HeaterTreater vs Blend Door USA

A side by side comparison of a set of HVAC doors made by HeaterTreater and Blend Door USA for a 2008 Dodge Ram 2500. The Blend Door USA doors have been updated and no longer feature a roll-pin driver. All new drivers are key-cut to solidly engage the door.
www.blenddoorusa.com/
www.heatertreater.net/

[@nef4ri0us68]

I know this is 4 years old but sooner or later, if you keep a dodge long enough and care about, you will dive into the dash and HVAC system. Thanks for the videos, they've been teaching me a lot for what I'm about to do with my gen 2 ram.

[@jonleone777]

The heater treater looks getto

[@DIYDynamix]

Holy hell man, Heater Treater looks like it was made in high school shop class as a first project. Thanks so much for this video, because I had no idea that Heater Treater is such low quality. No wonder there's such a huge price difference. Those welds are crap There is tons of play in every joint Those actuator arms are just a joke plain and simple. I think I'll spend the extra money for the Blend Door USA replacements.

[@strykerentllc]

Agree 100%. The Blend Door USA is manufactured by a man who has and engineering background while the other guy cobbles something together in his garage with stuff he found at Home Depot. $235 for the 'welded in my garage' dumpster fire OR... $320 for the billet aluminum CNC milled door assemblies from Blend Door USA. That's a no-brainer.

[@randyfirey3902]

I purchased the heater treater before watching your video, The heater treater door allows fresh air past the heater core. That translates into a luke warm heater at best. I then installed Blend door usa doors and gained heater operation to original status. Hands down Blend door USA. Excellent comparison and video.

[@bullrambler]

Thanks for sharing your insights on the Heat Treater vs Blend Door. It would have been good to show any weight difference between the two products.

[@Dev_Everything]

i appreciate you carbonite! On youtube and on the forum. Thank you

[@samuelbarnette290]

Thank you so much for showing an unbiased comparison of these two products. If anybody has tried to rebuild their HVAC system in a dodge they will all tell you they never want to do that ever again. It is a beast of a task to do. Thanks to you I now know that my $300 dollars or so will be spent on the Blend Door kit because of the 6061 Alloy they use to build their doors. Technically you proved that 6061 is actually strong then steel in this particular application. Great job dude!!!

[@aaronrus]

it isn't stronger.. the aluminum is about 5 times thicker than the steel. if the steel was the same thickness, it would be unmoveable

[@Boraxo]

Going thru this right now and went with the blend door USA brand. I also wondered about the extra weight and beings had some time waiting on the rest of my parts decided to modify my new doors. I stripped the foam and cleaned the sticky off. (note; the foam that Blend door USA uses will never, ever, come off on its own. Guaranteed.) I then drilled 3/4" lightening holes in kind of a 1" square pattern on all plates. I only before/after weighed the biggest door and had a 2.5oz difference. New self stick foam coming USPS today, disassembly of truck should start tomorrow. Edit; once I get the original 'big' door out, I'll weigh it to compare with new.

[@Boraxo]

And by big door I meant the fresh air door, it's the biggest out of the five. But here's the weights, stock is 4.5oz, BlendDoor before holes 9.0oz, after holes 7.5oz.

[@1204timyr]

The alloy blend seemed to be way better, the foam wrap feels better but bad glued. What about the draft shaft? The blend door seems really small compared with the heater treater, do you think it will last?

[@rzthis1]

How do they compare regarding purchase price?

[@azmrblack]

The foam used by blend door USA will seal better because it can adjust to imperfections in the box better. They've also stated it won't degrade like the factory stuff because it is not recycleable. Let's not mention the fact also you have unpainted steel in a HVAC box that could be sucking in moist air = rust and the tack welds fail and you got the same issue. BD USA and aluminum is a much better idea.

[@bufftileguy1]

Ty very much!

[@DieselRamcharger]

If i had to guess i would say Blend Door USA is making his product on Tormach cnc machines while heater treater is hand made fabricobbled together. Both are made in someones garage, but blend door USA comes closer to a professional product.

[@cmcken1]

I loved your term "fabricobbled" - you made me laugh. That's funny.

[@TheADDGolfer]

Blend door is hardly made in "someone's garage" It's my understanding Blend Door was one of the suppliers to the Big Three, before the Big Three went cheap on materials and sourcing from China.

[@recycledteenager7483]

I have a 97 Dodge Ram 3500 conversion van and I think the doors he's talking about I'm having problem with because I'm not getting a lot of heat out of the floor vents or the dash I'm trying to find a video that shows me how to get to that and everything I'm looking it up it's all showing for a truck and a brand new truck at that so if anybody out there has any information or can point me to a video that will show me how to gain access to that door I surely would appreciate it thank you

[@garybuffington6021]

Excellent job! While I agree with MOST of what you stated, I disagree with the "foam comparison". The glue is not really a problem as you make it out to be. "Open cell" is cheap and inferior. Open cell" foam WILL dry rot over time. "Closed cell" is longer lasting and stronger. Even you prove closed cell foam strength when trying to remove it before the glue released. Closed cell will always outlast open cell foam. I see that you didn't dink out the open cell foam for easily tearing up while trying to remove it. Closed cell foam is just plain stronger than the glues holding power. Open cell foam absorbs water and moisture while promoting mold and mildew. Thus, attracting germs and fungus too. Open cell foams weakness causes aluminum evaporator corrosion when commonly mixed with leaf debris and such over time.

