Pool screen mesh is rather strong considering is just a fabric.  The polyester screen meshes are strong enough in fact that they can usually support the weight of an adult (we’ll occasionally walk across polyester screen when doing a re-screen).  That said, screen mesh is not invincible and as screen ages it does get weaker.  It does tear causing the need for pool screen repair.   Sometimes it’s from dogs trying to get at squirrels on the outside, other times it could be from someone sticking the extended rod of a pool cleaning net while feverishly trying to fish out leaves.  No matter the cause of tear, we can get buttoned up.

A Screen Enclosure With Tears Is like a Boat With Holes In The Bottom

Yes We Do Pool Screen Repair

We offer many services and do many projects from small to large.  Many folks know us as the company to call for larger projects like a new pool cages or dozens of carports, but we do small pool screen repair projects all the time — lots of them.  Every day we have at least 2 trucks (usually) doing nothing but small screen jobs.  We actually love doing these small screen repair jobs more than the big jobs 😉

We Do Not Patch Screens

There are a few different patching options for screen mesh available on the market.  They are all primarily intended for use on small tears of window screens.  In most cases the tears of mesh on pool cages are too large to be accommodated by a patch only a few inches in size. Considering they might work for small tears on pool screen we’ve tested them and found they generally don’t last very long, usually separating from the mesh they were mended to within our a couple weeks.  Practically speaking, we can’t stay in business providing a service that only holds together for a weeks, so therefore we replace the entire screen panel.  

Pool Screen That Has ‘Pulled Out’

Sometimes pool screen mesh looks like it has ‘pulled out’ of the groove on the aluminum member.  Commonly we’ll get requests to simply put the screen back in place.  In these cases, things are not as they seem.  While it does look like the screen is pulled out, what has actually happened is that the screen has torn away from the aluminum member and the screen is now a full millimeter to short.  These panels of screen will need to be replaced.

What causes these tears?  These tears are common signs that your screen has reached its life expectancy.  They are caused by wind or flex of the aluminum beams.  When the screen is in a good condition, it is strong enough to resist tears from the wind or flex of the aluminum beams.  However as it ages, the screen it gets substantially weaker and is torn by these forces rather easily.  If you’re getting these types of tears, rather than a pool screen repair, it is probably more economical to do a full re-screen.  Important to note, is that polyester screens are warrantied against these types of tears for 10 years.

We Can Do The High Panels

Pool screen repair on 1 story screen enclosures around 12 foot high are a piece of cake for us.  Getting to the panels on 2 story pool cages 20 feet or higher in the air can be a challenge.  Many screen enclosure companies, simply cannot do them because they don’t have tall enough ladders, don’t carry insurance for that working that high, they are too difficult, or too much hassle.  We’ve got ladders to reach to the moon (metaphorically of course), and the insurance to cover it.  We can do the high panels.  Considering the ladders, equipment, increased insurance costs, and increased set up time to work that high, a minimum service charge may be applied for these panels.

Other Panels May Need To Be Replaced

If your screen is aged (which most are by the time 1 or 2 is needing replacement), we might need to replace more than 1 panel, even if you just have one panel out.  Recall, I mentioned earlier that the flex of the aluminum beams is enough to tear aged screens.  Well as we are working on one panel, the beams may flex a bit tearing other panels adjacent to the immediate panel being worked on.  We try our best to avoid these, but incidental damage may occur if the screen is has reached its life expectancy.  Fixing these will be billed at a service call sq foot rate.

Scheduling Pool Screen Repair

When you call us to schedule your screen repair, we’ll let you know what day we are coming.  Most of the time we get small pool screen repair jobs done within a week (sometimes next day depending on area and availability).  All of our service agreements are done electronically online before arrival, so no one needs to be home.  But if you want to be home….

  1. You can call us at 8am on the day of your service and we’ll give you an approximate time frame based on the service route for that day.
  2. We’ll call you about an hour before we get there.  

How Much Does Pool Screen Repair Cost

Pricing of screen is subject to the height of the enclosure, location on enclosure, ease of access to the property, if we have any other service calls in that area, and other factors so we cannot provide a one size fits all pricing here.  Here’s what we can tell you; Your price will include a fixed rate service call fee which includes, the trip, set-up, and the first panel of screen.  Then there will be a square footage rate applied to any of the screen panels that need to be done once we are out there.  For example: our rate for screen repair 10’ screen enclosure in zip code 33912 is:

  • $115 service call (includes the first panel of screen up to 50 sqft).  And then $1.50/sqft for any other screens.

Most screen repairs on 1 story homes in Southwest Florida, for ‘a few panels’ fall into a range for $200 – 300.

  • Tall pool enclosures (2 story) will be more.

(notice: no estimate or quote is given based on the prices discussed.  The rates and specifications above are valid only for the date of publication and subject to change at any time)

It Is More Economical For To Do A Full Re-screen

Having one screen panel tear on 10 year old Phifer screen is like having a tire blow out on a set of tires with 40,000 miles… the rest of them are probably going to go soon.  

Screen has a life expectancy (3-5 years artisan, 5-7 NY Wire, 7-9 Phifer, 10+ polyester).  Once your mesh reaches this age, and 1 panel tears, more are sure to follow.  Rather than paying our service call rates, you do get more screen for your dollar when we do a full re-screen.  Suggested reading: When Is It Time For A Full rescreen [pics]

Corey Philip

About the author

Corey began working on screen enclosures as a teenager in 2004 after hurricane Charley devastated his home town of Punta Gorda. 7 years later, after holding positions from foreman, to sales, to project manager, while attending college at Florida Gulf Coast University, Corey and childhood friend Thomas Davis founded Gulf Coast Aluminum in 2011. With a focus on delivering an unparrelled level of service, the company has grown by leaps and bounds under their leadership. Today you’ll find Corey answering the phones In his free time Corey likes training for triathlons, running the trails at Ding Darling park on Sanibel Island, and of course, working on growing Gulf Coast Aluminum.