LESLIE: Cindy in Fargo, North Dakota is on the line, dealing with winds ripping off storm doors? Well, they’re not doing their job. What’s going on?
CINDY: I have a farmhouse in a very windy part of North Dakota. And the wind keeps catching my exterior storm doors and it will either ruin them or in a couple of cases, it’s actually ripped them off the screen.
TOM: Wow. You know, Cindy, storm doors are kind of an old technology. When we had wood exterior doors, it was very necessary to have a storm door for that additional layer of wind protection and weather protection. But the doors today, especially the fiberglass doors, are so energy-efficient that the storm door really serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever.
I mean you look at a manufacturer like Therma-Tru, for example. They’ve got fiberglass doors that are far more energy-efficient and tougher than a wood or a metal door. And they’ve even got vented sidelights so that you open up sort of the sidelight and that’s where you get your ventilation, so you don’t even need the screen door because the screening is in the sidelight today.
So, if you’re not going to replace your exterior doors, then you’re going to have to keep facing this problem over and over again. Certainly, some storm doors are tougher than others. You do need to have the appropriate metal catches and the chains that stop them from completely tearing open, unless the wind is just so strong. But just keep in mind that if you think about replacing that door with a good-quality fiberglass door, you will never really need a storm door again.
CINDY: That’s really good advice. Thank you.
TOM: You’re very welcome, Cindy. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
The storm door has a screen to allow fresh air in without the bugs.