Insulated Pet Door Parts

After much use you may find that the parts on your insulated pet door have become broken or worn out. Rather than going to the expense of replacing the unit with a new, you can usually just replace the worn parts. Below is a description the parts common to most insulated pet doors.

Pet Door Construction

An insulated pet door is basically a small opening made into your home either in a door or an external wall to allow a pet to come in and out of the home unaided. The doors main structure is very much a door jam that seals the door around the opening it sits in. The frame itself holds to the sides of the opening and in many cases contains magnets to keep the door pulled shut when not in use.

Door Frame

Your insulated pet door will hang in the frame which is going to be determined by the size of your pet. A larger pet will need a bigger door than smaller pets like cats or rabbits. These frames are adaptable to nearly everything and some people install them in livestock hutches and even dog houses to help keep the weather.

Swinging Door

The insulated pet door itself is available in different technologies and configurations. Latch options include spring loaded, gravity latched and even magnetic sealed doors. They also come in a wide range of patterns, styles and colors such as golden latches and images imprinted on the face of the door. Replacement doors can be found at most dealers that offer pet doors depending on the make and model of your unit. There are there are many different types of latches available for your needs.

Latches, Locks and Levers

Most insulated pet door constructions allow the door to be locked, making it unable to be opened from either side without unlocking it first. There may also be arms or levers that allow the door to be left open for any number of reasons, such as cleaning or for air flow. These are generally not optional parts as they are built into the actual design of the model you are using, so select one carefully to ensure it is going to suite your needs.

Part Installation and Assembly

When you get an insulated pet door kit, it will have instructions for assembly in the box. All the required pieces will be with the kit and installation is quite easy and takes little time. You simply cut the appropriate size hole in the place you want to install it, being careful to check for wires and pipes beforehand. Attach the frame into the opening, which should simply fit over the edges of your existing hole, and then mount the door. Some kits are adjustable, or fixed and are a little more complicated to install and set up, contact the manufacturer or a local hardware store technician for more details.