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Storm doors


PRD2BDF

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Are they really necessary? I have read online about them and there's "Yes you do" and "No you don't really need but..."

 

I'm replacing my front door (it's more of a side door but it's the main door) and I'm planning on getting a nice fiberglass wood door and I do not want a storm door. The guy I got a quote from says it's needed because it will stop the threshold from rotting away in 5 years.

 

So any thoughts?

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If it's a door that doesn't get hit with the weather usually you'll be fine without it.

 

I replaced our back door and could not get it to stop leaking at least a little when it rained because it has no overhang and the weather hits it full on. Once we put the storm door on no more issues.

 

It's also nice on the 5 days a year that qualify to open the windows for extra airflow.

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That advice about the threshold is complete nonsense. If you get a nice entry door, it'll come with a rot proof jamb, and the threshold won't rot if installed properly.

 

If the front of the house gets hit with a lot of sun, don't get a storm door unless you leave the screen in it year round. Otherwise the glass will trap heat, the entry door will get HOT and the finish will eventually be ruined. I have a Larson Signature full length storm door with the glass in it, and it baked the glue around the entry door window to the point where it runs out from the window trim and down the door.

 

Rectractable screen storm doors are nice, but not if you want to show off a nice entry door. The bar across the middle will ruin the look of the entry door.

 

Don't get a vinyl storm door, don't get one of the cheapos with a wood core. Get a thick aluminum door with dual closers.

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Storm doors are great. Not only keeps water from touching your door but keeps cold air out in the winter. Well worth it.

 

^^ this. However, I put a really nice one on the front so that we can keep the inside door open to let in light. It's a full-view glass pane just for light as I can't put the full screen in it due to the dogs. OUrs is a Pella on the front and we ordered it with the Low-E Option so heat is cut by like 80-90%.

 

On the back patio we put a really nice Anderson door with the screen that pulls down from a self contained unit at the top. There too, we love to let the light in and when the weather is nice the breeze is great.

 

Overall, they do protect the inside door and help seal out the drafts.

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^^ this. However, I put a really nice one on the front so that we can keep the inside door open to let in light. It's a full-view glass pane just for light as I can't put the full screen in it due to the dogs. OUrs is a Pella on the front and we ordered it with the Low-E Option so heat is cut by like 80-90%.

 

On the back patio we put a really nice Anderson door with the screen that pulls down from a self contained unit at the top. There too, we love to let the light in and when the weather is nice the breeze is great.

 

Overall, they do protect the inside door and help seal out the drafts.

 

GREAT point about the Low-E glass. I've been planning to order one for my door but keep forgetting. I'm still skeptical that it'll be a significant difference, but it's worth a shot

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GREAT point about the Low-E glass. I've been planning to order one for my door but keep forgetting. I'm still skeptical that it'll be a significant difference, but it's worth a shot

 

The difference is huge. All of our windows are Low E and when the front door was not it was the only area of sun the dogs would lay in because it was actually warm. Now that we have both doors replaced they look at me like WTF! Being our house faces west it is a must in the summer.

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I have an Anderson storm door on the front of my house with the retractable screen. I love it. It's great to open the door to let light in and pull down the screen to let air flow through the house. I'm going to be replacing the back door on my house and plan on getting the same storm door on that one too.

 

I think it's just personal preference whether you want a storm door or not. It's definitely not necessary.

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Thank you all for the opinions and feedback. I personally do not let the door be opened and light/air in. I prefer windows for that reason. The front door doesn't really get slammed by weather as the house next door mostly buffers most of the rain, wind, and snow.

 

As for thermal efficiency, for some reason, this house is very well insulated in spite of the original 87 year old windows!

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Not needed. We don't put them on any new homes. Just the gel stain fiberglass ThermaTru doors, typically.

 

And adding a storm door to those (or any prefinished entry door) will void the finish warranty. One more thing to think about

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For airflow, we installed an All House Fan, 2nd house with one, and will never own a house without one.

 

https://quietcoolsystems.com/whole-house-fan/

 

I second this. I put a quietcool system in my house and what a difference. Not only was the install stupid easy compared to a traditional whole house fan but the noise level is night and day.

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Well the noise isn't an issue for me...at all. What about blown insulation? Won't it blow it around even more?

 

No the fan is hung well up above the insulation, 4 years so far and was just up there with AT&T in January and all insulation is the same place.

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For airflow, we installed an All House Fan, 2nd house with one, and will never own a house without one.

 

https://quietcoolsystems.com/whole-house-fan/

Agreed, our house was built in '67 and has an original. We use it all spring and fall, won't do without one again.

 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

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Just from an aesthetics point of view, our last home had one and I enjoyed keeping the front door open. Our new home does not and the entry way always seems closed off and darker for it. I'm sure in the near future we will look into a new storm door just for this reason.
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For airflow, we installed an All House Fan, 2nd house with one, and will never own a house without one.

 

https://quietcoolsystems.com/whole-house-fan/

 

Did you do the install or have it done? I'll have to do more reading about this later, but I'm curious if the install is relatively simple. I could definitely benefit from this having an all electric house with heat pump.

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did you install it yourself?

 

It is very simple. They give you instructions or you can watch the video online. Simply use the cut out given and cut between two studs (do not need to cut studs) place damper box over opening. (screw into studs and install grill cover). Make a 90 degree bend with the duct and hang from rafters and hook up electric. It took my about 3-4 hours total. I had some issues fishing the wire down the wall for the controls.

 

I have a ~1900 sqft house and purchased the CL-4700 as I plan on moving in the next 5-6 years. I wanted purchase the ES-4700 but couldn't justify the price difference (~10 year ROI). I really liked that you could wire the ES motor to have a LOW-MED-HIGH (even though they don't mention it), it is the same motor the PRO series.

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We have a fiberglass front door and a metal storm door. Western exposure, so in the afternoon the storm door gets NUCLEAR to the touch. The paint on the front door is faded and peeling because the storm traps so much heat from direct sunlight.

 

We're replacing it with a "Mid-Century Modern" door/transom, and we will NOT have a storm door installed. While the storm door does provide some weather protection, it's absolutely not a requirement.

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