Retractable screen door wont retract

by Donna
(Hammonton NJ)

My screen will not retract fully. How would I fix this issue?


Hi Donna;

One common problem with retractable screens is leaves getting into the cassette where the screen rolls into.

Leaves and twigs and general dust build up especially if you live in an area with a lot of trees which typically drop their leaves this time of year.

Pull the screen all the way out and brush out anything on the cloth that might stop it from rolling up easily.

Another common problem is the top or bottom tracks . Sometimes screws come loose and the tracks get out of alignment. That will caouse the the vertical slide bar to jam when you try to push it across.

You may need to reinstall the top or bottom rails to get them totally parallel with each other so the door does not bind or jam.

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Feb 10, 2024
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Found a Retractable Repair Co. in San Diego NEW
by:

https://totalscreen.com/screens-door/retractable-screen-doors/retractable-screen-door-repair/

These people do repair on retractable screens. They fixed our Mirage retractable when it had stopped fully extending.
Sep 22, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Able to fix Anderson Luminaire Retractable Screen Door. NEW
by: Anonymous

The Cause: We had a guest dog at our house that stretched the screen out. After the visit I noticed the door wouldn't retract fully.

Failed Attempts: I thought perhaps debris was in the track so I hosed it out but retraction didn't improve. I tried tightening the spring using advice I read on this forum but the retraction didn't improve.

The Fix: I discovered the issue, more than debris or tension, is that the screen was now rolling at an angle relative to the drum it rolls up on - leading to the screen interfering with the bottom track causing friction. So I stretched the screen out as far as it could go then I carefully held the top end of the screen in the top track so that it would roll up neatly without creases or folds. This is critical, the screen needs to be rolled perfectly on the drum. Fortunately the rest of the screen seemed to follow well and rolled nicely. However, this may be easier with one person guiding the top and another guiding the bottom. For good measure I used 3-in-1 oil in the bottom track and where the drum rotates on the base. Now it retracts like new.

Apr 13, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Dog walked through the screen NEW
by: Anonymous

It is not secure at the top and bottom. Any ideas?
Nov 08, 2022
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starstarstarstarstar 		Child verses screen door
by: Anonymous

My granddaughter walked into the screen and now it won’t retract. Anyone have a fix?
Sep 24, 2022
Rating
starstar 		Problems with retracting NEW
by: Carl Virden

I installed this Anderson luminaire screen door a few months ago. Now suddenly it won’t retract and the screen gets bunched up at the top during retraction. I just used a three eights inch Allen wrench to put a couple more turns on it to add to the tension. Still have the problem. So I used some silicone spray to lubricate the plastic pieces top and bottom that slide in the track. That may have helped a little. Then I cleaned out the bottom track which had a little bit of dirt in it and it still doesn’t retract like it did when it was new a few months ago so I may add more tension to the spring. Not a happy customer after paying $200 for "the best". I’m only giving it to stars because it worked for a short time.
Jan 16, 2022
Rating
star 		Waste of money NEW
by: Anonymous

I generally don’t write reviews at all but this product sucks. The first one I had installed works for a while and after a couple of months it got looser and looser. I tried to fix it after looking up some instructions. Non existent which is strange because it’s such a common problem. So I purchased a new one and within two months same retractable problem. DO NOT PURCHASE
Dec 22, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		No Retraction
by: Anonymous

This retractable screen door is the biggest piece of crap I have ever installed....Does not retract at all!!! Very embarrassing when company comes over & the screen door wads up when you try to open it. I have lost all faith in Anderson. Absolute Garbage!!!
Nov 21, 2021
Rating
star 		No retraction NEW
by: Anonymous

What a waste…. Of time and money.

Door installed )Andersen Luminaire Retractable Insect Screen Door).
Does not retract. Not even the first time.
What a waste.
Sep 12, 2021
Rating
starstar 		Andersen LuminAire Screen Info NEW
by: Rick G

