Frost in between glass of new front door. Anything to be worried about?

[bbhaag]

So a little over a year ago we purchased a new front door for our home. This was not an "off the shelf" door purchased through a big box store. If you want to see what it looks like and the company we used take a look at my previous thread found here. Getting a new front door. Anyone have experience with Masonite, Waudena Millwork, or Paragon?

To get to the point of this post a couple of days ago it got down to around 10F and when my wife opened the door she noticed a layer of frost in between the two glass panels. She took a short vid showing that it wasn't on the exterior or interior so I guess my question is does this matter when it comes to the longevity of the door? It was a special order door and was certainly not cheap so is it something we should claim through the warranty or is it not a big deal? We are worried that the seal broke and is letting moisture in between the glass panes.

I can post the vid she took if it would help clarify what I'm trying to say so just let me know.

 

[herm0016]

Its looks like an Ottawa door lite window, they will warranty it. It should be sealed and filled with argon, sometimes the seal breaks and lets moisture in.

Crosswalk

Modern design comes to life through strong linear lines interrupted by bold pops of gray glass. Crosswalk's look is abstract, modern, and stylish. Click here to view the inspiration gallery.

www.odl.com

I think it's still a 20 year warranty on the glass, like it was when we were using their products.

 

[highland145]

File a warranty claim.

 

[mindless1]

Seal broke, it is a big deal, warranty replace.

 

[BoomerD]

Seal broke, it is a big deal, warranty replace.

Indeed. that seal and argon gas are the door's insulation.

 

[bbhaag]

Thanks for the advice guys much appreciated. So it sounds like this should not be happening at least not this early in the doors life span so I guess on Monday I will start with a call to Prairie Home Alliance. They are the ones we purchased the door through and also did the installation but my fear is they will say "Sorry not our problem take it up with Paragon." I guess I'll find out on Monday for sure.

 

[herm0016]

painting the frame black used to void the warranty, not sure if it still does?

 

[bbhaag]

painting the frame black used to void the warranty, not sure if it still does?

It was an additional $700-$1000(I don't remember the exact amount)to have the frame and door matched to any Sherman Williams color. As long as we stayed within the SW color pallet it is covered under warranty by Paragon because it was done by them at their factory.

On a quick side note two techs came out yesterday and looked at the door and watched the short vid my wife had and they said it will be covered under warranty. So now all we have to do is wait for them to get the glass from the manufacturer and we should be good to go with no out of pocket costs to us.

 

[herm0016]

they charged 700 to 1000 for a coat of paint? i hope its a show quality job.

 

[bbhaag]

Without looking up the invoice I believe it was around $500-600 for a custom color on the door and an additional $200ish to have the frame matched to the door. The reason we went with a custom color is because Paragon does not offer black as a stock color option. We really wanted a black front door and when we saw the Crosswalk glass design we knew it was the door we wanted.

If I remember right when all was said and done the total cost of the door including installation was a little over $4000. So you can see why we were a little bummed when we noticed the frost in-between the glass.

 

[bbhaag]

Well we ran into our first issue and it's a big one. Paragon the company who manufactured our door went out of business. Prairie Home Alliance who we purchased the door from now deals with Home Guard and they want us to pick out a full lite glass panel from their selection and they will replace it under warranty. The issue is we don't really like any of their designs.....

I've been in contact with ODL who manufactures the door glass and they don't deal directly with the public at all. They suggested I try another retailer in my area explain the situation and see if they are willing to work with me on getting the replacement Crosswalk glass under warranty but that sounds like an uphill battle to me. This really sucks ass IMO and now we don't know what to do.

ODL gave me three contact numbers for retailers in my area that still use ODL glass so I guess on Monday that is were I will start.

 

[herm0016]

If the have been in business a while, they may help. We would have, but the honest good business have been put out of business by the likes of paragon it sounds like.

Fyi. The pictures showed on the homeguard site are from the Masonite and odl catalogs......I recognize some of the styles from 20 years ago. Construction is full of people trying to rip you off.

 

[bbhaag]

If the have been in business a while, they may help. We would have, but the honest good business have been put out of business by the likes of paragon it sounds like.

Fyi. The pictures showed on the homeguard site are from the Masonite and odl catalogs......I recognize some of the styles from 20 years ago. Construction is full of people trying to rip you off.

Yeah you are 100% correct. I went "down the rabbit hole" so to speak the other night and also noticed that Home Guard also uses ODL glass packs. I will speak with our sales guy tomorrow and see if it possible to get the Crosswalk glass through Home Guard but I'm guessing the reason he wants us to pick something from the catalog is because HG has it in their warehouse so it will cost less than special ordering one glass pack from ODL.

I also found an article from 2019 that was published in what looks like a trade mag. It says that Sunrise Window and Door was the parent company of Paragon and they were the ones who ultimately decided to close the doors. I know you are a door guy so if you're interested the article can be found here.
I was contemplating calling them and seeing how they are handling warranty issues if at all. My guess is they are going to tell me I am SOL but it might be worth a shot. Anyway, that's it for now. I'll let everyone know how this all turns out.

 

[bbhaag]

Interesting enough I actually received a call from Peoria Siding and Window yesterday letting me know that the Crosswalk glass pack had arrived and they would be out Monday to install it. Considering I hadn't heard from them in months I had honestly just written it off. I had asked them to check with their new door supplier(Home Guard)because they use ODL glass and see if it was possible if that next time they put an order in with ODL if they could order our glass. Turns out that is what they did and they just didn't let me know.

So anyway nothing but good things to say about Peoria Siding and Window. They have gone above and beyond in getting us the replacement glass under warranty through ODL even if their communication was a little on the quiet side.

Sunrise Window though can go suck an egg. They bought Paragon then decided to close the plant and left their customers hanging with NO support. I contacted them and spoke to one of their reps who was in charge of dealing with issues from out of business products that they sold. He told me he would "get back to me" and I never heard back even after texting him pics of the door, receipts, and everything else he asked for.

Fuck Sunrise Window LTD and the horse they rode in on. I will NEVER buy anything Sunrise again and I will check before I buy to make sure what I'm buying is not in any way affiliated with Sunrise Window and Door Company.

 

[herm0016]

im glad they got it taken care of.