Madcity Pets

Installing a pet door in a storm door is a great home improvement idea so that you can keep your heavy-duty, weather-resistant storm door while also giving your pet the freedom to come and go. Dog doors for storm doors give your pet access to a pet door without cutting a hole in your main door. You can close the main door frame assembly to prevent access to the pet door in the storm door. We have a small selection of entire storm doors with built-in pet doors, but we also have a wide selection of pet doors that you can install in your existing storm door. One of the Glass and Vent Storm Door features the Endura Pet Flap which is the most energy-efficient pet door with fuzzy weatherstripping and sturdy flaps (so you don’t need to spend a fortune on replacement flaps). 

Pet door for storm door installation tips

If you’re installing a pet door through a storm door, chances are the door material is very thin. This can make storm door pet door installations particularly tricky, so there are certain dog doors for storm doors that will work better than others. If you are looking for a cat door for a storm door install, most of those will accommodate very thin materials already. Make sure the pet door you choose can accommodate the thinness of your door! If you have a glass door storm door, be extra cautious of the type you have because any tempered glass will shatter when cut into. Many customers choose to switch out a bottom glass portion and replace it with a piece of Lexan or Plexiglas and install their doggie door for storm door through that. This also provides a sturdier installation which is especially good if you have larger dogs. If the pets go through and hit the frame on those storm door pet doors they can shatter the regular tempered glass, and this won’t happen if it has been replaced.

• Remember that the pet door you buy must be self-framing and it must accommodate doors as thin as the storm door–which you should measure. All “self-framing” dog doors have an adjustment range and for some, the adjustment range doesn’t cover a thinner storm door type door. These adjustment ranges are given for all self-framing pet doors on our pet doors for doors page. Some pet doors for metal doors with kick plates will frame all the way down to 0″. Pet doors for metal door installations specifically aren’t that common as most are just labeled for installation indoors.
• Use a high-performance dog door. If you need a storm door, you probably need one of the better performing pet doors as well, like the Endura Flap. You may need to build out your door to accommodate one of these types if it is not designed for material as thin as your door.
• Mount at the correct height for your pet. The height that the pet door is installed at, especially in the larger sizes, is critical for comfortable use by your dog. You’ll find it easier to get this right if you are supervising the installation yourself, as many storm doors with pet doors already installed will not be at the proper height.
• Make sure your storm door with the doggy door will accommodate your pet size. Many doors will have multiple panels where you can install the pet door, as you can see in the photo above. The pet door is on the bottom panel, but there is a crossbar above it which may be too low to install the pet door for storm doors if you have tall dogs using it. a cat door for metal door plate installation is usually not an issue.
• Your door is a screen, not a solid material. We don’t have many options for a screen door with a doggie door already installed. However, we do have a variety of pet doors that can be installed through your existing screen door on pet doors for screens. Screen doors with doggie door installation can go two ways. The first is the pet door snaps directly onto the screen material. The second is the frame of the pet door is actually screwed into the frame of the screen door on two sides and the spline channel is on the other two. The second option is the most sturdy. Cat door for a metal screen door, or screen guard, installation is also available in the Ideal Screen Guard Doors.
• Use only one pet door at a time. We get questions from customers about having a dog door storm door installation and having a second pet door installed directly through the interior house door, so adding dog doors for aluminum, solid core, or hollow-core door applications. Storm doggie door installations like this are not recommended because the installation spots have to be absolutely identical so the flaps don’t interfere as they will not work properly.