Having taken apart an Andersen LuminAire screen recently, I thought some insight on how it works and is put together might be helpful in solving some problems. The retraction function is governed by the health of your screen housing. If dirt, leaves or water enter the housing it will fail at some point. The housing consists of an aluminium rod with plastic internal cams on each end. One of the ends (with a gray plastic indent) contains the main spring that once wound applies tension. The other end cap contains a smaller spring that stabilizes the rod and contributes to the rewind function. The screen is attached to the aluminium rod via a tacky substance. If this "glue" becomes compromised the screen can slip from its attachment point resulting in it just spinning around the rod with no retraction. Similarly if the screen is pulled too far out from the housing it will detach from the rod. Retraction causes a plastic attachment point to slide on the top rail like a trolly. A dirty top rail will slow the retraction rate or even stop it. The bottom rail stabilizes the retraction with a similar plastic attachment. The screen is attached to the movable part by a press fit full length plastic spline. If the screen needs to be replaced this spline will have to be removed and reinserted without breaking. In addition a new screen will have to be cut to size and attached to the aluminium rod and rolled to fit in the housing. Tension will then have to re-applied to the main spring via a hex key. Be gentle on the plastic locking pins near the main spring!
Sep 12, 2021
Rating
starstar 		Increasing Retraction Tension in Andersen LuminAire Screen NEW
by: Rick G

For those having problems with retraction of their LuminAire screens, a possible solution is to increase tension in the recoil mechanism. To do this you will need a 3/8 inch hex key and access to the end of the screen housing. On one end of the housing is an end cap with a grey circular plate about the size of a quarter. Insert the hex key into the small depression in the plastic and slowly rotate clockwise. As you do so small gray plastic latches will release and reset with every 360 degree rotation. From a "no tension" starting point, 50 rotations will give you a 3 second retraction rate. Be careful not to over tighten the spring mechanism since you are dealing with plastic parts that can break. I have no idea what the factory set rotations are since Andersen is not forthcoming with this info. Also ensure the plastic latches engage when finished. Of course, do this at your own risk! If this does not solve your issue you may have a broken internal locking mechanism and the screen housing will have to be replaced.
Sep 12, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Increasing Retraction Tension in Andersen LuminAire Screen NEW
by: Rick G

For those having problems with retraction of their luminAire screens, a possible solution is to increase tension in the recoil mechanism. To do this you will need a 3/8 inch hex key and access to the end of the screen housing. On one end of the housing is an end cap with a grey circular plate about the size of a quarter. Insert the hex key into the small depression in the plastic and slowly rotate clockwise. As you do so small gray plastic latches will release and reset with every 360 degree rotation. From a "no tension" starting point, 50 rotations will give you a 3 second retraction rate. Be careful not to over tighten the spring mechanism since you are dealing with plastic parts that can break. I have no idea what the factory set rotations are since Andersen is not forthcoming with this info. Also ensure the plastic latches engage when finished. If this does not solve your issue you may have a broken internal locking mechanism and the screen housing will have to be replaced.
Aug 01, 2021
Rating
star 		SSDD NEW
by: Anonymous

Andersen LuminAire Retractable screen door.
Same s--t, different day: Purchased for my wife's Bday. Spent a couple of hours reading install instructions, prepping the door sill as instructed. Then I go to do the actual install and it won't retract. Started looking online and found this loooong string of SSDD. Returning it to the store now. What a waste of time and effort.
Jun 13, 2021
Rating
star 		Will not retract! 2 brand new failed. NEW
by: Anonymous

Bought one of these as a gift for my GF, spent a lot of time reviewing the instructions and building up a structure to make the base mounting surface flush (per the instructions). After spending the time to install properly, I open the screen and it will not close. After some troubleshooting I determined that the spring unit failed so it went back to home depot. Since I had designed the threshold structure to match this product, I decided to get a replacement and try again. Just tried to install the replacement following the instruction to perfection to avoid the outcome of the last one. Sure enough, same issue, no retraction. For such an expensive item, from a reputable brand, I cannot believe how bad this item is. As some other comments mention, these really should be recalled.
Jun 01, 2021
Rating
star 		Andersen Luminaire NEW
by: Anonymous

Update, my screen would not retract from first installed. Took end caps off thinking I would roll it and try again. Interior mechanism is cheap plastic and the central roller spring hand snapped and was a mess retracted into the shaft. Yup, crap. Got one installed last week that is still working but at this price point they are both going back to Home Depot. No point and in calling warranty as Im not interested in eating for another piece of plastic crap sent out to me.
Jun 01, 2021
Rating
star 		Anderson Luminaire NEW
by: Anonymous

So it appears no one know how to fix this mess, including Andersens. I bought two - one went in a few days ago - good so far but learned the screen simply sits in a guide top and bottom. The second one, installed closed the screen and it won't retract. No where ca I find a fix and it appears those fo you that finally got to Andersens only replace. So yeah back to Home Depot it goes (despite the begging on the box to call). And its COVID, so now I have to wait for an indeterminate time to return it. I hate shitty products and equally crappy service. (What a laugh their 'service' number is CST and 9-5, because hey, none of us do our home improvement in the evening or weekends. And yeah, no email for them either.
May 30, 2021
Rating
star 		Just purchased, won't retract
by: Adam

