Retractable Screen Blog

American Quality Blog

An ongoing series of informational entries

January 20th, 2020

What to expect in a Florida winter? Destination Florida, the winter really starts in January and stays cold till middle to the end of March. Most people would expect that it doesn't get cold in Florida, but the reality is that the high humidity levels make the cold stick to you and go right through your bones.

The temperatures vary daily in a Florida winter starting in the 30s to 40s range in the mornings working their way up to the high 60s and low to mid 70s at the warmest part of the day. Then a few random summer days are in the mix. The sunshine in Florida is one of our constants, even in the winter enjoying the outside weather is a major past time.

Compared to the northern winters the Florida winter is much easier to tolerate. Which makes Florida a popular winter destination. With that in mind there are still a few times in the winter that freezing temperatures reach down into the Florida territory. It is advised to take freezing weather precautions for your vehicles, home water systems and your outside plants.

Even though you are in Florida you will still need anti-freeze in your car radiator to be prepared for the temperature fluctuations, keep track of the weather to know when to drip your faucets to prevent freezing of the water pipes in the house.

Plants that are less than hardy will need to be covered or brought inside. Inside can also be a covered porch or car port, the goal is to keep the moisture in the air away from the plants. By adding curtains or thick screens to the area will help keep the frost out.

Roll down screens with a vinyl covered screen is one of the best ways to keep the frost away from your covered area for the plants and to extend the life of your patio furniture.

American Quality Screens supplies motorized screens that are there when you need them and out of the way when you want that open space to enjoy the Florida sunshine and breeze.

There are a few weeks of cold in the winter months, which makes Florida one of the best places to be for that time of year.

Florida Winters, what to expect

Privacy is better for security

January 28, 2020

Privacy equals security, keeping the wandering eyes of the neighbors and local travelers out of your outside spaces decreases the likelihood of an invasion of privacy or robbery. The best crime prevention is to keep your home spaces private from passer byes. Garage areas and patio areas used for working or entertaining can be fit with custom roll down screens that allow you to see out of the area, but blocks the view from outside.

Adding privacy to these outside areas of your home increases the square footage of your usable comfortable space. Whether you are working on your latest project, or expanding the kids play room to the garage: privacy control is a huge benefit to keep things safe and to have more controlled comfortable space in your home.

Are you dealing with an HOA that wants all garage doors shut to keep up the appearance of the neighborhood. A Motorized roll up screen from American Quality Screens is an accepted alternative. With the HOA approval you can enjoy your open space while still abiding by the appearance regulations of the neighborhood.

Whether you are avoiding the neighbors or having them over for a party, having the privacy at a push of a button is priceless.

Care and Maintenance for Motorized screens

February 10, 2020

Cleaning and Maintaining your motorized screen is only a little more that normal screen maintenance. It is recommended to keep your screens clear of flying debris such as leaves, branches and other yard items.

Maintenance

Motorized roll up screens require application of Dry Silicone (every 4 to 6 months) in each of the guide tracks that holds the edges of the screen. Using the supplied straw, attach to the spray can of "Dry Silicone" and spray one time from top to bottom of each track.

Also apply dry silicone in the event that there is resistance noticed when the screen is raising or lowering.

Cleaning

It is recommended to raise the screens into the housing when it is raining outside (do not roll up while wet), or during yard work and mowing. This will help the screens from becoming soiled.

Light detergents are recommended for cleaning the screens for example dish soap. Apply soap with spray or soft brush or cloth and rinse well.

For heavy soil you can use a small amount of bleach in a gallon of water. Be sure to rinse completely and well.

DO NOT roll your screens into the housing while they are wet!

That's it, spay some lubricant in the tracks and clean them when they get soiled.

Sliding screens vs motorized screens

January 5th, 2021

Sliding Garage Screen Door or Motorized roll-up Garage Screen Door?

You have decided to take the next step in optimizing the space in your garage and have seen that there are a few options. We will review some of the pros and cons of the Garage Screen Doors.

Sliding Garage Screen doors are a lower cost option, but that lower cost comes with some downfalls. First you decrease your garage opening by 4 feet, which is with the slider screen completely open. The slider screens are set in a track that runs along the top and bottom of the garage opening, which you pull the screen by hand to close it. These tracks will catch dirt and debris that will build up over time and cause the screen to have restricted movement, and can cause it not to slide at all. To keep operation smooth you must keep these tracks free from dust build up, dirt and other debris. The benefits of having the sliding garage door screen, is having a screen.

Motorized roll-up Screens are not as low in price, but fits in the category that you get what you pay for. The Motorized screens roll up by remote control into a metal housing which keeps it tidy and out of the way when open. The screen has tracks on the sides that run vertically along the sides of the garage opening, leaving nothing running across the floor when the screen is secured in its housing. There are covers on the tracks and no way for dust, dirt or debris to build up or cause issue with the screen movement. Maintenance is as easy as spraying a dry silicone in the tracks a few times a year, and clean the mesh if or when it gets soiled.

There you have it, the good and the bad.

Can I have motorized screens on my pergola or lanai?