Crash Test Dummy Part 6: How To Spot A Bad Install.
How to Spot a Leaky Ship Before Your Motorized Screens Go Down
Because once the water’s pouring in, it’s too late to patch the hull.
In Central Florida, a good motorized screen installation is your seaworthy vessel. It keeps the storms out, the bugs off deck, and the sun from beating you into submission. But we’ve seen too many “ships” launched straight from the backyard shipyard without so much as a safety drill — only to sink the first time the weather turns rough.
Just like any vessel, your patio, lanai, or pool enclosure needs a thorough inspection before it leaves port. If your installer skips that process, you’re not setting sail — you’re drifting straight into a squall with holes in the hull.
Here’s your pre-voyage checklist to make sure you’re not the next crash test dummy floating in a sea of repair bills.
1. The Captain Who Never Checks the Charts
Ever book a cruise and find out the captain never looked at the maps? That’s what happens when an installer breezes through the sales call. If they’re not taking detailed measurements at multiple points, checking for “storm patterns” like wind exposure, or asking how you actually use your “deck” (daily shade, hurricane protection, or both), they’re steering blind. And a blind captain will run you into trouble fast.
2. Anchors That Won’t Hold
Your screen’s housing is the ship’s hull, and the anchors — well, they’re literally the anchors. If they’re not set deep in concrete and rated for the forces of a hurricane-rated screen, one good blow will send your investment overboard. Ask how they anchor the system and what “load rating” their hardware can handle. If the answer is vague, you’re on a vessel with a loose mooring line.
3. Patching Over Rotting Wood
Mounting screen tracks over cracked stucco or uneven walls is like nailing planks over a rotting section of the deck. Sure, it looks fine today, but the first sign of stress and it’ll split wide open. Proper surface preparation — grinding, sealing, shimming — is the equivalent of a full hull repair before heading into open water. Skip it, and you’re taking on water before you even leave the dock.
4. Skipping the Sea Trial
No ship launches without a sea trial — a test run to see how it handles in real conditions. For your lanai screen system, that’s running the motorized screens up and down multiple times, confirming the motor limits are set perfectly, and making sure the “sails” (screen mesh) move without binding. If your installer doesn’t do this in front of you, they’re sending you into rough seas without checking if the rudder works.
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5. “We’ll Fix It Once We’re Underway”
Any sailor knows that if the crew starts making repairs mid-journey, something went very wrong at the dock. Installers who show up without the right tools, materials, or a clear plan aren’t “customizing” — they’re improvising. And improvisation at sea usually ends with someone calling the Coast Guard.
Final Word from the Helm
A bad motorized patio screen installation in Central Florida isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a sinking ship. Every detail from anchoring to surface prep to testing is part of keeping your vessel seaworthy. Skip one step, and you’ll be bailing out problems for years.
At Florida Living Outdoor, we don’t just build and install motorized screen systems — we launch them like ships ready for the open ocean. Anchored deep, tested for real weather, and built to keep you dry when the storms hit. Because your backyard deserves a captain who knows how to steer clear of trouble.
