Ragusa Screen Door 2024

[Don Jaksa]

I decided to purchase and install the Ragusa Screen door for my GMC Motorhome
Ragusa supplies everything you need but you have to MAKE it work

It's a challenge but it can be made to work and is worth it

Reading the few threads that mention installation, I focused on Louis's experience and realized I would have to "Fit" the door to the coach
Starting with the hinges, I mounted them alone and just made the necessary adjustments to make the door close cleanly, with NO spring or flex


By just working with the hinges mounted, many hangups and bindings can be worked out

This required grinding away at THE COACH in some areas, adjusting the COACH to fit the screen door hinges
This would deter an owner with a nice new paint job or someone who was opposed to the idea of disfiguring their coach

I also had to remove the rubber around the door/entrance so the screen door would fit in the area
I also had to remove the metal entrance threshold



Now I have a new door seal to install

I also had to remove the door top plate that the curtains attached to, so no more curtains in the door window now

Door keeper-opener:
It all started with the door fastener. I didn't like that the "official" one mounted tangentially to the rubber trim, so I found a different model that was parallel to the rubber, you know, for a lower dynamic drag coefficient

The original


Alternative



I purchased two so I would have the hold catch, still less than the official one

 

[Don Jaksa]

Now I am thinking I will have to trim the rubber around the screen door because it seems excessive and makes opening the door more of an effort then it should be

It is nice to have the screen door and it only presents a problem when the screen door is in the fully seated, door-closed position and then opening it because you have to overcome the rubber that is in the seated position

I think I can make it work better

 

[Carl Stouffer]

Now I am thinking I will have to trim the rubber around the screen door because it seems excessive and makes opening the door more of an effort then it should be

It is nice to have the screen door and it only presents a problem when the screen door is in the fully seated, door-closed position and then opening it because you have to overcome the rubber that is in the seated position

I think I can make it work better

I found that the trick to making my Ragusa screen door work was trimming the rubber sealing strip. I did mine rather hastily and didn't do a very neat job on it, but it worked much better after trimming off the excess width.

I found the installation process rather tedious and frustrating until I trimmed the weather strip.

 

[Don Jaksa]

I found that the trick to making my Ragusa screen door work was trimming the rubber sealing strip. I did mine rather hastily and didn't do a very neat job on it, but it worked much better after trimming off the excess width.

I found the installation process rather tedious and frustrating until I trimmed the weather strip.

Exactly, thanks for seconding the motion

Did you have to grind on your coach any?

 

[Carl Stouffer]

Exactly, thanks for seconding the motion

Did you have to grind on your coach any?

No, but it took a LOT of adjustment to get it right.

 

[RF_Burns]

I've had a Ragusa screen door hanging in my shop for over 10 years now. I've tried a number of times to install it, but the hinges just won't fit through the door seam. The door won't close unless you force it the last 2" or so and watch the door and hinges bend.

I've called Ragusa and they say for some reason the doors move forward as they age. There is no adjustment for this, actually the door hinges have no adjustment at all (I have made the holes bigger to get some adjustment and now the door works great). Still the Ragusa hinge brackets bind the door. I asked Ragusa if they could make me a hinge bracket of thinner metal like the Birch door and they declined (the bracket is very thick for the job it does).

I have a friend with a large metal fabricating business (and 3 motorhomes of his own). He looked at it but unfortunately all his metal brakes are too large to re-bend the hinge brackets.

So there it sits, and makes my Wife PO'ed.

Someday I'll make it work, but I don't want to take the grinder to the coach.

 

[dsmithy]

I understand your frustration Bruce, but I would encourage you to figure it out.
I bought a screen door from Alex Birch in about '96, a year after we got our coach. It has been an absolute favorite upgrade. When we summered in MN in the coach it saved our lives. We do not have the longest awning and it will allow rain into both the front living area window and the back bedroom window. With the awning out and the door open with the screen door closed we can put the fantastic fans on low/exhaust and have marvellous fresh air without getting wet. Because of the screen door, the entryway is also a favorite hangout for our dogs who can see through the screen and be entertained, and who have the freshest/coolest air from the natural convection through the coach. There are just a thousand little ways that a screen door makes life in the coach better.

Another upgrade we love was putting the ventilated boxes over the fantastic fans. I did it just because I was too cheap to buy the rain-sensor/auto-close version of the fans, but it turns out to be one of our favorite upgrades as well. It means I have full control of the ventilation of the coach regardless of the weather. For example, if it's raining when we want to go to sleep, I open the bedroom fan but leave it off for silence and put the living area fan on low/intake which means that even with all the windows closed, we have a gentle and silent flow of fresh air through the coach.

These are stupid, simple things (like me) that have made living in our coach a joy for many years. It's funny how the tiniest things add up to more than their sum, which is why I encourage you to tackle the screen door. You can't even imagine all the benefits until you've lived with it for awhile. (end of gentle rant)

 

[Don Jaksa]

Once I committed to modifying a $700 brand new item, marking and cutting the excess was pretty straight forward.

I used a sanding block to smooth out the cut marks in the rubber. Thats worked good to make it presentable

The screen door is much easier to open now and works just as well

 

[Don Jaksa]

I dismantled the door and latch mechanism to improved the "door closes clean" and gets CAPTURE second latch easily. Filing (as in with a metal file) the latch-plate backing bolt holes to move the plate out made a big difference. Nice clean close with the screen door and new gasket.

I had some Dyna-mat laying around looking for a purpose, so I put it to use




And while I had it apart I installed the new rubber trim around the "OUCH" plate.

Showroom

 

[Bhart]

I like the GMC Emblem!!