Aire
Read this guide thoroughly before beginning. Find your configuration on the next panel and follow only the steps that apply.
Which install path is yours?
Find your configuration. Use only the panels listed for your install — skip the others.
| Configuration | Panels to follow |
|---|---|
| Inside-mount Single or DL |
4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Skip 5 and 7 |
| Inside-mount DC |
4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Skip 5 |
| Face-mount Single or DL |
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Skip 7 |
| Face-mount DC |
All panels |
What's in the box
Confirm before beginning. Contact your dealer if anything is missing.
DC kits include a center stop and additional anchor plates. Face-mount kits include extrusions, corner keys, and self-drilling screws.
Tools required
Anchoring screws supplied are sized for typical wood-framed openings. Match the bit to your screw size if substituting your own fasteners.
- ✓ Drill with 3/16" bit
- ✓ Phillips bit #2
- ✓ Pencil
- ✓ Level — face-mount installs
- ✓ Cleaning cloth with degreaser or alcohol-based cleaner
Before you start
Use fasteners appropriate for your wall material. Supplied screws are sized for typical wood-framed openings — use substrate-appropriate fasteners if your opening differs.
The sill installation surface must be clean and dry. See Panel 10.
Build the frame in place
The face-mount frame goes up first. Everything else installs onto it.
4-sided: same procedure with a bottom extrusion added. Used when no floor exists for the sill.
Install the top track
The top track has been cut to your opening width at the factory. Dry-fit before fastening; if the top track is too long, measure precisely and trim with a chop saw.
Install the center stop
For dual-central configurations, the center stop sets the meeting point for both pull-bars in the middle of the top track.
Two jambs, two roles
Before you install your jambs, understand which is which. The roles are determined by what's inside each jamb — not by which side they go on. You choose which side gets which role.
DC: both jambs are base jambs. There is no magnet jamb on DC — both get anchor plates.
Install both jambs
Repeat each step for both jambs. Order between them does not matter.
Direction the screen operates depends on which side gets the magnet jamb. Left-to-right: magnet on right. Right-to-left: magnet on left.
Install the sill
The sill adheres to the floor surface. The adhesive will not bond to a contaminated surface — clean before placement.
If cold, warm the sill to room temperature before installing. The sill can also be screwed down with countersunk flat-head screws if adhesive is not appropriate. 4-sided face-mount: sill goes on top of the bottom face-mount extrusion.
Insert the cartridge
The cartridge is the heart of the system. Be careful not to bend the steel band when inserting it into the top track.
DC: repeat with the second cartridge on the opposite side.
Install the handle
The handle inserts into a groove in the pull-bar and locks with a quarter turn.
Test
Extend and retract the screen several times.
If any of the above is not true, see Panel 14 — Quick checks, or refer to the Aire Service & Adjustments document.
If something doesn't seem right
| Symptom | First check |
|---|---|
| Screen does not fully extend | Cycle the screen open and closed several times. Para-strings can become loosely tangled in shipping; cycling typically frees them. |
| Screen does not fully retract | Horizontal tensioning strings may be too loose. See Service & Adjustments for tension procedure. |
| Pull bar doesn't reach the magnet jamb | Confirm opening width matches the system. The cartridge is built ½" wider than the opening; the gap should close fully. |
| Cartridge doesn't click into the base jamb | Anchor plates may not be aligned. Remove cartridge, confirm anchor plates are evenly spaced along the jamb's center ridge. |
| Screen runs roughly | Debris in the sill chain. Vacuum the chain track. Also check if tensioning strings are over-tightened. |
| Pull bar is not parallel with the jamb | See Service & Adjustments — Parallelism procedure. |
| Chain has come off the sill | By design — the chain releases when the screen is hit. Simply place the chain back on the bottom guide. |
If issues persist after these checks, contact ben@element13designs.com.
Care
The single most important habit:
Close the screen when not in use. If the door or window behind it is closed, the screen does not need to be deployed.
Support
For adjustments and detailed care, see the Aire Service & Adjustments document.
1.424.291.2007
210 Penn Street
El Segundo, CA 90245