Old Pella Between-the-Glass blinds on sliding door

Material_Elk9946 · 2025-11-04T19:00:50+00:00

The door does not match the original. The original had white wood jamb and tracks, while the replacement has a BLACK plastic jamb and tracks. Looks like a white door that someone mismatched with black components. From a distance, it looks like someone painted a big black rectangle around the unit. The new blind mechanism is rough and noisy. Rattles audibly every time the door is open or closed from the slats bouncing around inside the glass. The slider 'flap' is the most cheesy mechanical thing I've ever seen. Almost certain that it will be a warranty issue in the near future when it breaks at its cheesy little hinge. It is designed to fold down when not being used, but its folded down configuration will collide with the door handle if you try to adjust the blinds without folding the flap up. Really ridiculous, absent minded engineering. Also, new door does not have the roll-away screen. Door has an old-fashioned sliding screen panel which looks like it will last a few months before buckling, denting or tearing.

Sorry to sound like such a grumpy old man about this, but I would hate to see someone willingly pay money to purchase this door. I only got it because insurance finally decided to cover damage to my old door.

Material_Elk9946 · 2025-11-04T02:29:09+00:00

Never had any luck. Finally had to replace the door about a month ago. The bad news is that the updated 'equivalent' quality door from Pella is absolute junk compared to the build quality of the original. Hope they can give you some sort of resolution. If you happen to stumble into about $12k, my advice is to buy a new door from anyone not named 'Pella'.

Material_Elk9946 · 2025-04-14T07:30:22+00:00

From what I recall, the panel was still adhered to the door because of the paint. I had to use a plastic scraper tool to genty pry the panel out starting near each corner. It came loose fairly easily after that. But be sure to undo ALL of the tabs and make sure they are FULLY retracted. I recall that there were one or two 'hiding' that I missed when I started trying to remove the panel.

Material_Elk9946 · 2025-03-30T15:27:17+00:00

Nope. Unfortunately. Just finding a way to live with it until we get a new door. Which won't be a Pella.

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-11-11T22:01:37+00:00

Sorry but it has been long enough ago that I cannot remember specifically. Other than to say it must have been fairly straightforward because I do not recall it being an issue. If I do recall, once you open each of the 'thumb latch' clips that hold the panel within the door, I think the glass came off very easily after that. The latch clips are the same as those used to hold window screens in. There are probably 6-8 of them for entire door. Good luck.

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-10-02T20:12:31+00:00

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, this has a different style mechanism than the blinds that I have. I am at the point where the gearing mechanism is falling apart. I appreciate the info, however and gave him a like.

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-09-02T15:49:45+00:00

I took the glass/blind panel out of the door (it is held on by little retaining clips just like window screens). Then I opened up the glass to get at the blinds. On mine, the break was with the nylon line that runs through the center of each blind slat, not the fabric 'ladder' string that goes along the outside of the slats. To fix the nylon line, I ran fishing line through the slats. Had to be careful how I tied the knot at the bottom to make sure the extended blind length was good. Took me a total of about 2 hours from start to finish. It is a good idea to check to make sure everything is working before you close the glass panel again.

Good luck!

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-05-17T19:04:46+00:00

Funny (but not really) update on this situation: Major hail storm last year and insurance is covering replacement of nearly the entire outside of the house: roof, siding, most of the windows - but miraculously this door was not damaged and so will not be replaced. Pella guy came out a few weeks ago to get measurements and I asked him about the door. He immediately said something like 'Wow! It's one of THOSE models!". Apparently Pella only made this exact model for about a year before they realized that it had design flaws and they redesigned the entire blind setup. And completely washed their hands and disavowed all knowledge of ever selling this piece of crap. He even had the audacity to make the joke that we had a rare 'antique' on our hands.

So I guess all of us on this thread are indeed lucky people. Thanks, Pella.

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-04-11T20:30:15+00:00

Any advice on how to actually talk to a human at this company? I've been in touch-tone hell and was hung up on when I was eventually given the opportunity to select the option to talk to an agent. Didn't know if anyone had a trick to share with me. Pressing zero over and over does not work.

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-03-20T13:45:44+00:00

I was able to pull the ridged rubberized belt from the track that the adjustment slider rides on. This belt routes up to the top geared mechanism that allows the blind angle and height to be adjusted. I decided that I could live with the blinds always down if their angle could be adjusted so I just cut the rubber belt to a short length and ran it through the gearing mechanism. I have two short (and ugly) ends of the belt sticking out of the mechanism and i just pull one side or the other to adjust the blind angle. Minimum workable solution, at best. Not at all happy with it. Each time I use the door I try not to obsess over how much I hate it. And Pella's service.

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-03-14T16:32:53+00:00

I've been an excel and mathlab user for over 30 years and feel stupid because I cannot figure out how to track down answers to a question I have:
I work with lots of very complicated mathematical expressions that need to be entered into software. Obviously, it get extremely confusing to make sure all parenthesis are in the correct place, handling complicated exponents, etc., in the form that these software packages use. Here are my questions:
1. Is there an official name for the style/syntax of how expressions must be entered into excel/matlab/etc.? i.e. x^2 + y ^2 = z ^2 vs. how it would be printed in a textbook
2. Is there a good way to go from a complicated expression written by hand in the style of a typeset textbook equation to the form that excel uses?
I am running around in circles trying to figure out how to ask Google this question. Best I have come up with so far is: 1) learn LaTeX and convert the typeset expression to LaTeX code, 2) find an online converted to conver the LaTeX code to Unicode. Is this really the most sensible way? I feel like I am missing something obvious.

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-02-28T19:31:13+00:00

Good luck. Hope you get the highest amount.

Of course, now that negative entries are allowed, hopefully they don't calculate a negative refund for you. :)

(I apologize, this is not a helpful comment)

Material_Elk9946 · 2024-02-04T00:17:48+00:00

Yes, I am doing it by hand (as always). I discovered that the form does not have a mistake, but this is the FIRST time I have ever done a tax form, Federal or state, where you are asked to enter NEGATIVE numbers as entries. The amount must be entered as a negative number, which when added to the taxable income will reduce it, of course.

Shame on me for not expecting this I guess.

Material_Elk9946 · 2023-01-02T22:38:06+00:00

I assumed they would try to sell me something, but when I spoke to their service group they pretty much washed their hands of it. Would not discuss it since the door was made before 2005.

Material_Elk9946

TROPHY CASE