Do you have a retractable screen storm door? Or you might want to get one for your home.
Either way, they can be a great addition to your home, there is no doubt about that. However, just like anything else, this one also comes with some problems.
Here, I will take you through some common retractable screen storm door problems.
Don’t worry; I won’t just leave you with the problems; I will also provide the solution to those problems.
So, without wasting further time, let’s get going with it.
Drawbacks Of Retractable Screen Storm Door
There are several issues that you may come at these doors. In fact, I have written a separate article on the drawbacks of storm doors.
The most common ones you will face are the ripped screen and opening and closing the screen.
There are various causes for these issues to happen, so just knowing about the fixes should be your priority.
Now, let’s check out the fixes one by one to get you rid of any worries about the storm doors.
Ripped Screen Issue
There are obvious reasons for a ripped screen on your storm door. It’s mostly due to external damage.
And sadly, the only solution to this problem is to replace your retractable screen completely.
While some people opt for patching up the screen, it’s not a viable solution, in my opinion. Because it just ruins the appearance of the door, and it doesn’t last long either.
So, let’s check out how you can replace the screen of your door.
- The first thing you have to do here is to remove the spindle. I will discuss the method of spindle removal later on in the article.
- After you do that, you have to remove the damaged or ripped screen-roll from your spindle. You can do that by simply removing the end cap and screws.
- Then, you should be able to remove the old screen quite easily.
- Now, you have to insert the new screen that you got for your door. Make sure the dimension matches the slot for your door. You can insert the screen-roll in the spindle and place it properly.
- Check the fit of the screen and make sure it’s not slacking anywhere. Then, screw it back and put the endcap back the way they were.
- After reassembling the spindle with the new screen, you should test the screen. To do that, you just have to hold the spindle sideways and check if it’s working perfectly or not.
- Lastly, you have to install the spindle on your door to finish the process.
It’s not very difficult to do when you know how to remove the spindle. It makes the job much easier than you can expect.
Trouble In Opening Or Closing Screen
Well, this is an annoying problem you may come across with your retractable screen door. This mostly happens because of the screen tension of your door.
With too much tension the screen will stay unfurled. And with too little tension, retraction gets difficult.
So, the solution here is to fix the screen tension according to your needs. You may need to increase the tension or loosen it up depending on what issue you are facing with it.
Let’s check out how you can do it.
- Just like the previous one, you have to remove the spindle here as well.
- Then you have to open the endcaps from the spindle.
- Now, if you need to increase the tension, simply winding up the end will do the job for you. And if you have to release some tension, do the opposite, which means unwind the end.
- It would help if you were a bit careful while unwinding the ends because your hand can get hit badly.
Well, this is a pretty easy problem to fix. The most important step here is finding out whether you have to increase the tension or loosen it.
Removing The Spindle
This is the most integral and crucial part of repairing your retractable screen, no matter what the problem is.
So, it’s essential to know how you can remove the spindle of your retractable screen door. Many people face the same problem installing a Larson storm door too.
Here’s how you do it.
- First of all, disconnect the door screen glass. All you have to do is loosen the screws from the top.
- It’s better if you take off the glass from the track. This makes sure the glass is safe from breaking.
- Now, you have to loosen the screws on the top right where the screen and spindle meet. You have to remove all the screws you can find there, even those that keep the door and spindle attached.
- Once you remove all the screws, getting the spindle out should be easy. Just bring out the whole section very gently, and you should be good.
That’s how easy it is to remove the spindle from your retractable screen door. It’s the most important part of fixing any problems with your door.
Also, you have to re-install it so let’s check out the re-installation very quickly now.
For reinstalling, all you have to do is go backward from the removal method. What this means is, the way you removed everything just put them back together.
So, you have to insert the whole section from the top. Then tighten all the screws back from where you unscrewed them. Then, put the glass back on and screw it.
And that’s it; you are done re-installing your spindle on the door.
Conclusion
In short, the retractable screen storm door disadvantages aren’t that major of an issue. At least the common issues you face come with very easy solutions.
If you know how to remove the spindle and reinstall it, you should be able to fix these problems yourself.
If you are not confident about doing all these kinds of stuff and following these instructions, you can opt for professional help.
Because if you mess up this repair work, you may damage the whole thing, and you will need to go for a replacement. So, it’s better to avoid DIY fixes when you aren’t confident about them.
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