Joy,

We can certainly help you out with a thermal break iron door. While the above comments about a dealer purchase are understandable we at the same time have to respect the fact that our dealers put time and money into advertising our product. Since you are in IL. you would not have to buy from a dealer since we do not have one there. You can contact me directly for pricing. FYI our standard thermal break has a break in the door panels and the frame so no upgrade is needed.

dan@midwestirondoors.com

You should also reach out to Donatello Doors. They were the first iron door company to thermally break the doors and my research has shown that nobody has gone much further with the technology. I live in MN and went through 40 below zero temperatures with success.

Janna,

Midwest Iron doors thermal break patent actually predates any Iron Door thermal break technology. We have never stopped improving our technology since our first generation. We are now on to our third generation that features an extruded aluminum core with integral thermal break. We are the pioneers of this technology and tip of the spear for advancement. We now hold over 6 patents on various types of Iron Door Thermal Breaks.

@farjadz What is your opinion of Pinky Door quality?

Glad to see that this thread has gone on for over 4 years as the technology has progressed! I, like most of you fell in love after seeing an iron door and want one. i have done quite a bit or research as well and found Abby Iron Doors with their "thermal guard max". I am in Windsor, Ontario, Canada (across from Detroit, MI) and want to be 100% sure that this process will work. It's a new build. I know some in the area have had "partially broken" doors including only the jamb and kickplate, and have had issues, but none that are fully thermally broken. Anyone have an experience with Abby and specifically their thermal guard max?

AI V Abby uses wood for the core of the door in the thermal guard max. Midwest Iron Doors uses an extruded aluminum core with integrated thermal break which is much stronger and durable. Feel free to contact Midwest Iron Doors and ask for Dan (that's me) and I can answer any questions you have. Midwest Iron Doors

Hi everyone. I like most of you are looking for the right wrought iron door that will withstand the freezing cold. Has anyone tried Pinky's Iron Thermally Broken Doors? Is there anyone living in freezing cold weather that would go back and not get a wrought iron door???

Kamela,

We live in St. Louis and this is our second winter with our iron door. We have had below zero temps at night both years and not had any issues with our door at all. We love our door! One thing to be sure about before purchasing an iron door for use in a cold climate--it is not enough for the door to be thermally broken. The door jamb must also be thermally broken or you will most definitely have issues in a very cold climate. I know that for sure because we have friends who are dealing with that this year. Good luck with your decision!

vols2595 thank you for the information. Where did you end up getting your door from?

Kamela H, we live in St. Louis, so we purchased ours from a company near Memphis, TN called Tuscan Iron Entries because we were able to go to Collierville and see the doors in person. I believe someone in this thread also recommended some other companies that you can look into. Just be sure you make it clear that you want the door jamb thermally broken as well as the door. Get it in writing.

Krista Brigidi, you've had your Universal Iron Doors (iwantthatdoor.com) doors for few years now. Assume you've experienced a couple winters with below zero F temps? We are very close to getting a set of double doors, not too dissimilar from yours, from them. We live in the northern Chicago suburbs and experience VERY cold winters. Do you get any ice, frost, or notable condensation (that is not due to the humidifier being set too high for the outdoor temps) or other significantly disappointing performance from the doors? Anything at all? How about the door jamb? is it COLD to the touch in winter, or just COOL (as any window or other material would be)? Thanks!

Can anyone comment on their experience of having their doors installed? How heavy are they? Approx. cost? Unforeseen complications? Anyone recommend any installers in Northern Chicago area?

I hired a long standing builder who works on high end homes to do our installation. My door was about $10,000 and installation was about $10,000. The doors (2) each weighed about 400 pounds and the glass transom above was about 300, so the total unit weighed about a ton. I recommend using a high end, fully insured installer so there are no foundation/support issues. My installer came with 7 guys and a giant crane and it was a ton of work getting it set in place. We bought from Donatello Doors and it was installed 2 years ago, end of this month. One of the window hinges has already broken this winter, which has resulted in rain coming in through the door at that window. The door windows initially came with the wrong insulation and the company shipped new plastic parts, but we are STILL waiting for replacement paint to blend the correction. Kristin at Donatello doesn’t return my messages, so I have contacted the Attorney General for help with receiving the paint and the hinge. The company told me all along that they would take care of it and things were on order, but they never deliver, even with repeated contact. The doors fared really well when it got to 50 below in MN that first winter, so they were put through extreme temperature tests. We love the doors and get lots of comments on them, but Donatello has not been good about honoring their warranty. As I’ve researched complaints, other people have had the same issue with Donatello. I recommend finding a local builder with a great name and getting a dialogue going between the builder and the company you choose so that installation goes smoothly.

Wow 20K for doors and you have so many problems with them. I guess it is best to avoid Donatello.

@Kamela H did you go with pinky? Is your door in the line of direct sunlight?

I cannot thank you enough for this chat. I am learning a lot as we are finalizing our decision on the front entry. I love the look of iron doors and definitely do not want issues with such an investment in the cold winters we experience in Ohio. Have any of you or anyone you know of used Doors by Design Thermally broken doors?

