How to make a storm door latch! [View all]
I just purchased a Larson Tradewinds storm door for my rental and paid extra for the installation.
My issue with the door has to do with latching and they blame the problem on the energy efficiency of the door.
When the interior door is shut, you must give the storm door an extra PUSH or else the storm door will remain ajar and the likelihood of the storm door being caught and blown open abruptly are quite high.
Oh, they can make an adjustment in several placements (the screw, the bottom sweep, or change the ratio of glass/screen showing).
Making the adjustment can be disastrous if the interior door is OPEN which will cause the storm door to slam shut with the possibility of breaking the glass. I am concerned for safety reasons as well.
This door has two closers, one at the top and one at the bottom. I would even change the closer brand if that would fix the problem.
At my own house, I had replaced both storm doors through an independent company and even though it was over 10 years ago they still operate perfectly and I notice they do not have the problem the other brand has. To detail what happens, the door will begin closing at the normal speed at first, then do a "bounce" when 7 or so inches from closing and then SLOW UP but will latch each and every time. This is with the interior door closed. It acts the same whether the interior door is open or shut....it latches every single time.
Any ideas on what can be done? This is difficult to test since it would be hard to duplicate the conditions. Oh, and the store has had two installers out and they say either push door shut or it slams. Neither is acceptable.