Screen door latch

We are on our 4th. or 5th.! They are the most worthless RV product there is! Just be happy it is one of the cheapest RV things you can purchase. They do make a metal one, but haven't tried them yet. There are also some magnetic mods herein (rv.net forums). We should be able to but that spring by the hundred for a few bucks, but NO..LOL

Hi,

I used a spring from a ball point pen. It worked well.

It was the plastic breaking on mine that caused me to replace it. It is a pain but I noticed that the alignment was the key, the idea is that the plastic handle must be low/high enough for the main door to hold it open just enough but when separated to close and latch on the door jam.

My 1994 still appears to have the original.

I guess I'm fortunate also...I've never replaced one. A refrigerator, yes, a screen door latch, never. I live in the country though, and my local hardware store has a huge selection of springs (small local place, not a big box store)...next time you are out traveling and pass through a little "town", stop by their hardware store and check; they may have just what you are looking for and they would be cheaper than buying a whole new assembly, you could buy 3 or four for next to nothing and have them on hand for the next time.

This is what I'm doing to mine now:
Magnets on Screen Door

Are you making sure you are buying the correct replacement?

I've met a lot of RV'ers that replaced them and complained about how they open blaming the cheap product when actually it was because they had a right hand door latch and replaced it with a left hand door latch.

In the box the latches look 'identical' and 'will' bolt right up to the door. What IS different is the slope on the blade. One is right hand and one is for left hand doors.

They both will open and close the door but the wrong one will become stressed and crack and break from the constant push on the wrong side of the blade.

Yes I have been putting on the correct one and when I bought the last one at an RV supply store they had a ton of them so they know people are looking for them to have that many in stock.

On another thread just this week one forum member took the latch and traced it on some sort of airplane metal and cut it out. He now has a 'permanent' screen door latch that can't break! He also had something for the spring but can't remember off hand.

I tried to get him to patent it and sell them to us! :B

dan-nickie wrote:
This is what I'm doing to mine now:
Magnets on Screen Door

I like this wonder where he found the magnets and how they are attached does the screen door still seal up so not to let skeeters flys and moths in.