by Stacy S
(Belvue, KS USA)
Top of door measures 27 7/8
Hi,Hi Stacy;
To convert the door to a sliding screen you need room to install a track on the bottom and a channel on the top.
The guides or channels used by the retractable door cant be used on a sliding screen door, so these need to be removed.
The
cassette that holds the rolled up screen would also need to be removed.
A very common problem with retractables are twigs, leaves and plant
material that get inside the cassette and gums up the works so to speak.
It might be worth checking that. Cleaning out the cassette might the door working again.
If
not then you will need to remove all the tracks for the retractable and
see if there is room to install a channel on top and a track on the
bottom
My screen door tracks page
shows what my tracks look like. The question is will there be room to
install them. If you can send me close up pictures of your existing top
and bottom tracks I will try to help you decide if this conversion is
possible.
Retractable screens in the United Kingdom
by Carol G
I have 3 dogs all very eager to run to the front door when a
visitor is ringing the bell. I have seen your adver for a retractable
dog screen for my door but as i live in the UK i am wondering if you
have anyone here who makes them?
I would be interested to hear from you.
Many thanks
The
Google advertising that shows up on some of my pages is supposed to be
targeted to the location of the person viewing the page. So if you are
in the UK the ads should reflect UK suppliers.
I can ship doors from Canada but typically the shipping costs get too expensive to be practical.
Mrs Carol Graff.
carolgraff@hotmail.com
Restaurant Screens
by Pizza Guy
(Virginia)
Hi,
I have large black retractable screens, that I am
afraid people will walk into. Is there an easy way to make them more
visible without painting them?
Thanks.
Pizza Guy.
It's
a retractable screen, so you cant hang anything on the screen. Paint
seems about the only option, but even that might cause the screen to
operate poorly if it starts flaking off inside the vertical cassette.
Perhaps
a big "watch out for the screen" sign similar to the "watch your step"
sign you see in some restaurants that have step downs or step ups.
If
its a high traffic area perhaps motorized screens with motion sensors
would help. But thats going to mean replacing the screens that are
already there.
Retractable screen for pets
by Raed
(Lebanon)
We have a project that require a type of netting or screen to
be mounted on double leaf French doors. The screen can?t be mounted on
the outside because of some facade restriction and the doors themselves
open indoor.
The screen is not intended for insects but for pets, so the seal is not very important.
We
were thinking of ideally a roller mounted on the edge of one panel and
the bar on the other side with a magnet latch of some sort.
Can you help us on this project.
Do you think you might know a supplier that could?
Thank you.
Hi Raed;
It
is possible to mount a retractable screen on the inside of a french
door. To work best, the door needs a uniform flat surface all around.
Thats easy to accomplish on the outside because you can mount to the side jambs and header which are usually flat.
On
the inside you have the casing which is more decorative and not usually
flat. I would remove the casing so the cassette for the retractable
door could sit flat.
My retractable doors can also accomodate pet screen which resists scratching and stands up much better to pets.
Replacing retractable screen door with sliding screen door
by Stacy
(Belvue ks)
I have a 3year old Anderson patio door with a retractable screen
door, which has never worked. I want to replace it with a sliding
screen door. Can you sell the track and a sliding screen door? What
measurements do I need to give you?
Thanks
Stacy
Hi Stacy;
My screen door kits are usually $129.00, if you add a top track and a bottom track the price is $159.00
Would like to see pictures of existing door so we can make sure exactly what you need
Screen does not retract easily
When you touch the screen it retracts only part way then when you touch it again it comes out of the frame altogether.
I am assuming you are talking about a retractable screen.
The first thing I would check is the guide rail that is screwed onto the bottom sill.
With
a retractable door, its important that the top and bottom rails always
be perfectly parallel and its easy for the bottom rail to get loose and
not be parallel to the top.
Screen door with roll-up screen
by Marilyn Backer
(Deer River, MN)
We have an EMCO (a subsidary of Andersen Corp.) screen door with
a "roll-up" type screen that houses on top of the door. This door is
only 3 to 4 years old and the screen needs to be replaced.
