Hale Pet Door for Screens - Installation Instructions

Installation Instructions

Universal Model

Difficulty Moderate

Steps 14

Time Required 1 hour

Sections 01

Flags 04

Parts

Installation Booklet (includes warranty, policies, training, etc)
Hale Pet Door screen model
Screen spline 3/16”
Phillips head screws 1⁄4”
7/64" drill bit
Metal screen retainer clips
Screen Stabilizer Bar Kit included with pet door sizes TL and larger (optional purchase with smaller pet doors)

Tools

Drill
Razor blade
Flat headed screwdriver or putty knife
Phillips headed screwdriver
Screen spline roller (handy but not necessary)
Needle-nosed pliers (optional)
Silicone caulk

A SAFETY REMINDER!

Always wear eye protection and gloves when appropriate.

Before installing: The Hale Pet Door Universal Screen Model is designed to fit into one of the lower corners of a screen door frame or screen window frame that over 1/2" thick. In screen frames that are 1/2" thick or less the standard screen model should be used although the universal model will work in those situations as well. The doors are very similar but the installation process differs between the two models. The universal screen pet door is completely reversible and will fit into either corner of the screen frame.

Note: The Hale Pet DoorTM screen model is not designed to work on security doors. A “door” model is a much better choice for a security screen application.

Step 1 Pre-Installation Check

Before installation, be sure that you have the proper size pet door for your pet.
If in doubt, larger is better. It may be harmful for your pet to use a pet door that is too small. A good general rule is to install the pet door so that the distance from the floor to the top of the passage opening is even or above the shoulder of your largest pet. If you have more than one pet, make sure the tallest pet has shoulder clearance and the shortest pet will not have to jump through the opening.
Take a brief look at the large diagrams of the screen model at the end of the instructions and become familiar with various components of the screen model. This will not only help in understanding the terms used in these instructions but can be very useful should you need to call for technical support.
Check the package you received to make sure that it contains all the necessary items.

Step 2 Prep Screen Door for Installation

Determine which corner of the screen door is to be used for installing the pet door.
Remove the screen window or door from its track. The screen door can generally be removed by lifting it upward and swinging the bottom outward. Occasionally the wheels will interfere with removal. In this case, the wheels will need to be lifted upward to clear the track.
Lay the screen window or screen door on a flat surface with the screen spline facing upward.

Step 3 Remove Screen Spline

Remove the screen spline (the ribbed rubber around the screen) from the installation corner. Needle-nosed pliers work very well for removing the screen spline or you can also carefully use a flat head screwdriver or a putty knife at the corner to get started. If using a screwdriver or putty knife, be careful not to cut into the spline or slice into the finish of the door frame.
Only remove the spline from the corner you will be working on, going a little bit farther than the finished size of the pet door.
Leave the spline attached for the moment and just push or fold it out of the way.

Step 4 POSITION PET DOOR FRAME

Place the pet door snugly against the frame at the chosen corner. Make sure the pet door is adjusted properly and operates smoothly while in position. It should be flush against both the bottom and side edges.

Step 5 Position Clips

Place the metal screen retainer clips in the spline track of the people door evenly spaced around the pet door as shown. Depending on the size of the pet door ordered there should be between one and four clips in the bottom track and another one to four clips in the side track of the people door.

Step 6 Drill Hole

Holding the pet door snugly against the people door frame, drill through the holes in the metal retainers into the frame of the pet door using the 7/64" drill bit provided.

Step 7 Add Screws

Insert the #6 screws with a Phillips screwdriver or drill as shown.

Step 8 Apply Silicone

Run a thin bead of silicone in the spline track on the people door along the side and bottom of the pet door running the silicone over the metal retainers as shown.

Step 9 Add Screen Mesh

Lay the screen material back over the pet door. Pull the screen material taut. To hold the screen fabric around the pet door, insert the screen spline that you previously pulled out of the people door with a flat headed screwdriver or screen spline roller.

Step 10 Clean Excess Silicone

Clean any excess silicone off the people door and the pet door with a paper towel, if needed.

Step 11 Remove Excess Mesh

Using a razor blade, carefully cut the screen fabric inside the perimeter of the pet door near the weather stripping. Be sure to leave enough screen fabric to be pulled down into the track by the screen spline that came with your pet door. You can trim off any excess fabric after the installation is complete. Remove the square of screen fabric and discard.

Step 12 Insert Into Door Frame

Insert the screen spline included with your pet door into the spline frame track around all four sides of the pet door being sure to pull the screen fabric taut to make the pet door more secure.
This means that on the bottom and one side of your pet door you will have two pieces of screen spline: One in the people door track (black spline at top of picture below) and one in the pet door track (light gray spline at bottom of picture below) with a narrow strip of screen fabric between them.
When installing the spline in the corner of the pet door unit, it may be necessary to cut a small diagonal slit up into the screen material in order to relieve the tension on the screen fabric and allow it to be pulled down into the spline frame track.
Be careful not to cut too far into your screen fabric or you will have a hole at the corner of your pet door.

Step 13 Remove Excess Spline

Cut away any excess screen spline with a razor blade or scissors. Cut away the excess screen material with a razor blade being careful not to cut into the screen spline or the finish of the pet door. If you are installing a stabilizer bar (see next section), leave some excess screen material at this time. You can trim it later after installing the stabilizer bar kit.
Re-install the screen door or screen window.

Step 14 Adjust Magnets

After re-installing the screen into a vertical position, adjust the magnets in the pet door upward or downward if needed. The magnets are pressure fitted and can be adjusted downward by tapping lightly with the handle of your screwdriver. They can be adjusted upward by twisting a flat headed screwdriver below the magnet between the magnet and frame.
Be sure to adjust the magnets upward from the inside of the door so as not to mar the outer door finish.

Optional Stabilizer Bar Kit for Screen Model Installation: Information and Installation Instructions

For our screen model pet doors, size Large and above, or if you have more than one pet, we recommend adding the optional Stabilizer Bar Kit for additional stability for your pet door and people door alike. The Stabilizer Bar Kit contains a spreader bar, 2 aluminum clips to attach the bar to the frame of your screen door, 2 metal screen retainers to attach the bar to the top edge of the pet door and a drill bit to drill the holes into the spreader bar for the retainers.

The spreader bar is designed to be installed as a brace across the screen door directly above the pet door to add rigidity and strength both to the screen door itself and to the unsupported edge of the pet door. This can be especially important for very large or very active dogs.

View how to install the stabilizer bar here,