As of June 2012 the Amweld lines are manufactured in Mount Sterling, KY, USA, by Black Mountain Door. The parent company is the largest WBE in the country (according to their PR). http://blackmountaindoor.com/
Good to know. I was writing Amweld out of my FTA specs due to Buy America requirements. Looks like they’re back in!
I presume IR/Steelcraft is Buy America compliant. Anyone know for certain?
To the best of my knowledge and in their on-line specs, Steelcraft is still manufactured here in Cincinnati [Ohio]
Good manufacturer through the years!
Any installed product experience with thermally-broken frames in high use institutional settings? Frame durability? How are you securing frames if not grouting them and therefore bypassing thermal break?
Phil:
My exterior locations are these:
- “Main entry door” for hospital, retail, office building. We specify those as thermally broken, but typically for that to make any difference, the space needs a vestibule. Those are high-use doors, however, and so far, I have not seen any issues. Its not often we require insulated glazing units in glass doors with thermal breaks, but I’ve done it in selected areas. usually these doors are on operators, selected for the anticipated traffic.
- other doors. back of house exit doors, utility doors and the like. These are typically not used all that much. In some climates, we pull the thermal barrier into the building (for example, if there is an interior loading dock/garage entrance, the wall separating the loading dock and/or garage from the rest of the building is where we would put the thermal break. Again, I haven’t heard of any issues with these doors.
as for the frames: you can anchor frames and stuff them full of insulation. the anchors are mechanical at top, bottom and other locations; we then spray insulation into the frames.
Thermal breaks may make a difference for frost and condensation forming on the surface, even if the energy savings is small.
Compared to the steel door, with full perimeter of formed steel sheet, how much does the steel door frame contribute to heat gain/loss by conductance?
The door would probably be insulated, in which case the perimeter edge of the door contributes has well.
Let’s face it. A thermally broken hollow metal frame is really a thermally improved hollow metal frame. Stop trying to made a silk purse out a pigs nostrel.
Be more worried about the exterior color of the door in cooling climates. Dark colors cause the doors to warp/twist in the frame.
This phenomena has been a problem in eastern Washington (heating and cooling climate). It snows in the winter and temps get below 0 deg F in the winter, but dark painted south and west facing doors take a beating in the spring sun.
These doors need vertical steel stiffeners and insulation, preferably polyurathane.
Best weatherstripping and sweep should be added to the frame and door.
If a decent (1/4 inch or wider) annular space exists between frame and interfacing wall, pump 2 component polyurethane foam insulation into the throat of the frame. For frames installed in in-place construction (concrete and CMU) this can be done prior to install in the rough opening.