My storm door glass broke. Can just the glass be replaced?

Yes. The glass sits in a removable panel or behind a retaining strip, so it's replaced while the door stays hung. It must be safety glass, ordered to size rather than cut on the spot. If the frame is bent too, the pro will say whether the panel or the door is worth saving.

Why does my storm door slam or not close?

Nearly always the closer. The screw at the end of the tube sets the speed: one way slows a slamming door, the other helps one that stops short. If adjusting does nothing, replace the closer. A door that stops short can also have a latch out of line.

Does a newer front door still benefit from a storm door?

Often, where the entry faces freezing rain or wind: it shields the main door's finish and weatherstrip and adds a summer screen. Check your main door's warranty first, since heat can build up between a dark door and full glass in strong sun.

What are the requirements for a storm door?

Two matter most. Ontario's Building Code calls for safety glass, tempered or laminated, in storm doors. And in Churchville the heritage plan treats storm doors as heritage features, so replacing one can need a heritage permit; see our Churchville page.

How much does a storm door cost?

It depends on repair or replacement. A closer, chain or latch is a small job; safety glass costs more because it's made to order; a new door depends on style, size, finish and fitting. Measure the door and describe the problem for a written quote.

Storm doors

Storm doors and storm door glass

A storm door is the front door's weather shield against freezing rain, blown snow and grit, and in summer it becomes a screen. When one slams, won't latch or loses its glass, the fix is usually a part. We match you with an independent local pro who repairs and hangs storm doors and quotes before starting. See all doors and screens.

Closers, chains and latches
Replacement safety glass
Glass and screen swaps

Get a free quote 905-216-6105

Freezing rain glazes the storm door; the entry door stays dry.

Common faults

Closers, chains and latches

Door slams shut

A screw at the end of the closer tube sets its speed. If adjusting doesn't slow it, the closer needs replacing.

Won't close all the way

A closer set too slow, a latch out of line with its strike, or a door that has sagged.

Blows open, chain snapped

Replace the wind chain before the next gust bends the hinge side.

Latch won't catch

Handles and latches wear, and cold makes a tired one stick. Matching parts are usually available.

Winter shield

What a storm door does for your entry in a Brampton winter

Brampton sees several freezing-rain days most winters and plenty of strong-wind days. Freezing rain that would glaze a steel or fibreglass door and seep past its weatherstrip lands on the storm door instead, and gusts press on its glass rather than on the main door's seals.

Its weak spot is the gust that catches it open and bends the hinge side, which is why the closer and chain matter as much as the glass.

Between seasons

Glass-and-screen swaps between seasons

Take out the panel
Release the clips or turn buttons and lift the insert out from inside.
Check and store it
Look for cracks, torn mesh and missing clips, then store the panel flat and wrapped, not leaning on a garage wall.
Fix what's missing
Lost clips or torn mesh are small repairs. For sliding or retractable screens on other doors, see screen door repair.

Broken glass

Broken storm door glass: safety glass only

Ontario's Building Code calls for safety glass, tempered or laminated, in storm doors, so a broken pane can't be replaced with ordinary glass cut on the day. The pro measures the panel and orders glass to size. Meanwhile, clear the pieces in gloves and shoes and take the panel out. If the main door's glass was hit too, see door glass replacement.

Storm door pricing

What the price of storm door work depends on

Repair or replacement: closer, chain, latch, glass or the whole door
Style: full-view, mid-view or retractable screen
Glass made to order in safety glass
Whether the entry frame is square and ready to mount on
Heritage requirements in Churchville

Measure the storm door's width and height, and say whether it's the glass, closer or screen.

Start a storm door request

Free to ask. The pro quotes before any work.

Styles

Full-view, mid-view and retractable-screen styles

Full-view

One large glass panel, swapped for a full screen in summer. The most glass, and the most to store.

Mid-view

Glass above a solid kick panel that takes boots and deliveries.

Retractable screen

Glass that slides down or a screen that rolls out, so nothing is stored between seasons.

Heritage homes

Heritage homes: storm doors in Churchville

Churchville's heritage plan says storm windows and doors are heritage features in their own right. Replacing a door there generally needs a heritage permit, minor repairs don't, and the plan favours traditional wood storms over aluminum-coated metal or vinyl. Read the Churchville HCD Plan, speak with the City's heritage staff, and see our Churchville page before choosing one.

Second units

Storm doors on a separate basement-unit entrance

On a side entrance to a basement unit, a storm door keeps snow and freezing rain off the unit's door and landing, and gives the tenant a summer screen. Pick one that doesn't narrow the doorway, with a closer that's easy to open with full arms. On a new entrance it goes on after the permitted work; see entry doors.

Questions

Questions about storm doors

Explore your options

Local pros repair and hang storm doors across Brampton, including Churchville, Peel Village, Bramalea and Downtown Brampton.

Measure it and tell us what's wrong

Width, height, and whether it's the glass, the closer or the screen. We send it to a local pro who repairs storm doors.