Screen door too big for removal

by Linda
(Truckee, CA)

Bear versus screen door

A bear broke through our screen one dark warm night. We usually close and lock our slider to keep animals on the outside, but this night was exceptionally warm and we got a visitor. I sewed up the screen and waited for the walk-through kind to be shipped. Now I want to remove the screen door.

After I determined the screen door is too big to be removed and the only explanation is it was fabricated in place, I removed the four corner screws, removed the screen and spline. I tried pulling it apart to no avail The door is a good millimeter bigger than the top/bottom opening of the frame.

I am a property manager and have installed numerous screen doors after animal and pine cone damage for many different properties. Never have I come across a screen door too big to be removed. If you notice, the aluminum screen frame has a slightly different color than the vinyl door frame.

Other than destroying the door, what are my options? Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Linda

Hi Linda;

One of the most common problems involving hard to remove screen doors like yours is the movement and settling of the house frame over time.

Either the concrete step the patio door sits on cracks and heaves up or the wood frame of the house shifts just enough to press down on the patio door frame trapping the screen door.

If its really bad I sometimes have to use a 2x4 and a hydraulic jack to push the frame open just enough to get room to remove the screen door.

Sometimes the settling is so bad there is no option but to remove the patio door and rebuild the opening.

Removing the 4 screws around that screen door frame wont help. The rollers have to come off before the frame will come apart.

Sometimes you can get the screen door to pop out by pulling on the center of either vertical rail just enough to make the bottom pop off the track. Pull too hard and the door will get bent.

Once the door is out, you might need to cut the height 1/4" shorter to get around the problem for the future.