I just purchased the Luminaire by Andersen 3 hours ago.I came right home and installed it. From the very first pull open, it won't retract. Very frustrating. Now I look at all the other reviews from the last few months, similar issues. Will be returning to the store as soon as I can. Pretty crappy quality for Andersen.
May 30, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		What a joke NEW
by: Anonymous

This thing is garbage did exactly what I was supposed to do
Pulled the screen out to shut it was it was installed it jammed
And wont retract shit is garbage
May 10, 2021
Rating
star 		Same as the others. NEW
by: Luke G

This was supposed to be a quick install to surprise my wife when she got home from her business trip. 30 minutes. Instead I've spent my entire day driving back and forth to Home Depot for replacements. None have retracted. Everything was installed meticulously and carefully and it just doesn't work. All I have to show for it now are holes in my door frame and holes in the sill. Please do not buy this product. Save yourself the aggravation and just get a conventional screen door. At least they close.
May 03, 2021
Rating
star 		2x both wont retract NEW
by: Anonymous

Installed in no time. Open it and did not retract.
Returned to Home depot install it again and work approximately 4 times then did the same thing. Scree did not retract. On line it shows how to increase the retraction- only work a few times then goes back to no retraction.
May 01, 2021
Rating
star 		SUCKS ASS!!! NEW
by: Rosie

We tried installing the door and it was just not happening. The screen would not retract at all and my husband was so frustrated. I wanted to but this screen for a year now and now that we have I’m sorry we ever did.
Apr 17, 2021
Rating
star 		Piece of Crap NEW
by: Trevin Schall

Bought Anderson LuminAire and it had several broken pieces out of the box... cheap plastic parts... back to Home Depot for another one. Installed AL #2... pulled out screen to latch and it would not retract. Back to Home Depot for AL#3... got it installed, pulled out screen to latch and it also would not retract. This door is a complete piece of crap. Do NOT purchase... I love Home Depot but they have got to find a better product. This Anderson product has had tons of complaints. Poor design, high price and totally worthless.
Mar 02, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		door sucks NEW
by: Anonymous

why can you not talk to a person in the US
Mar 02, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		piece of s--- door NEW
by: Anonymous

returned anderson luminaire no tension to open door installed second one same thing thought was a quality name guess i was wrong
Jan 07, 2021
Rating
star 		Door Won't Retract
by: George

I went to Home Depot thinking i was buying the best retractable screen door out there The Anderson Luminaire ..when I had it all set to install it would not retract Obsolutley no tension....I returned it to Home Depot for an exchange the same exact outcome.....now I'm waiting for Anderson to send me a replacement.....what 30 minutes to install by the time the replacement arrives it will have taken 2 weeks to install... this model door has a defect and Anderson needs to recall the whole Home Depot batch of Luminaires.....
Dec 19, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		?? NEW
by: Anonymous

What is the fix?????????
Sep 28, 2020
Rating
starstarstar 		screen won't retract
by: Anonymous

We called the company and they sent us a new screen housing assembly. It arrived damaged. Called again and they are sending us another one. Our garage is becoming an Andersen retractible screen door graveyard. We hope to get it installed before the first snowfall....
Sep 27, 2020
Rating
starstarstar 		NEW Andersen Retractable Screen Wont Retract
by: Anonymous

We just installed a brand new, out of the box, Andersen Retractable screen door. It has absolutely no tension. What needs to be adjusted?
Sep 26, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Storm door screen
by: Anonymous

I took screen put new screen on frame,now I can't get it to go back in track.Seems like it is too long.Same frame.
Sep 23, 2020
Rating
starstar 		screen won't retract
by: Anonymous

We purchased an Andersen retractable screen door. Once we pulled out the screen it would not retract. The screen hangs loose at both top and bottom tracks. Is there a way to manually retract the screen?
Sep 23, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		screen won't retract
by: Anonymous

We purchased an Andersen retractable screen door. Once we pulled out the screen it would not retract. The screen hangs loose at both top and bottom tracks. Is there a way to manually retract the screen?
Aug 20, 2020
Rating
starstarstar 		Won't retract
by: GozieBoy

Same as above. Screen won't retract well, and there is no debris. Can you take it apart and clean, or is this begging for bigger problems?
Jul 11, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		retractable screen wont retract.
by: Anonymous

My screen door will not retract. There is no debris. It seems as if the roller just stopped working.

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