Entryway Mod

[Ronbrink]

First of all, credit to the Oliver owner that shared the installation of these on his screen door, great idea and product recommendation! I finally got around to adding a push bar to our screen door for ease in exiting and closing, and also resolved an ingress problem, as well. Although both installations offer support, my decision to mount one on the closet door as a grab handle when entering to help pull one’s self up and in, proved especially beneficial! Also, each can be used as a towel or clothing rack. Respective modifications were made for custom fitment, here’s a look at the final outcome:

Edited Saturday at 09:24 AM by Ronbrink

[Roger]

@Ronbrink how did you reinforce the handle on the closet to take a person's weight?

[Ronbrink]

55 minutes ago, Roger said:

@Ronbrink how did you reinforce the handle on the closet to take a person's weight?

Definitely not strong enough to do pull ups! I first considered thru-bolts, but instead decided the heaviest and longest coarse thread SS screws would suffice. The door is thicker on the hinge side where 3/4” screws were used, 5/8” screws on the other side. Most of the force is lateral rather than vertical, and the screws are tightly set in the door’s outer fiberglass shell. Given the applied force, I have no concerns whatsoever! However, if ever the need for better reinforcement then said bolts will be used. 

[Ronbrink]

I should mention that the two bars were staggered to enable the closet door to be opened as much as possible and positioned as to not interfere with the closet door latch. Here’a a couple of pics:

[topgun2]

Nice mod - I never thought about putting a bar on the closet door.

Another thing that should be mentioned - 

The bar on the screen door is great for catching the entire door assembly in the event that the wind catches it.  However, no matter how it is attached to the screen door the fact remains that the screen door itself is made from rather light weight aluminum.  Anyone that places a bunch of weight on that door risks either the catch bar being ripped out of the mounting screws or brackets or (worse yet) the door frame becoming bent.  

I always try to tell people that are unfamiliar with this issue to please use the Oliver installed grab bars if they feel they need the extra support while entering/exiting the Ollie.

Bill

[Ronbrink]

21 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Nice mod - I never thought about putting a bar on the closet door.

Another thing that should be mentioned - 

The bar on the screen door is great for catching the entire door assembly in the event that the wind catches it.  However, no matter how it is attached to the screen door the fact remains that the screen door itself is made from rather light weight aluminum.  Anyone that places a bunch of weight on that door risks either the catch bar being ripped out of the mounting screws or brackets or (worse yet) the door frame becoming bent.  

I always try to tell people that are unfamiliar with this issue to please use the Oliver installed grab bars if they feel they need the extra support while entering/exiting the Ollie.

Bill

Excellent points! I find the installed screen door crossbar most useful when opening and closing the combined door assembly; ease in pushing open from within rather than having hand on the actual door handle, and ease in closing for the same reason. It is definitely not designed for weight-bearing, but rather balance assist upon egress and ingress. On the other hand the installed closet door bar is solidly mounted, very sturdy, within easy reach and thus, provides a second grab bar, especially when entering. Previously I would reach out to the bath door frame and/or the counter edge at the microwave for that extra pull up and into. My wife however, being shorter and weaker always struggled upon entry and now, we both find this a viable solution for an easier and safer entry. When positioning the closet door grab bar, I made certain she approved the height more to her benefit than mine; she was elated with the outcome, especially since she has a bad shoulder. Happy wife ……..!