Tru factory and then local millwork shops assemble the jambs to produce a finished prehung door. And, as a result of this practice there seemed to be some variance in the quality of the finished product from one state to another. Personally, I have never had trouble with them, but as someone said above, get a higher end model. Get one with adjustable strike and threshold, and it allows for some adjustment so that the door can always seal air tight.
Also, as you may likely know, the weather stripping in your old door can easily be replaced - it just pulls out, and they sell the replacement weather stripping at Lowes - even have 2 colors Dk Brown and white. Really though, if the door never sealed correctly, it probably wasn't installed correctly and the jamb is probably twisted.
I agree. If all you are complaining about is the weather stripping... replace the weather stripping. If the door isn't seating correctly in the jamb, it wasn't installed correctly. the most expensive door you can buy isn't going to work worth a darn if it's not installed properly. Also, if you are having wind troubles out there in the great plains, put a nice storm door on over it.
On the other hand.... If you really want to replace the door, I'd stay away from Pella, They're not worth what they think they are. Go with fiberglass whichever brand you get. It's well worth the extra $$.
Lee, one tip. No matter how you detail the flashing and sealing of a new unit, the thing that'll fail most often is the aluminum wrapped wood threashold and/or the bottom of the jambs. Some companies have changed over to a composite instead of wood in that threshold. I believe I have seen also the bottom 6-8" of the jambs in a composite from at least one company of which I don't remember, maybe thermatru. Stanley has the composite sill inerds. For a long time I have refused to install thermatru as the product I rcvd was always substandard. This from a local company too until they pulled up shop and moved. I guess maybe they have a high end line that is quality, but I've never used it.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Thanks...
The failure in the present door is twofold. The door itself has warped slightly, bowing away from the stop towards the bottom of the striker jamb. This alone is not enough. However, the weatherstripping has also lost it's flexibility in the same location. This has made for a 1/16" gap near the bottom of the striker jamb. Ordinarily not a soul would even notice this but I live in a windy spot, it's not unusual for us to get 60 MPH winds. This brings a 1/16" X 6" gap into a rather annoying light.
For those that say the door was never installed properly...hogwash, there are reasons doors form leaks after installation and a 60MPH wind makes tiny gaps apparent that have nothing whatsoever to do with the initial install.
I looked closely at the door this afternoon...I think I'll try some new weatherstripping and tightening the strike a bit, new and more flexible weatherstripping should accommadate the slight warp of the doo, a warp that may or may not go away in the warmer weather.
Thanks to all that replied...
Leehttp://www.furniturecarver.com