Anyone ever see a sliding glass door with the blinds between the glass?

[Renob]

Im putting in a slider in my kitchen to the back yard, I also want a door with the blinds between the glass and can only find nomal doors with the blinds in the glass.

Would love a link if you have one to a slider with the blinds between the glass.

Thanks for any info you might have.

 

[Evadman]

Pella makes one.

Trust me, you don't want it.

French Style
Sliding

 

[Renob]

Trust me, you don't want it.


Why?

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Renob
Trust me, you don't want it.


Why?

I used to sell them. It was a good idea in theroy, but not in practice. At least 2 other manufacturers have products along the same line, and all of them have the same problems. The other manufacturers are Crestline (but I think they discontinued it), and Southern Millwork.

 

[illusion88]

Personaly I dont like how they look. But, on the flip side, its a great idea. Your blinds are protected by the glass, and I like that.

 

[illusion88]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: Renob
Trust me, you don't want it.


Why?

I used to sell them. It was a good idea in theroy, but not in practice. At least 2 other manufacturers have products along the same line, and all of them have the same problems. The other manufacturers are Crestline (but I think they discontinued it), and Southern Millwork.

what are the problems?

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: illusion88
Personaly I dont like how they look. But, on the flip side, its a great idea. Your blinds are protected by the glass, and I like that.

Which means if they kink you cant fix them.

 

[Evadman]

Good:
Blinds between glass

Bad
Blinds only twist, they do nto go up and down.
If they kink, or if one reverses, you can not fix it. (the top of the line Pella removes this posibility by making the inside pane of glass removeable, but this door is about $3k for a 6068.)
The glass tends to fog much earlier. (I saw many many fog in the first winter from Pella, and about 30% of them from Southern Millwork)
They are expensive as hell.
When installing them, you have to handle them like cheap glass. If you hold them worng the blinds will never work.

I sold this stuff for over 3 years. Just buy an Anderson FWG 6068 and call it a day. You will thank me.

 

[technogeeky]

Wait a few years and buy that glass that is self-tinting.

 

[RaiseUp]

Yes, all our windows and a door is like that.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: technogeeky
Wait a few years and buy that glass that is self-tinting.

It is already out.

 

[technogeeky]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: technogeeky
Wait a few years and buy that glass that is self-tinting.

It is already out.

How expensive is it? I'm talking about the glass that reflects like 99% of the light.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: Evadman
Good:
Blinds between glass

Bad
Blinds only twist, they do nto go up and down.
If they kink, or if one reverses, you can not fix it. (the top of the line Pella removes this posibility by making the inside pane of glass removeable, but this door is about $3k for a 6068.)
The glass tends to fog much earlier. (I saw many many fog in the first winter from Pella, and about 30% of them from Southern Millwork)
They are expensive as hell.
When installing them, you have to handle them like cheap glass. If you hold them worng the blinds will never work.

I sold this stuff for over 3 years. Just buy an Anderson FWG 6068 and call it a day. You will thank me.

What kind of warranty do they have?

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
What kind of warranty do they have?

Pella: It depends on the level of product you buy from Pella. The top of the line (archetectural sp?) was 30 years on the glass, 20 years everything else (remember, one glazing pnl was removable, so it was not sealed, which made it nearly impossible to fog. But it did not insulate very well) The designer series (the mid grade) has a 20 year glass, 10 year everything else warranty. The blinds were only 1 year, but I am pretty sure that has been extended to 10. (they were talking about it just before I left the Millwork buisness. Proline (which does not have the blinds option) had the same 20/10 warranty as the Designer. The labor warranty is only 2 years for everything except proline, which was 1 year. After that, you had to pay someone to replace the glass, or do it yourself. And if you did it yourself, you just voided any warranty you had left.
Milliken Millwork: 1 year on the blinds, 10 years everything else.
Crestline: 90 days on the blinds, 10 years everything else. (I think it has been extended to 1 year on the blinds. HD dropped the line. It is now sold @ Menards and I think Lowes. Give 'em a call)

<edit>
Forgot to remove a line

 

[Renob]

Evadman


Thanks for the info, I think I will pass on getting the blinds in the glass.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Renob
Evadman


Thanks for the info, I think I will pass on getting the blinds in the glass.

Don't base your entire opinion all on one doufus on the 'Net. Go to a Pella store and talk with one of the sales guys. Be aware that they make commision, so it is possible that they will streach the truth. Askt hem specificly about the warranty, and what happens if a kink appears, and how to change out the glass, etc.

I really wish Anderson made a door like that. Then I could recomend them. They have the best customer service I have ever seen. I bought a clearance door at Home Depot (a $1200 fwg 6068. I paid $280 because it was 2 years old, and missing a few hardware pieces) I called their consumer Number (888-888-7020 IIRC) and told them I just bought it and that it was missing some pieces. (The pieces were the weatherstripping between the panels and the bracket that holds the stationary pnl) I was all ready to pay for the pieces, but they shipped them out for nothin'. I used to have customers come in all the time because they did something stupid and broke something, and I just had them all call that number. Anderson took care of them real well. Can't say the same for Pella. ( at least their Proline and Designer series numbers. Their archetectural # was probably better since it cost a ton of money for very little performance)

So if you are gonna get a door, I reccomend anything by Anderson. The PS series is the best bang for the buck. (vinyl coated wood inside and out) the 6068 slider is only about $600 or so, and has the same energy efficency as the FWG models (vinyl outside, wood inside.) The FWG 6068 is $1181 with brass handle and screen. It can be ordered with Oak or Maple interior if you have too much money. (It was about $200 upgrade for that)

The best part is, I live about 10 minutes from the Anderson Factory. So if ya need something, just let me know. I still have a few contacts on the inside from when I worked at Home Depot (being the top seller in the Chicagoland area HD's was good. The vendors loved me ) Same goes for Pella and most other Millwork Manufacturers. (this includes Owl Hardwoods, General Pacific, Silverline, Owens Corning, Milliken Millwork, Southern Millwork, Specialty, Millwork Masters, Feather River, Nord, and others.) If you buy anything and have any problems let me know I am also about 25 minutes from Pella Corporate as well.

All I can say is NEVER EVER buy anything from Southern Millwork. They outright lie to customers on the phone, and in their brochures. Avoid Crestline if you can as well. They don't lie, but their products are shoddy.