I was not impressed with Universal Iron Doors reviews, and Clark Hall is very expensive, so I'm leaning towards Doors by Design....I checked Donatello and half of their doors are not available which makes me think they are manufactured in China.

@Laila Ariss Midwest Iron Doors offers the most advanced thermal break technology in the industry. get ahold of them for an instant quote.

Thank you Daniel. Have you used Midwest Iron Doors yourself?

All the iron doors, to my knowledge, are manufactured in China. Most all the companies have factories there and ship them via boat here. Donatello, for sure, manufactures in China and they have been terrible about standing behind their product.

We used Midwest Iron doors in SD and it has worked great in the sub-zero temps. No frost or condensation. Stunning door.

Thank you for this information. I will give them a call.

Vol2595
Did your door from Tuscan iron door work well for you. I’m in the process of finalizing my deal with them and would love and very much appreciate your input with their doors. Many thanks in advance!!

Laila Ariss, we have been through 3 St. Louis winters with our iron doors from Tuscan Iron Entries and have not had any issues at all with below zero temps at night. Our daughter, on the other hand, has had nothing but problems with her doors starting with the very first winter after they were installed. Each cold night there is water condensation, and on colder nights ice forms all around the edge of the door. This is a nightmare for her each morning she wakes up to this problem and has to act on it immediately to prevent damage to their hardwood floors. I should also add that we both ordered their Elite Series doors that are made right there in their shop in Collierville, TN.

For 3 years they have been trying to get Tuscan Iron Entries to fix their doors and have run into a brick wall with them. It appears at the time when we both ordered our doors from Tuscan Iron Entries, they were thermally breaking the doors but not the door jambs. We had no idea that the door jambs also had to be broken for these doors to work in a cold climate. We repeatedly asked Tuscan Iron Entries about their doors performance in our climate and they reassured us that people have no problem in our area with these doors. They never disclosed to us anything about the door jamb. We thought we were purchasing the most highly energy efficient doors on the market.

I believe our daughter's doors were affected because their doors were a custom size, very tall and wider than standard doors, with a large transom above. Ours are standard size double doors and even though our door jamb is not thermally broken we are not having issues. It appears the size of their doors without the door jambs being thermally broken greatly contributed to the problems. We believe that Tuscan Iron Entries, being the professionals, should have known that this was going to be a problem. We were depending on their professional advice.

So they have left our daughter and son in law out in the cold, so to speak, with regard to their doors which they will not do anything to help them resolve this problem. Their doors cost over $12,000--a very expensive mistake.

Now that Tuscan Iron Entries are thermally breaking their door jambs, you will probably be fine with your doors and not have problems, especially if your doors are a standard size. Just be aware that if you do have problems, you may be on your own.

Vols 2595, I cannot thank you enough for all of this valuable information. I truly appreciate you explaining to me your experience with TIE. I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter’s experience with them. It’s unfortunate, to say the least, that after paying $12,000 with a locally fabricated/made family owned iron doors the company did not reach out to her for help.
I will keep you all posted on my endeavor with my iron doors.
Many thanks again!

We got a new cudtom door from Iron Door Works out of Salt Lake City. We saw them at the Denver Home Show last year. It turned out beautifully and we had them install it. I WISH I would have researched thermal break before we bought it. Temps are now in the single digits and our door is freezing. I think we may really regret this. What are these doors like in the summer? We're over 6300' altitude and it faces southeast. We told them we needed something that would hold up against "nuclear fusion" lol as it gets so hot. Now I'm worried about the heat too. Any experience?

Maribeth, when you say your door is freezing, is it freezing to the touch or is it freezing as in icing up? In winter our thermally broken door is slightly cool to the touch inside. In the heat of summer, the door being iron gets pretty hot outside. But inside it is just slightly warm, probably because it has the thermal break. Our summers are quite hot here in St. Louis. You may not have a problem if your door does not get direct sunlight and if your summers are not too hot. Best of luck with your new door.

Hello Krista,

can you please tell, the iron door which you got was it thermally broken? we live in chicago and planning to buy iron door for new house but not sure if thermal break is required or if it will be ok without it in chicago weather.

I live in Minneapolis and have a thermally broken iron door. You do need that for Chicago!!

Thanks Jannachin.

No worries! Midwest Iron Doors and Donatello have been doing the thermal break the longest. I bought through Donatello and they have been a nightmare. I ordered a custom door and the windows weren’t finished correctly. A window latch broke the first year and they won’t respond to honor their stated 10 year warranty. Plus, due to the window issue, my door is 2 shades of bronze and they told me for the first year that they would take care of it, getting the paint fixed. They no longer answer phone calls. Donatello cares zero and does nothing for warranties.