Can't
understand it, but it's as though the screen is deteriorating on it's
own. We have no children in the household, so I can't understand
it.....but in any event, I want to know how one goes about replacing the
screen when it rolls up like this one does???
There must be a way??
Please advise and thank you. I can send photos if need be.
Retractable screen door off track
by Dawn
(Dallas)
My Pellagra retractable screen door came off the track and the
bottom sliding mechanism separated into 2 pieces. I can't figure out how
to reassemble it and get it back on the track. The screen is fully
"closed" and can't retract into wall.
With most retractable
screen the top and bottom slide over the tracks. I suspect you would
need to remove the bottom track, slip it back onto the bottom of the
retractable door and screw it back in place again.
If you have some pictures you could post I might be able to help further
Pet proof screen in a retractable door by Donna
(Arillas, Corfu,Greece)
we do have more pic's if it helps
hi, I hope you can help. we have a roller retractable screen,
sorry i dont know the make of it, our animals have split the bottom of
it and we would like to replace the material with pet proof screening,
would we be able to do this ourselves?
the standard 85" drop would be ok but the width is larger as its a double patio door. do you do a 55" width?
Also we live in Corfu Greece would you be able to supply us here?
If
the roller has standard screen cloth already, it wont work with
petscreen becasue the material is thicker and the the roll will get too
large to fit into the original housing once it is retracted.
I
can certainly send you a 60 inch x 85 inch piece of screen material.
Getting the cloth attached to the roll can be tricky. Often the material
is glued to the roll. Other times a special spline is used.
Most
retractable screen suppliers just replace the whole roll. Without
knowing who made your retractable scr
een its tough to find a roll which will fit. Roll-up screen
disappeared by Lucy
(Helena, Montana)
We have an Andersen roll-up screen, glass door. However, the
screen has disappeared into the top of the door. Is there an easy way to
get it back out and reattached so that it will pull appear when the
glass panel is pulled down?
The whole roller assembly should
be held on by a couple of screws. At the bottom, where the screen
attaches, there should be a removeable rail where the screen itself is
held in with T spline.
If the screen was held in at the bottom by T spline, it should be possible to roll new spline back in to secure it.
Some pictures would help so I can verify the parts your door has.
replacing the rolling screen in top of an aluminum door
by Peggy
(Calgary, Canada)
Question:
Hi,
We have an aluminum door with a screen
system at the top that rolls into the frame or unrolls when you lower
the window on the door. But the screen is torn and needs to be replaced.
The screen is on a roller and retracts- and I have no idea how to
either get at it or to replace it? Can I do it myself or not??
Help!
Answer
If
the retractable screen is torn near the bottom, where it attaches to
the movable glass frame, fixing it shouldnt be a big deal. Remove the
spline, pull the screen down enough so you can cut off the torn portion,
then carefully roll the spline back in. Keeping the retractable screen
square to the frame.
If the tear is in the middle or near the
top, you will have to get a new rollscreen from the manufacturer.Since
its a new door, the manufacturer may be helpful but window builders
aren't exactly known for great service when it comes to spare parts.
If
you have no luck with the manufacturer try a local glass shop. A
competent glazier shouldnt have too much problem replacing a retractable
screen on its roller. As these doors get older.
This type of repair will become more common. tear on roll up screen door
by Lisa
(Irvine, CA)
How would I fix a 1 inch tear at the bottom of our roll-up screen door. Avoid spreading. Sew it together? Sew a patch on top of it? Where do we purchase a patch?
re-screen retractable screen doors?
by Eric
(Valley Village, CA)
Question:
How do you fix retractable screen doors?
My
dog has torn a hole at the bottom of the screen along the bar that
opens the screen. Clearly there is a spline in there holding the
screening in place, but I can't figure out how to get it out so that I
can move the screening over and fix the hole. How do you take the thing
apart to get to the spline?
