Pool Cage Care: Make Your Screen Last Between Rescreens

No pool cage screen lasts forever. Sun, rain, branches and plain use wear it down. What you do between rescreens decides whether the screen goes tired early or gets a full run.

This guide covers what an owner can do themselves: how to wash it, what to cut back, what to keep off it, and which small parts to check. It also lists the signs that care is no longer enough and the whole cage is due. We rescreen cages, so we know where the line is between a screen worth looking after and one that is finished.

What You Are Up Against

The sun does the most work. Phifer, the maker of the screen we install, says the PVC coating on its screen is “formulated to endure Florida’s intense UV exposure,” and that its products are built to resist “UV degradation, brittleness over time, and tearing under normal stress” (Phifer). That is a maker describing its own product, so read it as a goal, not a promise. The point for you is that UV is the long, slow cause of faded, brittle screen. Care cannot stop it. It can help with everything else.

Everything else is the list below: grime, rubbing branches, pets, loose parts. Those are the ones you can do something about.

Wash It Gently

Dirt, pollen and mildew on a screen do more than look bad. Slide Insurance notes that washing screens with a soft brush and soapy water helps them let wind pass through, which reduces stress during high winds (Slide Insurance).

Start with the screen maker. Phifer’s FAQ has two lines that matter: “Rinse metal products with water only,” and for vinyl products, “Clean vinyl products with a mild soapy solution, avoiding hard scrubbing” (Phifer FAQ). Know which one you have. If you are not sure, the gentle route works for either.

A simple method from a Florida screen supplier: use a soft-bristled brush with dish soap and warm water, then “rinse with your hose, and allow it to air dry” (Quality Window Screen). The same page says to use caution with a pressure washer and never go higher than the lowest setting, or to hire a soft washing specialist.

We would go further and skip the pressure washer. The screen is a thin mesh held in by spline, and a hard spray can push it out of the channel or stretch it. A hose, soap and a soft brush are enough. We do not wash screens as a service, so there is nothing for us to sell you here.

Go easy on bleach and strong mixes. The same supplier warns that too strong a bleach mix can discolor and corrode aluminum, which is the frame you are trying to protect.

Keep Branches, Plants and Pets Off the Screen

Slide Insurance says “trimming back shrubs, trees, and other plantings” helps extend an enclosure’s lifespan. It is plain advice, and it works for a simple reason. A branch that touches the screen rubs it every time the wind blows. Over a season that wears a thin spot, and thin spots tear.

In Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties, a lot of homes sit under slash pine and oak. Needles and leaves drop through the year. Give limbs some room above and beside the cage, and keep shrubs from leaning against the walls. A cage with clearance is easier to wash and has fewer tears.

Pets are the other one. Dogs push, jump and scratch at lower panels. Phifer says its pet screen is “strong and durable enough to prevent tearing by dogs and cats” (Phifer PetScreen). That is a screen choice for your next rescreen, not a care step. Until then, keep claws and noses off the lowest panels, and watch for stretching near doors where animals wait. Our guide to pool cage screen types explains pet, privacy, no-see-um and standard.

Want a second set of eyes on your cage? Call (727) 857-3714 or get a free estimate. Chris will look at the screen, the spline and the hardware and tell you honestly what it needs.

Check the Small Parts That Hold the Screen

A screen is only as good as what holds it. Walk the cage once a year and look at these.

Spline. This is the rubber cord pressed into the channel of the frame to hold the screen tight. When spline gets hard or shrinks, it stops gripping, and the screen starts to pull out at the edges. A panel that bulges or lifts at the edge, or one you can wiggle in the channel, is a spline problem. You cannot fix that by washing. On every rescreen we put in new spline for this reason.

Fasteners. Florida Peninsula’s home checklist tells owners to look for “tears or stretched sections in mesh” and “loose or missing fasteners,” and notes that “even smaller storms can loosen panels or strain framing” (Florida Peninsula). Slide Insurance adds that owners should check the enclosure’s “fasteners, cables, footings, and anchors,” since repairs there can add years of use. Look for rust streaks, screws that spin, and cables that look frayed.

Door closers and latches. A door that slams, drags or will not latch pulls on the frame and the screen around it every time it closes. Check that the door shuts softly and fully. Worn closers and screws are the parts we replace on every rescreen, because the screen is already off and the hardware is easy to reach.

If you find a loose or rusty part and you are not sure how serious it is, have a contractor look. Slide’s own advice is the same: if you are unsure what to inspect, speak with a contractor or other expert.

Look at the Gutter Along the House

If your cage attaches to the house, a large gutter runs along that side. It is called a super gutter, and it helps carry the roof beams of the cage. When it sags, leaks or pulls away, the water and the weight land on the screen and the frame.

Check it after a heavy rain. Look for water running down the wall behind it, a visible dip along the run, or seams that drip. Our post on the signs a super gutter needs replacing goes through each one.

If it is failing, deal with it before you rescreen. A super gutter change out means taking the screen and beams off that side, so fresh screen put on first would be partly undone. Our super gutter change out includes a full rescreen, so you do not pay for the same screen twice.

Florida Peninsula’s list also tells owners to check “gutters and downspouts with debris buildup.” A clogged gutter above the cage sends water over the edge and onto the screen.

What Care Cannot Fix

Washing, trimming and tightening add time. They do not turn old screen back into new. You are likely at the end when you see any of these.

• Screen that has faded, gone chalky or turned shiny.
• Panels that sag or flap even after you check the spline.
• Tears on more than one wall, with new ones every season.
• Bugs and leaves inside that used to stay out.

When that happens, a single repaired panel buys little. A new panel beside faded old ones stands out, and the old ones keep failing. That is why we do full rescreens only, not a few torn panels. A full rescreen covers every wall and roof panel, with new Phifer screen, new spline, and worn hardware like screws and door closers replaced. It carries a 1 year warranty. Our guide to what a rescreen costs and what to compare in a quote shows how to read the prices you get.

After a Storm

Do a quick walk after any hard storm, even a smaller one. Florida Peninsula’s checklist warns that “even smaller storms can loosen panels or strain framing” during hurricane season, and its pool advice is to “remove debris promptly, especially after storms.”

Start from the ground. Look at the roof panels for debris and sagging, then at the walls for tears and bulges. Check the doors. Then look at the frame joints for anything that has shifted. If something looks bent or loose, do not lean on it or climb it. Photograph it and have someone qualified look.

A Yearly Routine You Can Actually Keep

Once a year, and again after a hard storm, run through this:

1. Rinse the screen with a hose and wash it with soap and a soft brush if it is grimy.
2. Cut back limbs and plants that touch the cage.
3. Look for tears and stretched sections.
4. Tug gently on panel edges to check the spline.
5. Check screws and cables for rust or looseness.
6. Test every door closer and latch.
7. Look at the super gutter and any gutter above the cage after a good rain.

It takes about as long as washing the car. When something on the list is beyond a hose and a screwdriver, we can look at it.

Rain Storm Solutions rescreens pool cages and lanais across Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties, from Spring Hill and Brooksville to Inverness. See our pool cage rescreening page, or call (727) 857-3714 or get a free estimate.