Are Storm Doors Worth It? When They Help and When They Hurt

A storm door is one of the cheapest upgrades you can make to an entry, and on the right door it's worth every dollar: it blocks wind and rain, adds a screen for summer, and protects the main door behind it. On the wrong door it can actually do harm. The difference comes down to which way the door faces and what it's made of.

Walk down almost any street in Lititz, Ephrata or New Holland and you'll see storm doors on a lot of the front entries, many of them older aluminum units that have been there for decades. They're common here for good reason. But they aren't automatically right for every door, and a few things are worth knowing before you buy one.

What a storm door actually does

• Protects the main door. Rain, snow, and direct weather hit the storm door first. That's a big deal for a wood entry door with no porch overhead, because it slows down the weathering that leads to refinishing and rot.
• Cuts drafts. It adds a buffer of still air in front of the main door. On an older door that doesn't seal well, you'll feel the difference.
• Gives you a screen door. Most storm doors swap or slide between glass and screen, so you get a breeze in May without letting the bugs in.
• Adds a layer of security. A locking storm door is one more thing between the porch and the house.

The heat problem nobody mentions

Here's the part that doesn't make it into the sales brochure. A full-glass storm door on an entry that faces south or west, in full afternoon sun, traps heat in the space between the two doors. That pocket can get hot enough to damage the finish on the main door, warp vinyl trim, and on some doors cause problems the door's own warranty won't cover. Several door manufacturers specifically warn about it.

If your entry gets hard afternoon sun, you have options:

• Choose a storm door with a vent, retractable screen, or low-E glass.
• Keep the screen in from late spring through early fall.
• Check the warranty terms of your main door before adding one, especially if it's dark-colored fiberglass or vinyl.
• Or skip the storm door and put the money into a better primary door.

The common styles

• Full-view. One big pane of glass that swaps for a full screen in summer. Shows off the main door behind it; gives the most light.
• Ventilating (high-view or mid-view). Glass panels that slide down to reveal a screen. No swapping panels, and you can open it a little or a lot.
• Retractable screen. The screen rolls up into a cassette when you don't need it, so the door looks like a full-view door most of the year.
• Security storm doors. Heavier frames, steel or wrought-iron styling, and stronger locks.

Frame material matters too. Aluminum is light and common; heavier-gauge aluminum and wood-core doors feel more solid and hold up better to slamming wind.

When a storm door isn't worth it

• Your main door is a modern, well-sealed fiberglass or steel door under a porch roof. It already does most of what a storm door would do.
• The entry faces full sun and you don't want to manage the heat issue.
• The opening isn't a standard size and the cost of a custom unit gets close to what a better main door would cost.

Already have one? Fix it before you replace it

A lot of storm doors that seem worn out just need hardware. The usual failures are the pneumatic closer, the wind chain, the latch, and the sweep at the bottom. All cheap parts, all replaceable, and we cover them under storm door hardware repair. A bent frame or a door that's been ripped open by wind is usually a replacement.

Storm doors are also one of those topics neighbors love to argue about. If you're on Nextdoor, you've probably seen a thread or two, and feel free to ask us there.