Thanks Handymac!

I will consider what you suggest.

Like you said, the screws showing outside the door could be a problem. Given that I have a very expensive thing, I need to come up with a way of making it look nice.

Thanks again!

SG

Hi, They make a bolt and nut that may do the deal. I just can' t remember what they're called the bolt is standard but the nut is a "female" bolt one screws into the other. That would give you a nice finished look. You can Find them in the hardware section at a big box store.
Good Luck woodbutcher

Remove at least one sample of each screw size and take them to a real hardware store (not a big box).
Purchase one size larger of the same length and type.
The screws should be either stainless or aluminum.

Another option is to just use pop-rivets and mount the closer permanently. You can still drill the rivets out if you need to, but it is more work than just turning a screw.

Thanks Woodbutcher_ca, Brickeyee & Handymac for all of your expert advice!

I am hopeful that one of the suggestions is going to fix my problem!

I am not happy with either Anderson Doors, or Home Depot. After much time and effort, I finally talked to someone at Anderson corporate office who informed me that the installer for HD should be responsible for the door (the holes were drilled to large). HD only warrants work for a year, I've had the door for five.

I have noticed that the bottom hydraulic mechanism is attached to a copper plate. I don't know if this makes a difference or not, but at this time it is fine. In any case, I have a very expensive storm door that no one wants to take responsibility for.

Thanks again for all of your expert advice! Come over to the gardening or home thread and visit us sometime!

SG

"the installer for HD should be responsible for the door (the holes were drilled to large"

There's no way the Andersen rep can determine this from what you tell him over the phone. He's not looking at the circumstance and diagnosing based on the facts; rather, he's starting with the conclusion (it's not our fault) and suggesting a possible explanation that supports his forgone conclusion. He's simply brushing you off, not informing you.

If you have an electric drill and some standard twist drill bits, I think you'll be surprised at how easy it will be to enlarge the holes on the mounting plates to accommodate the next larger screw size.

"...enlarge the holes on the mounting plates to accommodate the next larger screw size."

Try running in the next larger self tapping screw before drilling anything larger.

Thanks again everyone for your expert advice!

I purchased aluminium screws from a local store and they did the trick!

As for my experience with Anderson Doors and Windows. This has definitely NOT been a pleasant experience. Because I thought (until I got help from here) that I was going to need to call a handyman to fix the thing, yesterday I tried to go up the corporate ladder. Not an easy thing to do with this company if you are simply not getting anywhere with who you are dealing with. After wasting time with customer service, I informed them that I wanted the corporate office number along with the name of the president. No one there would give it to me.

I found it on their web site, only to have the person there I talked to bounce it back to HD. NOTHING *&^%es me off more that having customer service tell me that they are the only one that can handle the situation and refuse to give me the name of a corporate office etc.

I will draft a letter soon to Anderson, giving all of the names that I talked to.

Thanks again!!!

SG

Some hardware stores sell something like a poptivet with threads. It goes through the hole in the aluminum frame and is ’squeezed’ to lock it in place then a threaded screw can be used to secure the closer

They make a bolt and nut that may do the deal. I just can' t remember what they're called the bolt is standard but the nut is a "female" bolt one screws into the other.

Some hardware stores sell something like a poptivet with threads. It goes through the hole in the aluminum frame and is ’squeezed’ to lock it in place then a threaded screw can be used to secure the closer

I realize that this is an old thread but, for anyone who digs this out of the past....

The fasteners referred to in the two quotes above have many names: Often called Chicago Screws, Binder Bolts, sex bolts, barrel bolts, post and screw...to name a few.

They are nifty fasters. Come in lots of sizes, can add extension posts to them. Available in a lot of different materials like plastic, steel, brass, copper. In the past, they were used to hold ledger pages in a ledger. Popular with leather crafters, knife makers (to hold the handles on knives, crafters, especially those who make books...

I just used them to fasten lattice to a metal trellis frame--which is what led me to scrambling for a name for them. For a semi-permanent installation, it is a good idea to use a bit of Lock-Tite on the threads when you assemble.