Answer:
You should be able
to hook the spline out with a sharp awl or even a nail. Move the screen
over and roll it back in. Only a few retractable screen companies
provide repair service for their doors and even then they expect you to
remove the door and bring it to them.
by Beverly N
(Stevensville,Maryland)
A square plastic cap over the tension rod has crumbled and now
the tension rod is exposed above the door and screen will not retract,
/i need the plastic cap that locks the tension rod down in place.
Are there any markings on the door that say what company made the door ?
The end caps are all different from one manufacturer to the next
We have just bought a retractable screen door. It has not been
installed yet, but I suspect we damaged the top corner of the screen.
It has been wrinkled a bit. Is there a way to straighten out the screen
before we mount it with the wrinkles?
It is an ODL purchased from Home Depot.
I would install the door as normal and keep it with the screen in the extended position for a few days.
Hopefully the tension in the roller and the passage of time will straighten out the wrinkles.
Check carefully when opening to make sure the wrinkle does not interfere with the opening and closing of the door.
Another
idea might be to place a heavy book or other flat object over top of
the wrinkle with the screen laying flat on the floor. Leave the book
there for a few days until the wrinkle has flattened out.
by Gloria
(Greenfield, Ohio)
I finally was able to buy new storm doors this spring, and
decided to go with the one that you pulled down from top and screen
rolled down. great idea, except my mower picked up something and hit the
glass with the screen attached and shattered the glass. now I don't
know how to remove it to get repaired. help pleaseeeeeeeeee
Storm
doors often use vinyl tracks on the left and right that snap in place.
Try opening the glass all the way up, and look at the bottom left or
right. Gently pry on the vinyl track to see if they start coming off.
In
other doors the glass will come right out of the frame if you lift it
high enough. You may have to pull out and downward on the glass after
lifting it all the way up to get it to come out of the frame.
Dear Sir,
So after my 4 year old ran through the
retractable screen, my vertical roller is fine, and the screen is not
even ripped a little.
So do I really need to have a pro
"re-glue" the screen to the roller, or should I give it a try? I
obviously don't have the "jig" to keep it square...
Any suggestions as to what glue I should try?
Bill
Some
retractable screens stick the screen to the roller with double sided
adhesive tape. Others use spline forced into a channel on the roller.
With
the spline type, you should be able to reuse the spline. For types that
are stuck on, I would try to find a 2" wide double sided tape.
Try
to use a double sided tape that is not foam based, these may be too
thick and may make the rolled up screen too wide to fit back in the
cassette.
by Rick C
(Colorado Springs, CO)
We're looking for a retractable screen and were told there is
such a thing as a screen that 'hangs' on a rod and can be pulled across
the door--it supposedly has weights on the bottom to keep in place and
'overlaps' for complete coverage.
We just installed a French door
and my wife does NOT want a screen obstructing the view, but I want one
to keep bug and such out...I did see the 'pull down' screen on this
site and that might work, if it can be installed to provide complete
coverage. So, any information or help...
thanks,
Rick C
Colorado Springs
I
can quote a retractable screen that will cover the whole french door
from one side to the other. When you prefer to have no screen you can
just slide it across out of the way.
The retractable screens I
quote dont slam either, they slow down and retract gently which makes
sure no ones fingers get hurt when the mechanism closes.
There are also screen curtains
that you can buy on eBay. There are plenty of them on the linked page
above and they are quite inexpensive. They usually attach with Velcro
and can be removed anytime you prefer to have the view unrestricted.
by Mary M
(Michigan)
I have a storm door in which the screen rolls up into a chamber
when you lift the glass. The clips have broken and I cannot lower the
window t bring the screen down. Is there any way to replace the clips
so I can use the screen again?
Yes, the clips on the storm window glass are called panel clips and you can replace them.
There
are tons of different shapes and sizes of panel clips. If you can send
me a digital picture of the broken one, I will let you know if I have a
replacement.
by Mike
(Yorktown Heights )
Crimp magnetic strip holder
I have an Andersen retractable screen situated on the inside of
double french patio doors. The magnetic strip located on the screen came
loose allowing it to slide up and down vertically within its channel.
Eventually it caught on one of the bottom track screws and broke off a
3" piece. Since then, the door won't stay closed. The magnetic stip on
the left hand door frame remains in tact.
