Pet access door

[Dragfluid]

The son that lives in the apartment has a yellow Lab and a cat. They spend more time in the shop with me (especially the Lab) than they do at home. But they like to go back and forth at times, and you know how that can go.
So I'm considering a pet door. Just leaving the door open isn't an option, as my son smokes and I do not and I don't like the smell. Don't waste your keystrokes suggesting telling him that he can't smoke. There's also the noise factor. His waking hours don't always jive with mine. The door is an insulated steel 36". The stinker is that it's a 6 panel. Unless they make ones specifically for a 6 panel, how would you be able to seal it up well enough? (without gobs of gook everywhere)

Anyone have any particular brand that is better than others? I only want to do this once.

 

[Jackfre]

I’m not familiar with all models of pet doors, but the one on the house and shop are cut into the adjoining wall rather than cutting the door. I just installed one in my daughters house and went through the door. It is not as strong and weakens the door.

 

[Dragfluid]

Unfortunately, there's no wall space that would be suitable for that.

 

[ambenz]

Take off the people door and put it on the side for when the pets are in heaven and you want the look back. GO BUY A inexpensive NEW DOOR and mount your pet door in it.

 

[dcg9381]

I have a 42" steel door in the shop, which has a "large" pet door. And a 36" door at the house with a pet door.

Both pet doors are by "petsafe" - they have plastic flaps with a magnet at the bottom. They can blow open in high wind. The real downside of these doors is that their security is just a plastic panel on the inside, held on by quick clips. I could easily kick through that panel and a moderately sized person can probably get inside.

I'm sure there is a way to mitigate this by somehow putting steel over that inside cover, but I haven't done it yet...

My point is, investigate the "security" of that pet door before you buy it. In my case, there is a 50/50 chance of meeting a big dog that doesn't like strangers, but we travel, I'll need to secure these doors.

That being said the reduction in workload by not having to let the dog in and out is substantial. Amazon and UPS aren't thrilled with my decision though.

 

[tez929rr]

I have a 42" steel door in the shop, which has a "large" pet door. And a 36" door at the house with a pet door.

Both pet doors are by "petsafe" - they have plastic flaps with a magnet at the bottom. They can blow open in high wind. The real downside of these doors is that their security is just a plastic panel on the inside, held on by quick clips. I could easily kick through that panel and a moderately sized person can probably get inside.

We have 5 petsafe doors. The older ones have a steel security panel, and the newer ones have the plastic panel. None of them is truly secure. Three of them are in shop steel doors. The truth is someone could force the doors without much more work than busting through the pet door. The newest two have plastic blocks tied together instead of the soft plastic flap and seem to seal a bit better.

 

[Dragfluid]

The insulated door was chosen for sound abatement, so replacing it with a cheap one isn't on the agenda.

This is a door between the shop and the apartment, so security isn't an issue.

Sounds like a lot of yes's for Petsafe. I suppose one can be sealed up on the 6 panel with a little effort.

 

[ddawg16]

The insulated door was chosen for sound abatement, so replacing it with a cheap one isn't on the agenda.

This is a door between the shop and the apartment, so security isn't an issue.

Sounds like a lot of yes's for Petsafe. I suppose one can be sealed up on the 6 panel with a little effort.

The moment you put the pet door in, you loose a lot of the sound abatement.

I have a dog door in my man door....my oldest son for now is using the second floor of our garage as his 'man cave'....hence, his dog stays up there with him....and when I'm in the garage, my black lab likes to hang out with me...so the dog door makes it easy for them to go back and forth to the yard.

This is the one I have...in fact, 2 of them. The other one is for the house....but I have it built into a wall.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074JL7N4P/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[CombatNinja]

1. Kick out son and cat, keep dog.
2. Turn apartment into dog cave/beer drinking facility.
3. Leave door open at all times.
4. Profit.

 

[Jagmandave]

This is Garage Journal for pete's sake!

Make one out of insulated 1/4" steel, add the auto/open close feature where your animals wear the little RF transmitter and it opens automatically when they approach. Add an automatic lock for when they move more than 3 feet away from the door.....

 

[Dragfluid]

@ Ninja and Dave.

 

[nadogail]

I would be most concerned with a possible loss of protection from cutting a hole in a fire rated door.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

The insulated door was chosen for sound abatement, so replacing it with a cheap one isn't on the agenda.

This is a door between the shop and the apartment, so security isn't an issue.

Sounds like a lot of yes's for Petsafe. I suppose one can be sealed up on the 6 panel with a little effort.

Any pet door you add will void the fire rating and pretty much eliminate any sound reduction the door offers. I'd get the cheap new door to install the pet door in.

Tommy

EDIT- I posted too soon. Both subjects were already addressed.

