At Pella, quality is at the heart of what we do. We test our products to help ensure our designs will withstand the test of time.
Air, Water, Structural Chamber Testing
The chamber tests for air, water and structural performance. There is a separate set of conditions for all three tests by simulating positive and negative wind loads.
Watch the Video
Thermal Testing - Glass
Pella uses an infrared camera to visually show the efficiency of the glass in the window. We compare double-pane glass with no coatings or argon gas to double-pane glass with Low-E coating and argon gas. See what helps keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
Watch the Video
Hurricane Testing
or Pella HurricaneShield windows and patio doors rated to ASTM E1996 missile D rating, Pella fires a two-by-four at 50 feet per second at the window to test the laminated glass. The window and laminate need to remain intact to prevent a large rush of air and debris from entering the home, which could create enough pressure to lift the roof off causing the walls to blow over.
This is the Pella hurricane test where we fire a 2x4 at 50 feet per second towards the window.
The window has laminated glass that's going to help protect the home from flying debris during a hurricane. The window and laminate needs to remain intact during hurricane to avoid a large rush of air from entering the home. If a large rush of air pressurizes the home during a hurricane, the pressure can lift the roof off of the home and the walls can blow over.
The other thing we do is after the impact of the 2x4, we'll cycle the window 9,000 times at hurricane pressures to help ensure that if flying debris does impact the window, and an experience is positive and negative wind pressure from a hurricane, the window will remain intact.
Patent Wall
A testament to Pella’s innovation throughout the 92-year company history – with over 150 patents displayed. There is a history of innovation at Pella Corporation, which continues to be a core part of our culture.
Behind me you will see the Pella patent wall. This is a testament to Pella's innovation throughout the 92-year company history.
We have over 150 patents on this wall - and are adding more each year. The founder of the company has his name on many of these patents, as well as the son after him. There are patents for the Rolscreen, aluminum cladding and many others.
There is a history of innovation at Pella Corporation, which continues to be a core part of our culture.
Cycle Testing
We test our products by operating them thousands of times to understand performance of the windows or doors and key components like locks, screens and shades.
Watch the Video
Insulating Glass Testing
Glass is placed in a chamber to test the glass at 140 degrees with 100 percent humidity. Next the glass is removed and placed in another chamber that simulates the ultraviolet radiation of sunlight. Then it is placed back in the high heat and humidity to test how the sealants perform.
Watch the Video
Thermal Testing - Installation
Discusses the importance of proper installation to maximize energy efficiency and performance. Discusses the importance of low-expansion window and door foam insulation compared to pink batting, to create a continuous air seal around the window so your home will be more comfortable and energy efficient year-round.
When you buy a window, it's a little different than buying something like a car. You buy a car, you get the keys, you hop in and you go.
When you buy a window, you're not done yet. You get the window to your house, but you're only halfway there. You need to install the window and it needs to be integrated with the house and with the wall system. So, when you do that you want to make sure you're doing it in an energy-efficient way.
So, behind me you'll see yellow, low-expansion window and door insulating foam around one side and pink batting around the other side. The pink batting is the old fiberglass insulation they used to use on a lot of installations.
The better way to install a window is to use low-expansion window and door insulating spray foam. It's going to do a better job of creating a continuous air seal around the window, so your home will be more comfortable and more energy efficient in both winter and summer seasons.
Wood Preservative Testing
Pella’s goal is to have long-lasting performance of our wood windows and patio doors. We test our wood in accelerated conditions, letting water soak into the wood, so we can see how our wood preservative performs in these conditions so we can continue to improve our performance for wood durability.
When it comes to our wood windows and patio doors, our goal is for the wood to have long-lasting performance.
One way we test wood preservatives is by testing the wood with fungus and bags of dirt for accelerated screening tests. So, we'll buy fungus from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cultivate it and grow it — and put it into a bag of dirt with our wood sample. Then, we leave it in there for a duration of time.
Performance is measured in this accelerated test by calculating weight loss at the end of the test. So, weight of the sample before testing compared to the weight after testing.
In addition to the screening test, we want to see how the wood preservative performs in the field, so we perform testing in South Florida. We have test houses in South Florida where we cut the sealant out of the window, to create an accelerated condition, and let water soak into the wood. So, it is a forced fail condition. We monitor the condition of the wood over time and assess the wood for any signs of degradation.
We want to see how our wood preservative performs in these conditions to continue to improve our performance for wood durability.
Accelerated Environmental Testing
Pella tests samples of materials and products by placing them in a variety of harsh, accelerated conditions to evaluate long-term performance.
This is the environmental area of the test lab. And when I say environmental, I mean accelerated environmental.
We test samples in extra harsh conditions to evaluate materials and their performance in these accelerated conditions. We have chambers that accelerate corrosion that occurs in a seacoast environment. We also have ultraviolet chambers to accelerate the sun exposure. We perform testing at a test site near Daytona Beach, Florida, where we leave samples exposed to the environmental conditions to test for corrosion in the field.
These two components came out of the accelerated sun exposure testing. They came from two different suppliers. One of them turned yellow, while the other one stayed white. So, we obviously wouldn't want to use the one that turned yellow.
The lab and field testing help us make decisions to deliver long-term performance.
Published March 17, 2020
About the Author
Pella Corporation
With Pella, you get so much more than stunning windows and doors. Since 1925, we have been a leader in innovation, going beyond requirements to make beautifully designed products you can be proud to own.
Pella Features & Options
Explore What Pella Has to Offer
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
Pella products are backed by some of the strongest warranties in the business.