How do I replace or
repair the remaining magnetic strip so that it doesn't slide up and
down? If I repair what's left of the metal strip how do I reduce the
tension so that the door stays closed?
Thanks
The
picture may not look exactly like your screen, but many doors are
similar. The magnetic strip slides into an aluminum tee shaped slot, you
need to crimp the slot closed in one or two areas to stop the strip
from sliding up and down.
You might also be able to do this with a
flat blade screwdriver and rubber mallet if you cant reach in with
pliers to crimp the slot.
by Ken W
(Albany, GA, USA)
I have
already had people contacting me about repairing their broken storm door
retractable screens. Nothing wrong with Larson, except that the stores
that sell the doors dont stock any spare parts.
If the screen
rips, you have to replace the whole assembly, and 9 times out of 10, the
only way to do that is communicate directly with Larson.
by Shelli
(North Carolina)
We have a three year old Pella storm door with the hideaway Roll-screen at the top. On one side, something in the roller area (behind the cover) has bitten into the screen, so that side of the screen has been chewed off.
I am pretty handy, and am more than willing to repair this myself if I could just find some info on how.
I've scoured the net and found nothing. I've attached a photo (two in one) that shows the damage...any ideas on how to fix this? The door is not under warranty.
Roll screens use hardware very similar to
window blinds. The only trick is that the roll is usually concealed
behind a plastic housing at the top of the door.
Repairing them
is difficult because these doors were assembled in a factory and no
thought was ever given to ease of repair. (You are supposed to buy a new
door when the screen breaks !)
First task is to look for screws
that hold the top cover on. Other doors may use a plastic cover that
clips in place. With gentle tugging you can often pry it off without
breaking it.
There may also be side guides that keep the left and
right sides of the screen tracking properly. These will likely clip in
place and also have to be removed. Again gentle tugging and prying will
be the way to remove them.
The bottom of the screen will probably
be attached to an operating window with spline. Remove that spline by
prying it out with an awl.
Once thats done you should be able to
unhook the screen roller and unroll, remove and replace the screen from
the roller. You need a couple of wooden cleats screwed to your work
table to make sure you get the new screen installed exactly 90 degrees
to the roller.
As with window blinds, the roller is spring
loaded. When you reinstall it the roller, you will need to check its
operation to make sure it functions properly before you put all the
plastic trim back in place.
Once its operating correctly, roll the spline back in the bottom portion to attach the cloth to the operating window.
Replace
all the plastic trim and the roller cover and you should be back in
business. Everything that is not held by a screw, should easily clip
back in place. Finding how it clips in, is usually the toughest part !
Here is a page with some pictures of a storm door rollscreen I did recently
Question:
We have a retractable screen door that won't
retract all the way without pushing it in. Do you know what we can do
to fix it so that it will retract on its own like it did when it was
first installed?
thank you,
Deanna
Answer:
It's
probably that either the top or the bottom track has moved and the two
are no longer exactly parallel. I would guess that the lower track is
the most likely culprit. Remove the lower track and reattach it using a
square to make sure it is at 90 degrees to the screen housing. The door
should start sliding back easily into the housing again.
by Melanie
(Antioch)
Question:The screen came off on the bottom of our front door retractable screen. How do I fix it?
Answer:
Thanks for the question.
Most retractable screens have a bar which you pull across to close or open the screen.
The
screen material is held into this bar with rubber spline. So long as
the material is not ripped, you may be able to pull out the spline at
the bottom of the bar and carefully hold the screen in place while you
roll the spline back in.
If the screen is ripped in any way, you
will need to get the screen replaced by the door manufacturer. This will
probably mean that the retractable door has to removed and reinstalled.
Hope this helps
by Leslie
(Rescue)
Question:Our retractable screen door does just that - retract! It doesn't stay open. Any advice?
Answer:
Hi Leslie, Thanks for the question.
Sounds like the magnetic catch that holds it in the open position is missing
You can often find magnetic catches in the cabinet hardware section at Loews or Home Depot that can be adapted for the purpose.
Hope this helps