[@flopster843]

All foam will deteriorate over time. I'm not sure exactly what Heater Treater uses, but the BDU foam is a synthetic poly-ether that is significantly stronger and longer lasting than the OEM open cell foam. As far as the glue is concerned, I have spoken with several different people that have had foam separation on the HT doors due to the glue failing when it got hot. I have never spoken with anybody who has had that problem with BDU doors. True, the open cell would be more susceptible to dust, but the moisture isn't a concern. The same open cells that could let moisture in, will also let the moisture dry out. I've been in several trucks changing out these doors already and would much rather use the open cell foam. The closed cell stuff is to stiff to compress properly and seal the box. The mold for the HVAC housing isn't exactly flat from truck to truck. The OEM doors are plastic and will bend to fit the box. The HT doors will bend to the box a bit, but don't fully follow the contour of the box and let air seep past. The BDU doors do not flex at all, and therefore must rely on the foam to properly compress and seal the system. BDU doors are simply superior in every way. If you held both in your hand side by side, you'd see the same thing. Also, if you're worried about leaf debris in your evaporator, you should put in a filter to catch them. It's very easy and works great.

[@aaronrus]

@@flopster843 how would one add a filter to an airbox system that doesnt use a filter to begin with?

[@carlt6932]

I used the Heater Treater doors on a job a few years ago and was very disappointed with the workmanship. I wish I had seen this video before I did the job.

[@kylestewart8354]

price?

[@mrawesome9213]

Not mentioned in this video but are something to consider- BlendDoor uses a foam that WILL [eventually] break down and require replacing. Heater Treater's foam is much more durable. BlendDoor uses aluminum which will not rust away (in our lifetimes). Heater Treater uses un-treated steel that will rust and will eventually need to be replaced (if you are in a humid environment (e.g. Gulf Coast)). At the time of this comment, BlendDoors are about $100 more expensive than Heater Treater for the whole kit.

[@flopster843]

Heater treaters foam will fall off the door in the heat. I've done several repairs and found it laying in the bottom of the box. Haven't witnessed any failure of the bdu foam to date. It's not biodegradable like the oem stuff.

[@louindorato6855]

Will these fit an 09 Ram ?

[@flopster843]

Yes.

[@2ndAmendmentGlock]

If blend door usa usedd heater treater's foam it would be perfect

[@aaronrus]

exactly what i was thinking. I also feel like the drivegear's shaft/steel pin should be beefier.....why would they put all that engineering into it, only to skimp on those two areas? i guess there isn't exactly alot of torque being applied to these:)

[@eduardoandablo9996]

Lmaooo these videos funn

[@bj139897]

I was about to buy the HT doors but after seeing this I'll gladly pay the $320 for the bdu (275 for ht). I would be embarrassed to put my name on those ht doors. Quality looked horrid and a coat of paint would cost less than $3 to stop rust.

[@goldgitter3548]

I would think both would cause a serious strain on the actuator because they both weigh much more than original.

[@bornhunter2885]

The foam falls apart after time!

[@seanhazelwood3311]

The aluminum BD is expensive overkill. Even the steel HT ones are overkill, but dodge won't fix the flaws in the plastic factory parts.

[@flopster843]

I've been into more than one truck and pulled out a broken HT door that failed on the welds. I can't count how many broken plastic aftermarket doors I've changed. I think the overkill aspect of the BD doors is worth it considering the work it takes to change.

[@strykerentllc]

@@flopster843 Thanks for doing the videos. '07 Dodge Ram 2500 and the dash videos + the heater box servicing videos are outstanding. Made my work easy. The HT is a hot mess. BD USA is the only way to go.

[@thebigkittenpileexperiment4897]

Nice dude, been checking out some of your stuff, I gave this here vid a like! You doing ok today? I myself do vlogs, if you like such things, I'm trying to be fairly consistent with putting them out. They're here if you like funny things: kzbin.info Keep up the good work!

[@Chief6067]

Just bought the Blend Door USA doors for my truck, go with the Blend Door USA doors, dont use the heater treater doors, this is not paid advice

[@josephhettiger2711]

excellent.im disgusted at the heater treater repair procedure and "dash removal" scare tactics. with common hand tools the entire dash can be removed from the vehicle as an entire assembly the same way it was installed on the assembly line.far easier then hacking and taping the plenum box and cutting and bending metal.its a simple procedure to visit the service shop of your choice and have the refrigerant removed. drive home pinch off the heater core lines before removal instead of a complete drain and refill suggested by dodge and remove the plenum complete repairs and any upgrades such as heater core replacement etc. reassemble and return to service shop and vacuum and recharge AC.

[@TheBCSledder]

Joseph Hettiger I agree, trying to do it behind the dash is fucking stupid. I just wish I had figured that out before. The only issue with pulling the box is the ac disconects are an absolute nightmare to get apart. I just finally gave up trying to get them apart.

[@seanhazelwood3311]

Removing the entire dash assembly is possible, true, but it's an all-day pain in the ass. Plus, once you re-install all of those components the dash Always squeeks. Evac/refill of the ac system costs a fortune, IF you can disconnect the lines (even dodge mechanics hate doing it).

[@Engloid]

Those are some ugly welds. Heater treater really needs to get some stuff machined. That's some ghetto rigged stuff.

[@daniastopjik3287]

Dude Lmao...no just put heater treater out of business..their products look horrible...looks like somthing my 3yo would make...lol