How to Fix a Screen Door Handle

Screen doors, often called storm doors, allow sunlight and breeze into the home on nice days, and protect the main door from damage during windy or stormy conditions. One of the problems that many people have with their storm doors is the handle. The latch may not catch fully, so the door often flies open, or the latch may be stuck, so it's hard to open the door completely. The easiest way to fix a screen door handle is simply to replace it.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screwdriver
• Drill
• Door-handle kit

1. Remove the hold handle by removing two or three screws in the front of the handle. Once you remove these screws, both the inside and outside pieces of the handle should fall off of the door. Remove the strike plate from the door jam.

2. Use the hole template in your door-handle kit and mark the position for the new handle's holes. Do not use the same holes as you did with the old handle.

3. Drill 1/8-inch pilot holes completely through the door at the marks you made.

4. Drill 5/16-inch holes on top of these pilot holes to make them larger. Drill half from one side of the door, then half from the other side.

5. Put the two pieces of the new door handle on their proper sides. Make sure that the holes line up properly.

6. Screw in the new screws to connect the two pieces together. Start the screws with your hand to ensure that the threads catch, then tighten them with a screwdriver.

7. Close the door and set the strike plate in the proper location so the latch catches the plate.

8. Mark the strike plate holes on the door jamb. Remove the plate from the jamb and drill 1/16-inch pilot holes at the marks.

9. Screw the plate in place, but don't tighten the screws completely.

10. Adjust the plate to make sure it latches, then tighten the screws.

Tips & Warnings

• This project may be easier with two people only because there will be times where you will need to be holding the two sides of the handle as well as screwing them together. Make sure that you tighten the screws holding the two halves of the handle too tightly. This could cause the screws to strip the threads and become loose, and thus useless.

Resources

• More Information on Fixing a Screen Door Handle

[jull14]

on 6/23/2009 A very interesting article. Thank you for sharing this information it was very helpful.