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When the weather gets nice outside, many people enjoy opening their door and sitting out on their porch. Unfortunately, nice weather means mosquitoes will become a common nuisance. Mosquito bites range from annoying and itchy to dangerous, as they can spread illness and disease. Your mosquito screen door is designed to keep these bugs out, but if it is not in great condition, it won't do you any good. During the winter, screen doors can suffer from frame bumps, torn mesh screens, and broken seal closures. Mosquitoes can squeeze through the smallest openings, and if there is a gap, they will find it. In addition to being a barrier to keep mosquitoes out of your house, screen doors and doors with screens attached must be regularly inspected to maintain their quality. It is a simple way to ensure your screen door is a good barrier.
Consider the size of a mosquito. Mosquitoes can fit through the tiniest of openings, even those that look impossible. A gap that is not visible is a millimeter wide, a mosquito will see it as an open highway. They don't just see visible holes. A gap in the frame where the seal is pulled away A corner that is not sitting flush to a corner and even a small tear in the mesh from a pet's claw are all entry points. If your screen door is even slightly open, it is failing at its only job. Understanding this is the first step. You are not just looking for broken things. You are looking for any weaknesses in the structure from damage.
Problems only get worse when they are ignored. One mosquito in your home becomes a multi generational colony. It becomes a constant fly zone instead of a home. The really annoying part is how easily it could've been shut down when it was a small problem. The same screen that lets in mosquitoes lets in all sorts of annoying pests. Breeding for mosquitoes equals losing a good fly zone. Closing a door to get airflow while losing your home zone isn't ideal.
When mosquito numbers are at their highest and you are dealing with a lot of them, a good habit to get into is doing a quick visual check on all your screens. It only takes a minute to look over every screen. Focus on the screen, the mesh, and especially the edges and corners of the screen where it meets the screen frame. Look at the frame too. Look especially close after major weather events (like a big windy storm), after moving furniture, or after any renovations near the screen. These are all times where you are more likely to have damage. If you make it a part of your weekend routine, you will discover potential issues before they get worse.
Begin by simply looking. Stand on the outside first, then go to the inside. Look for rips or holes in the mesh. Any snag can easily become a full blown rip. Look at the corners of the frame. Are they tight or is there a gap? Look at the seals or weatherstrips on the corners of the frame. Is it flattened, cracked, or is it peeling off? Look at the bottom of the door very carefully. The bottom of the door gets the most foot and pet traffic, and the seal there is the most important. Also look at the area of the door panel meets the frame when the door is closed. Does it look like there is contact, the same amount of contact, all the way around?
Your eyes can just see, but your hand can feel. Close the door completely. Move your hand around the whole door and see if you can feel any air movement. Just remember, there isn't a need to feel a draft to shut the door. A draft us a pathway for insects, especially in the warmer weather. If you feel air movement in the corners, especially at the bottom edge, it is a bigger dump than.This test is good at finding tiny leaks that cannot be seen. It is a straightforward way to test a seal's integrity.
Light is the best way to perform this test. Wait for a sunny day and then close the screen door. Go into a different room and close the curtains/blinds. Adjust your position until you can see all edges of the door. If you see any little speck of light, that is a potential spot for mosquito entry. Use some painter's tape to mark all those spots so you won't miss them. This test is extremely precise. If light gets through, a bug can get through. It shows you exactly where the gaps are.
Gaps form in all screen doors, and the bottom edge is the most common place for gaps to form. Bottom edge gaps most frequently develop due to brush seals or sweeps becoming bent or worn from the repeated contact against the door frame. The corners of the screen door frame develop gaps because the corners of joints can come apart. Check to see if the door latch area is adjusted properly because if the door latch does not pull the door tight against the frame, the latch area will form gaps. Lastly, the frame gaps develop in any area where the screen mesh is connected. If the screen mesh is pulling away from the frame, you have found a gap.
Take a breath. Problems like this are usually pretty easy to fix. If a tear is small and on the mesh, a cheap screen repair kit should do the job. If there's a gap along the frame, see if you can adjust the hinges or latches to pull the door in more. And, it the weather stripping is too loose, it just needs to be replaced. You can get replacement brush seals or foam tape from just about any hardware store. For more serious repairs on the frame, you may have to deal with a full replacement. If you catch all the problems early, you'll make the repairs on your own schedule instead of a mosquito waking you up in the middle of the night.
Taking time to inspect your screen door eases a lot of stress. You know that you can open your door to that warm summer night breeze without letting a ton of bugs into your home. You can take it easy on your couch, enjoy the night sounds, and not worry about getting bitten. It really helps your peace of mind, and helps your health. It is little maintenance like this that helps your screen door do it's job the way it was intended to. A screen door from a good company that cares about good materials and good workmanship makes a difference. A good screen door from a reputable company can even make your evenings stress free. So, make it a habit. Look, feel and check for light. It's good maintenance for your screen door. It helps give you peace of mind. You can fully enjoy your bug free summer evenings.
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