Hello simmi oberoi
If you are living in chicago you will definitely need a thermally broken door (all over especially in the Door jamb). I live in Ohio so mine is thermally broken. I researched a lot and spent months calling and educating myself on which is a company that does all thermal broken doors that are manufactured In the US and not somewhere out of the country. I’m very pleased with mine. I ordered mine from Tuscan Iron Doors. The owner Imran, the sales person(Amber), and the installer (Jeff Pickett)were just amazing to work with. It took them 3months to manufacture the door (at Tennessee) then delivery and installment was a breeze. Jeff and his crew were amazing and the whole process took them 4hours from beginning to end. I was very impressed by how meticulous and professional they were. I’m forever grateful to Vols 2595 for helping me with this process, too. I got lots of complements on the door and it definitely increased the curb appeal of the house. Go for Elite Thermal Broken Doors from Tuscan Iron Doors and I’m sure you will be happy with the result.
Best of luck!

I belabored my iron door purchase and ended up with Iron Lion Entries out of TN for my doors. They are thermal broken and have been good. No ice or condensation after a bitterly cold Kansas City winter. And the y don’t get hot in summer either. And they look stunning.

@ Laila Ariss , how're the iron doors from Tuscan Iron doors performing this winter so far? Any below zeros yet? Any condensation etc?

Hi – thanks for this blog – good information regarding thermal break I wish I realized this before I purchased my doors. I do have an iron door and along with the condensation issue, leaks etc. I have water getting into the house between the sill and door sweep. My supplier changed the door sweep and it did not resolve the issue. Does anyone have any suggestions or have this same issue. Thnks

So sorry to hear about these major issues with your door. It’s so unfortunate to have an expensive investment like that without a good return. I’m not sure if Tuscan Iron Doors will be able to help you at all. They have been wonderful with their service for our door from A-Z.
Imran and his family (owners) along with Amber (my agent) were great people to deal with. Would be helpful to call them and check if they have any suggestions for you.
Best of luck.

@wdolak the door from Tuscan Iron Doors has been great. We had a rough winter with multiple days below zero temp. No issues with condensation and leeks at all. We had their man come to install it, Jeff Picket, so we won’t run into any problems. So far it has been working well.

Great information. Looking for anyone with experience with pinkysirondoors.com? They have a thermally broken door line.

Will definitely confirm that the jamb is thermal broken..

Also, has anyone else found that these manufacturers provide drawings like Pella does in their sales catelogs.  I asked Rustica and they said "... Maybe Rustica isn't right for you..."

Has anyone had a problem with water leaking from the glass windows on their iron doors. Our glass windows can be opened

If you are located at northern city and suffering harsh weather in winter, then a thermal break iron door is needed. We will add the thermal break material in the middle of iron frame to prevent the heat transfer, so that the door could be in high insulation performance.

Glory Iron Doors are in store promotion for thermal break iron doors collection, which is $500 off purchase. Come and get the door design that you like. GID Thermal Break Iron Doors

I am too going to purchase iron doors but I’m not sure thermally broken is necessary in my region. I am located in Albuquerque, NM and our coldest month (January) has an average temperature of 36.79 degrees F. The next coldest months December/February have an average temperature of 38 degrees F. We are very dry with about 11 inches of snow per year and have about 280 sunny days per year. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

We had iron doors (with large transom above) installed a couple years ago and I wish I had known I was getting a non-thermal break product. The product is like a large heat sink between indoor and outdoor space. When temperature high or low, the energy loss is huge and it makes the HVAC system unbalanced for the front of the house to the other areas. I don't think thermal break is only required in northern climates at all. We are in Fort Worth, TX. We have problems in the summer heat and also in the winter months. With recent cold weather, below freezing outside, the temperature of the iron will read 40 degrees with a temperature gun. This huge freezing hunk of metal has an obvious impact on the comfort in the home. I regret this remodel every time we have extreme temperatures which is fairly often in TX these days.

I don't know whether thermal break products would make a big difference since I don't have experience with that. But the science/engineering makes sense to me. Can't recommend enough that you investigate thermal break options if you are in the market for an iron entry way.

Hello Chris thanks for your comment. I went ahead and purchased without the thermal break. The entry door is a 6’ x 8’ that will be installed recessed 4’-2” which should help against the elements. The other door is a 3’ x 8’ installed under a covered patio. I spoke to a few people and overall based on their response I felt the thermal break was an unnecessarily expense. I hope the decision was the right one. Where I’m located the weather is pretty mild. Time will tell.

Can you please provide an update? I’m in Georgia and wondering if I need thermal break doors.

I would 100% opt for thermal break. Remember, it is also protecting your home from heat in GA, and it is only going to get hotter at the rate we are going!!

Thanks so much for your response!

We had a Donatello insulated door in Idaho facing north and never had heat or cold issues…or any issues at all. That was 2016. Now in East Tn and wondering if thermal break is necessary here. The cost to add Thermal Break is $2000 more than our whole huge door cost in 2016. Crazy. Anyone

Would love to hear from any Iron Lion Door owners in TN on the thermally broken issue….Yay or Nay.

MN input, here. Given the temperatures in TN, I would do a thermally broken door. I had a Donatello door installed in 2018 and have also noted how extensively costs have risen since then, but it’s been on everything. Have you looked at Midwest Iron Doors for pricing? All their doors are thermally broken, so no upcharge on that feature.

I would use Thermally Broken anywhere honestly, except the real deep south. Should not be that crazy of an upcharge, 2K from Iron Lion for T/B is assanine in my opinion but I would definitely want it T/B