After Isaias: Stay Out From Under That Bent Pool Enclosure
Part of our series on the 10 most common mistakes homeowners make after a hurricane damages their screen enclosure, pool cage, screen room, or patio cover.
When a pool enclosure or patio cover comes through a hurricane bent but still standing, the natural reaction is to fix it. Push the post back up. Pull the sagging beam into place. Climb up and drag the branch off the roof. Or ask the neighbor with the reciprocating saw to cut the mangled section loose so you can use the pool again.
We understand the urge. It's your backyard, and you want it back. But of all the mistakes on our list, this is the one that can actually hurt someone, which is why it comes first.
Why a bent enclosure is more dangerous than it looks
An aluminum enclosure works as one connected system. Every beam, post, and brace shares the load with the pieces around it. When a storm bends part of it, the remaining pieces pick up loads they were never designed to carry, and the bent members themselves can hold a lot of stored tension.
That has real consequences:
It can move without warning. A partly collapsed frame that looks settled can shift when the next gust comes through, when rain adds weight, or when someone leans on the wrong post.
Cutting a bent member can release that tension all at once. The piece can spring, swing, or drop, and whatever is attached to it can follow.
The roof isn't a floor. Screen enclosure roofs aren't built to hold a person's weight, damaged or not.
Attached structures pull on your house. On a patio cover or screen room attached to the house, a sagging section may still be pulling on the fascia, the roof edge, or the wall. Pushing it back into place can tear loose something that wasn't damaged yet.
"If a frame is bent, assume it's loaded. It might sit there quietly for a week, or it might move the second you put a saw on it. Nobody should be standing under it to find out." — Eric Vanheteren, Aluminum Building Systems
Hazards that are easy to miss
Downed power lines. An aluminum enclosure is one big metal frame. Utilities warn that a downed line touching a metal fence can energize it, and an enclosure is no different. If a line is down anywhere near your enclosure, stay away from the whole structure and call your power company.
Wiring inside the structure. Screen rooms and patio covers often have ceiling fans, lights, or outlets. If the structure is damaged, turn that circuit off at the breaker before the power comes back, and have a licensed electrician check it before you turn it on again.
Ladders. Falls from ladders are among the most common injuries emergency rooms see after a storm. A ladder leaned against a damaged frame doubles the risk.
Sharp edges. Torn aluminum and screen edges cut deep. If you have to be near the damage, wear gloves and closed-toe shoes.
What to do instead
Keep everyone away from the damaged section, especially kids and pets. Rope or tape it off if you need to.
Photograph it from a safe distance. Our post on not hauling your damaged enclosure to the curb covers what to capture.
Leave the cutting, straightening, and removal to a licensed contractor who can see what's holding what before anything comes apart.
Call a professional right away if the damaged section is pressing on your house or letting water in. That part shouldn't wait.
If a tree came down on the enclosure, you may need a tree service and an enclosure contractor, usually in that order.
"There's nothing back there worth getting hurt over. Screens and beams can be replaced." — Eric Vanheteren, Aluminum Building Systems
