This test was performed on identical homes in same development within walking distance of the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach County Florida. All doors faced south, the water hose had approximately the same pressure, and the same nozzle was used.

The first test is the original door, installed in 1985. The brand is possibly Pan Am or Keller.
The second test is a Lawson impact glass product installed in 2005.
The third test is an impact PGT product installed in 2006.
The forth test is an impact PGT product, installed in July 2010, and is PGT’s new series of sliding doors.

When you get a referral from a neighbor it is only natural that the doors will be compared, especially  if the new install is the “latest and greatest”. From our customers perspective, the new series doors aren’t as high a quality as the PGT door we installed at his neighbors in 2006.

Problems customer called to our attention:
Gaps at the top and bottom on the edges are too large.
Handles do not seem to be strong enough for the new heavier door. 
The gaskets/fuzzy pads/brushes do not hold back the water. Also, when removed, or before install, they give the customer a terrible perception of quality.

I have been in this business over 40 years and can see the new series door is high quality. The screw covers and door panel itself speaks quality. But the threshold didn’t take the customers perception of your product into consideration when it was engineered. The “runner” for the wheels is formed high. This is not a problem (and is probably much stronger than the previous series) but the fact that the wide track is right next to the runner makes the threshold look like a trough to the homeowner, who can envision gallons of water being allowed to enter their home, especially if the weep-holes become blocked over time.

I think most homeowners are smart enough to know no two pieces of metal slid together can keep out every drop, but the customer cant see the design positives in that threshold. They don’t see runners that are about an inch deep to retain the heavy door, nor can they see how wide the track is so it will not overflow as quickly, nor can they see the removable threshold attachment keeping water out. They see water coming in their house.

A good example of this perception is the next door neighbor with the previous PGT series door. He told our customer and me there was no water coming in, when in fact, my test showed he had plenty. He just didn’t pay attention to it because it was not so obvious.

Even a perforated grate to drop in the track would at least kept the water from being so obvious. I look forward to resolving this as soon as possible.