How Often Should Pool Screens Be Replaced in Florida?
No mesh manufacturer publishes a service-life figure in years for any pool-cage screen product. What is actually documented is a warranty — a different thing — and only two exist for this category, covering different products.
Two different questions, and only one has a published answer.
Phifer, the largest manufacturer in this category, publishes no warranty duration at all for its 18x14 fiberglass insect screen, its 20x20 No-See-Um screen, PetScreen, or TuffScreen. The only Phifer warranty document that could be verified is the ten-year Exterior Sun Control warranty — and it explicitly covers SunTex solar screen, not insect mesh, and does not cover labour or fading.
What is actually documented
- Phifer SunTex 80 / 90 (solar screen) — 10-year warranty against changes in physical properties. Does not cover fading or labour.
- Super Screen (vinyl-coated polyester) — a published 10-Year Limited Warranty on both its 17/14 and 20/20 No-See-Um products. Full written terms were not located.
- Standard 18x14 fiberglass, 20x20 no-see-um, PetScreen, TuffScreen — no manufacturer warranty duration published for any of them.
Installer claims of “5–10 years” for fiberglass, or “20–50 years” for heavy-duty polyester mesh, could not be traced to a manufacturer document and are not repeated here. What drives the practical 7-to-10-year replacement window Central Florida contractors describe is ultraviolet exposure, not a published spec: inland Altamonte Springs sees an average maximum UV index around 7 from May through September, with no coastal breeze to moderate it, and sustained UV is what embrittles fiberglass mesh and degrades vinyl coating until a panel tears under thumb pressure.