Hi All,

I have an Emco plastic screen door with glass/screen in the upper half of it. When temperatures dip into single digits, the upper part of the frame warps out of it's normal plane by over an inch, while the bottom stays put. Is this normal for a plastic door? And if it is, can I do something about it, maybe put a metal brace up on top?

Thanks for any advice

 

Wow, what a story! In my opinion, the answer would be, "NO! That is not normal."

Actually, vinyl has a high expansion and contraction differential, so I am not suprised to hear that you are having problems with your "plastic" door. I assume that what is happening is the outer skin is shrinking at a faster rate than the inner skin.

If I had installed your door, I would contact the company and insist they send you a replacement. However, this would be complicated if you (the owner) did not fill out your registration card when your door was installed. In case you still have the information, you can register your product at: http://www.emcodoors.com/register/index.cfm

I would suggest that in the space they provide for comments, you explain what is happening with your door and strongly recommend that they send you a replacement at no charge.

Otherwise, perhaps you might call their Express Service Hotline at 1-800-933-3626.

 

Thanks. Yes, it sure seems like the outside shrinks while the inside stays a little warmer and probably more flexible. This would be true for the entire door, but the bottom part of the frame is stiffer due to the fact that there's no cutout there. There seems to be a thermal threshold for this - around 10F. Below - problem, above - back to normal. Well, with a $100 door, you get what you pay for, I guess.

Thanks for the advice, XSleeper.

 

I've only had the luxury of installing 2 of those doors and if i had any pull I would tell EMCO to drop that line of doors as they are a joke!! No matter what they will flex/bend weather it be hot or cold there is no making that door happy since it is mainly vinyl. You can kind of find a happy medium for about one open/close cycle of the door, then it's back to square one again. Homeowners are all excited about the new door, then once you tell them what it's doing and why they're not so happy anymore and wonder why the homecenters allowed them to purchase it. There is and never will be a cure except to buy a new door-preferable an all aluminum contruction one. The wood clad doors had a tendency to expand/contract at different rate than the outter skin, so after a few years water starts to penetrate the door and rot from the inside out.

Sorry to hear about your problem, just know your not the only one having problems with that type of door.