screen door latch adjustment

[Mike Shumack]

My screen door latch seems to be out of adjustment making it hard to open the entry door. My wife thought she was locked in the coach yesterday. I takes a good yank to get the door open.  I investigated and at first I was pretty sure it was the entry door that was sticking (felt like it was sticking at the top). The screen door itself opens smoothly using its handle/latch.

I messed around with the screen door latch retainer clip - although I don't see anything to adjust other then the plastic harpoon clip on the entry door itself. I tried moving it a little forward and back within the range of the slotted screw holes. It didn't make enough difference.

So to isolate the problem to either the screen door or the entry door, I removed the screen door competely. Now the entry door opens and closes effortlessly. So I know the issue is with the screen door latch.

But how does this thing work? It appears that once you pull the entry door handle (to enter or exit) the screen door part is just "pulled open by force". The Entry door handle mechanism is not connected to the screen door latch mechanism. As I type this - I'm thinking perhaps when the screen door is latched to the entry door the screen door latch mechanism is supposed to be held in the open position (and mine is staying slightly engaged). That would explain a lot.

Looking at the latch mechanism more closely, the plastic wedge part seems chewed up some. Also the whole latch mechanism seems loose (on one end) within the frame of the screen door where it sits. I don't see any screws or rivets on this end  but they may be hidden (and broken or missing).

Where can I get this latch if I need to replace, and are there any adjustment instructions for this?

This picture is not of my latch (copied from a thread here) but this is same latch as what I have:

[Steve Funk]

Mike, I have had this problem too.  Really hard to get out of the coach at times.  I final removed the sticker plate or what ever you call it on the door frame .  two screw.  Seemed very worn from over the years of in and out.  Now the only thing that attaches the screen is the magnets on the top of the screen when the door is open.  Thinking I can make a new strike plate that might just fix the issue.


The screen door mechanism is loose on my screen door too. 

Let us know what you do to fix it. 

[Mike Shumack]

Someone said there is a rivet or two under the felt for the window slider. I think my rivet may be broken (see picture) because the rear part of the latch seems loose in the frame.

I'm now thinking that when the screen door is attached to the Entry door so they open/close as one, the screen door latch is suppose to be held open by the plastic door clip. If this is how it works then my retainer clip  is not adjusted correctly (or the screen door latch is worn out) because it feels like the screen door latch is keeping the Entry door from opening smoothly.

[Russ Mann]

Mike,
The issue as you stated is that the striker (small plastic part) on the door in your second photo is NOT retracting the screen door latch due to wear of the screen door latch. You can purchase a new latch on ebay at the address below. What I did was to elongate the holes in the striker so that it could be moved towards the hinge and that solved my issue. After doing this the latch piece that engages with the strike plate in the jamb will be fully depressed allowing the entry door to open without resistance. Looking at your second photo (I call it the striker) it doesn't appear to be worn. You can purchase a similar one at E-Trailer.
Incorrect operation of the striker/latch will cause you to go through the window to get in the coach, been there!

Latch on Ebay looks like yours
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-RV-Fleetwood-580416-Atwood-Excel-Screen-Door-Handle-Latch-490038-/182866089395

Striker at E-trailer
https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Doors/Lippert-Components/LC198252.html

[Mike Shumack]

Thanks for the links Russ. The latch looks correct, but the "clip" in the second link is not the same (fortunately I don't need that part). The Clip is "Atwood 130-041815" but does not look to be available anywhere.

UPDATE: I ordered the latch from the E-Bay link. I also found the latch at NW RV Supply (for less $, but may actually be same price once shipping is added). http://www.nwrvsupply.com/08-03/830094.html

[Chuck Jackson]

I had an issue where the entry door was hard to close and it was because of the spacer between the entry door and the clip that the screen locks on to. The spacer caused the screen door to latch in the door jamb before the entry door. It also caused a bit of a bind which in turn caused the door to be a little hard to open. Removing the spacer took 2 minutes and made a world of difference!

[Mike Shumack]

Thanks for that tip. I'll look more closely at that spacer once I replace the latch.
It's hard to tell what is going on with the adjustments since you can't see anything once you close the door.

Is it correct that the screen door latch should be "held in the open position" when it is attached (hooked?) to the Entry door? That would make sense.

[Chuck Jackson]

I think so. It would be pretty tough to get the screen door to latch to the entry door and the latch in the jamb at the same time.

[Mike Shumack]

I think so. It would be pretty tough to get the screen door to latch to the entry door and the latch in the jamb at the same time.

Yes, but I think that is what's happening now.
The screen door latch is staying "partially latched" and that is making it hard to open the main Entry door.

I ordered the latch and I ordered a new clip too. Might as well start out with all new - then I won't need to mess with again for another ten years.

[Mike Shumack]

I just received the new screen door latch. It is almost the exact same but there is a raised lip (tab) on the heel end of the latch, and the stricker part is longer.
I will cut the stricker part (as marked in the photo) to match the old length.

Do I need to cut the tab off? I'm not sure if Beaver cut this tab off or if it broke off on my coach.
Can some take a look at their screen door latch and let me know if it has the tab? Thanks

[Mike Shumack]

I'm not sure if that "tab" matters or not. I'm going to install now and I should be able to tell if the tab needs to come off once the latch is in place.

UPDATE: Tab is irrelevant. Does not need to be cut off.
Latch is installed. The only issue now is that to remove the latch the lower sliding plexiglass window seal needs to be pulled up to get to two screws under it. Upon reassembly the seal doesn't fit back in the groove as tightly. So the sliding window is tight to operate. It works, but I'll need to fix that at a later date.

[Mike Shumack]

To finish up this thread...
For anyone else that is interested, I now know that when the screen door is "pinned" to the entry door (so they open/close together) that clip that pins the doors together also holds the screen door latch striker bolt in the "open" position. It took a few attempts at adjusting the position of the clip to get it to hold the screen door latch open. I think this was the whole problem - and the latch was not actually bad.

The clip (or whatever its called) in the photo needs to be positioned correctly to hold the screen door latch open. If the screen door latch is not fully open it will latch when you close the entry door and then the entry door is real hard to open (you may think the entry door latch needs adjust when it's actually the screen door latch causing the problem.

The clip has oversize screw holes so it can be moved forward or back a little. There is also a spacer under it. I had to elongate the screw holes slightly and move the clip toward the hinge side of door slightly to get the latch to stay fully open.