– 42 GOLD KEYS –
When discussing the energy efficiencies of walk doors in post frame or “red iron” metal buildings, many people assume there is not much of a differentiation between door types and therefore little thought is done for the entry doors. In other words, the thinking is that most doors are very similar in construction, gauges, and door cores, so there is no need to look at performance or tested data results.
Plyco has historically been very aggressive for third party testing and registration for many of its doors. In more recent times, due to energy costs and clean climate objectives, a greater emphasis is now on thermal performance. This makes sense — every building owner or homeowner should be concerned about the insulating properties of the building envelope.
Those that do look at each category in more detail find ways to provide higher performing products and walk doors are no different. The starting point for a door would be the door panel itself. Common exterior doors use a styrene core which has an R value of 4 to 6. Better or “best” doors will have a poured in place polyurethane core, which because of it being liquid at the time of application fills all the door cavities and ultimately typically more than doubles the R value to about 12. But that is only a portion of the story. The weather seal, threshold/sweep, and “fit” will also play a big role in the amount of air or water infiltration. All of this is captured in much greater way with the NFRC 100 testing for the entire door system, which also provides a much better indication of real-world results.
How does the Plyco 92 door achieve such high tested U values? The 92 door has an “Everlast” G60 galvanized, pre-painted steel door panel with a poured-in-place polyurethane core, along with a heavy extruded full aluminum “storefront” type of frame. The door, frame, and threshold all have a “true” polyurethane thermal break barrier which provides the basis for the tremendous U values.
The world of energy efficiency of doors can be a bit complicated. More information can be provided by contacting Tom Granitz at [email protected]. RB
website: www.plyco.com phone: 800-558-5895 FAX: 800-257-5926
