Tips For Fixing A Sagging Aluminum Screen Or Storm Door
The metal frame is one of the most frequent causes of a sagging storm door. The metal frame may be to blame if your storm door is difficult to open or close or scrapes when you pull. Start by securing the frame with a few more screws at the top of the wood trim if it slips as you raise and lower the door. Perhaps extra screws will need to be added along the trim. Put a coat of paint over it to cover the screws since this can sometimes appear a little shabby.
Tip 1: Installing A Shim
It may also be advantageous to use a shim to reduce wear and tear and correct the sag. To do this, take off the bottom hinge and make sure the path is clear of any dirt or debris. After that, place a cardboard or wooden shim strip by the hinge. After all the screws have been replaced, double-check the alignment by repeatedly opening and closing the door while paying attention to how it feels and sounds.
Tip 2: Installing A Turnbuckle
Turnbuckles on screen doors serve as bracing, strengthening the door. It is a metal rod that joins to a coupling nut via threaded ends. A turnbuckle may change the screen door's appearance even though it can fix the sag.
- Start by aligning the turnbuckle with the bottom corner of the door. It ought should extend diagonally below the side of the opening and all the way up to the side of the hinge.
- Use a pencil to mark the turnbuckle's screw holes after opening and closing the door to make sure it is not obstructing the door seal. The turnbuckle screws should next be drilled, but they shouldn't be tightened until all of the holes have been made.
- Check the settings once more by closing and opening the door, and then tighten the screws to hold the turnbuckle in place.
- Watch as the rods raise the drooping side of the door while holding the coupling nut on the turnbuckle. When the door is flush with the floor, tighten the nut. Turnbuckles should be adjusted to get looser if they become too tight.
Tip 3: Thread Nuts And Position The Turnbuckle
- The coupling nuts should first be threaded onto the ends of your turnbuckle. Next, place the turnbuckle 2" above the bottom corner of the door, making sure it is on the handle side of the door rather than the hinge side. Then, tilt it upward while holding it up against the door's hinge side.
- The screen door should be flush with the turnbuckle. Many times opening and closing the door will ensure that the turnbuckle won't obstruct its operation. Make a mark on the screen door where you want the screw holes to be drilled.
Tip 4: Drill Pilot Holes And Tighten Everything
- Last but not least, drill pilot holes where you marked the screen door's places. When everything is in position, only tighten the screws all the way. The turnbuckle itself will then be tightened as a last step. To level the door, manually turn the coupling nut. At the last twists, it can get more challenging to turn, so you might need to arm yourself with a wrench or a set of pliers.
- The turnbuckle certainly accomplishes the desired result, despite its odd design. The turnbuckles that run over storm doors may catch your eye since you installed them, but most of the time, nobody notices storm doors or the turnbuckles that cross them.