Category: Screen Repair

Pool Screen Enclosure Cables – What You Should Know

Posted on by Rich W

Safety may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re looking at pool screen enclosure cables, but they’re a necessity for stability. Those bolts you see all across the bottom that anchor your cage into the concrete slab are called T-bolts and they’re just as important. Maintaining both can help ensure your pool screen enclosure doesn’t collapse on you the next time a flash storm or hurricane passes through!

The Steel Spine of Safety and Longevity

pool screen enclosure cable

In a way, you can look at the pool enclosure as the ribcage, and having screen enclosure cables in the correct places makes sure to keep it together. While usually made up of materials such as stainless steel, these cables are an integral component to the structure. Meanwhile they are made to withstand the natural elements—wind, rain and yes even storm. With these flexible cables, the pool screen enclosure has the ability wobble a little bit in a stiff wind yet not be allowed to get to the breaking point and collapse.

Get in the habit of checking your cables once a month. They’re fairly simple to tighten is they’re loose and you don’t have an issue with getting on a ladder. There’s a bolt system at the top of the cable and you can just tighten it down. There will be times however where the plate itself will need to me moved if simply using the bolt system isn’t enough.

You don’t want to make them super tight as they can snap when the winds kick up. You want there to be a little bit of play in them, so think firm but not rigid. This allows the pool enclosure to sway a tiny bit and the cable to be able to act as resistance and bring it back. You won’t even notice this with the naked eye, it’s very subtle. Of course, we can always inspect them for you so you know they’re properly adjusted.

T-bolts may look tiny on an overall scale, but they are important pieces when it comes to keeping the enclosure on the ground. These bolts secure the metal components in place and ensure that the base doesn’t get lifted off of the concrete slab. In the same way that ligaments link our bones together, T-bolts bind and interlock your pool enclosure’s structural features for steadiness as well as durability.

Make it a habit to walk the perimeter of your pool screen enclosure looking for rusted bolts or lose metal around the base. If you see rust, gently kick the metal at the base and see if it’s loose. If it is, it’s time to get a new bolt installed.

Keepers of the Elements

That cable, along with T-bolts really show their worth when the weather changes. When the wind kicks up a notch, those panels can turn into literal sails that push back against their frame. The cables are the thing that helps in anchoring structure. The tension in these cables can be controlled to allow them offer up some give when wind forces push against the bracing, preventing the force from breaking it and acting as a dynamic buffer system pushing back. This lets the enclosure stay in place.

T-bolts — well, they keep every panel where it belongs. They are the stalwart troopers, protecting that line from mere wind. T-bolts keep the bottom of the enclosure secure by locking the panels firmly into place on a frame.

Maintenance Saves Your Investment

Taking care of these components is the same as nurturing your own health. We all go to the doctor for check-ups, and regular examinations of pool enclosure cables (and T-bolts), too are very important. As time goes on, cables wear and bolts slip. It’s all part of ageing, but if left un-treated can cause a major problem during the next storm. These pieces should be checked for damage or wear every 4-6 months by the homeowner so they can either have them adjusted or just outright replaced.

While most people want as few visible parts on a pool enclosure as possible, these cables and T-bolts are important. They are the silent guards that allow your enclosure to still be standing after a storm is over.

Homeowners who take simple steps to maintain their pool enclosures will enjoy fewer problems as time goes on than ones who wait till that storms approaching!

For more on screen repair, have a look at 4 things you should know here

Pool Enclosure Screen Repair – 4 Things To Know

Posted on by Rich W

There’s 4 things about Central Florida that you just can’t avoid. It’s hot, it can get windy, there’s a lot of bugs and at some point you’re going to need a pool enclosure screen repair.

Many residents have pools and only a handful are brave enough to not have a pool enclosure over the top of them. Those who don’t have a pool, often times have some sort of screened in porch to allow them to sit outside without getting eaten by mosquitoes. Unfortunately, just like almost everything, there is a shelf life on how long those screens are going to last before holes start showing up.

Depending on direct sunlight, you can expect to get 10-15 years out of your screen before you’re going to have to look at replacing them. A good way to tell is by color believe it or not. If you’re starting to see silver where it was once a dark charcoal color, then you know you’re getting close to needing a screen repair.

Repairing a pool enclsoure screen

When the pool screen begins to lose it’s color, it becomes brittle. If you have trees over your pool enclosure, anything that may drop out of them can create a hole. Many have stepped outside and found animals such as a squirrel running around only to look up and see they fell through a top panel.

As much as people value their landscapers, because who really likes doing yard work in 100 degree weather, without fail, they’re going to take out a bottom panel here and there around the pool. Often time you don’t even notice this because of where the weed eater hits the screen.

The metal 1×2 at the bottom does a pretty good job of hiding these holes if looking from the inside, so it’s always a good idea to walk around the outside of your enclosure for inspection. Look at the very bottom where the metal meets the bottom of the screen and you’ll see a very clean cut. Often times, especially if the screen is newer, you may not even see it unless you push on it.

Your pool enclosure doors are another place to check, especially by the handle. So often residents will reach out for the handle and catch a bit of the screen in the process. This can cause a fine tear right along the area where the spline attaches the screen to the door. You may not even notice it, but the bugs will.

As the screens get older, wind can also create these fine tears in the pool enclosure screen along the top and side panels. Again, you may not even notice it if the wind isn’t blowing as the tear is so perfect, it just looks like the panel is in place. Make a habit of running your hand along the vertical sides of the side panels once a month to check and see if there’s any tears. You can also step outside when the wind is blowing decently and you’ll know if you have a tear somewhere.

While pool enclosures are a gift that save us from the bugs here in Central Florida, they’re only as good as the screen you put in them. Yes, all screen works at first but how long it’s going to work for is another thing. Quality materials are must to get the proper time frame out of your screen. Yes, there’s always “cheaper” materials, but this is one place that you truly get what you pay for. We use only Phifer materials as they have been the best in the industry for over 70 years.

Cheap screen has less than half the amount of shelf life up against the elements we have in Central Florida compared to quality materials. In the summertime, we can get spot storms that can easily produce 50 mph winds. With inferior materials, this is more than enough to cause tears. You may have paid less at first, but you’ll wind up paying more when you have to have the job done twice.

Pool screen replacement is just part of life here in Florida, but if you keep up with inspecting your screens and use quality materials, you’ll enjoy the protection from the bugs for a long time.

For more information, have a look at Understanding the cost of installing a pool screen enclosure here