 

[HenryAZ]

Moore pet doors are the best we've ever found, for all types of applications, in door, in wall, etc.

 

[HalfTonTom]

This is a door between the shop and the apartment, so security isn't an issue.

"Apartment?" Um, is this not your property? If you're renting I'd strongly recommend NOT putting any holes in the landlord's door.

 

[CombatNinja]

The original post is a little confusing but I am taking it as the guy has a property. He has a shop with some kind of apartment tacked onto it/above it/whatever. Something like that.

 

[dfiler2]

My dad put a decent storm door on the shop and put the pet door in that. It works well even in cold weather and he just leaves the main door open when he is out there.

 

[rsanter]

How about a second door?
Go,get a solid core door from restore and make it nice.
Install on the other side of the jamb.
Put the pet door into it.
Then when the shop is in use you hold the shop door open and close the second door. When the shop is not in use then you open the second door and close the shop,door.


On the other hand, you know the pet door does not have to go in the center of the door? You can center it over one of the panels.....

 

[Dragfluid]

"Apartment?" Um, is this not your property? If you're renting I'd strongly recommend NOT putting any holes in the landlord's door.

Apartment in the shed. See build thread.

 

[Dragfluid]

How about a second door?
Go,get a solid core door from restore and make it nice.
Install on the other side of the jamb.
Put the pet door into it.
Then when the shop is in use you hold the shop door open and close the second door. When the shop is not in use then you open the second door and close the shop,door.


On the other hand, you know the pet door does not have to go in the center of the door? You can center it over one of the panels.....

The way things are configured, there is no room for the other door to stay open while another door is used. I know, I know, pics would be beneficial to understand. Just trust me on that one.

As far as where the pet door is located on the door, good point. Just measured a steel 36" 6 panel in the house here and it's 9" edge to edge of the panel, so you may have something there!

 

[73fxe]

Good idea for the storm door. I had one on My house door to the garage. In the summer I had another window to open to aide in air flow in the house.

 

[Plombob]

This is Garage Journal for pete's sake!

Make one out of insulated 1/4" steel, add the auto/open close feature where your animals wear the little RF transmitter and it opens automatically when they approach. Add an automatic lock for when they move more than 3 feet away from the door.....

Best idea yet!

My dad put a decent storm door on the shop and put the pet door in that. It works well even in cold weather and he just leaves the main door open when he is out there.

I like this a lot.


I had a dog door in my last house. It was a Johnson. Very well made. 10 years on, the plastic flaps degraded and needed replacement. When I tried to order replacements, Johnson was now owned by another company and they had discontinued the panels mine used. I bought the nearest size replacement, but I was going to have to make an adapter to accept the smaller door. I tried to find another door, but my old house had non-standard sized doors. Instead, I sold the house. It was easier than making a dog door adapter....

The lesson is, whatever you buy, make sure you can get replacement parts. Maybe buy a couple of flaps for the future.

One night a raccoon came through the door and attacked the kibble bag.


I wish I could have a dog door, but where I now live, the dog would get eaten if he was out on his own. A Bobcat lives nearby and Coyotes wander around.

 

[HenryAZ]

10 years on, the plastic flaps degraded and needed replacement. When I tried to order replacements, Johnson was now owned by another company and they had discontinued the panels mine used.

Besides the quality of the products, this is also one of the main reasons I recommended Moore Pet Doors. We've had our Behemoth size in the wall door for 20 years now, and ordered replacement panels on a couple of occasions (once just to have a spare set on hand). The plastic flaps (there are two on our model, for extra insulation) get dirty over time with the dogs going in and out all the time, so my wife likes to keep a cleaned set on hand to replace with. Our rabbits have even learned to use the door, once they are adult sized.

 

[boatshoes]

I put in a cheap door I didn't mind cutting a hole in. Centered the door over a panel, it was more solidly mounted that way. Bottom and sides sealed using the built-in gasket. Sealed the top with foam weatherstripping. The pet door I bought (Ruff Weather) has 2 flaps with magnetic bottoms. May be more difficult for a cat to push through unless they are determined.

The time I had to put a dog door in a metal door, I used an angle grinder with a cut wheel to do the cutout, after drilling the mounting holes.

Don't forget your PPE for pets if they're helping

 

[Spareparts]

A friend who is a builder, built their forever home in the country, his wife had cats and wanted a pet door, he cut the new door, installed the pet door, a few days later one of the cats presentated his wife who was sleeping peacefully a very large 3' rat snake. He replaced the door that evening.

 

[firebirdparts]

They have pretty broad flanges. It wouldn't look that stupid. As far as "sealing it up" I guess the smart move is not to try.

You wouldn't have very good sound deadening through the pet door but it's probably not a big deal.

 

[isb cornbinder]

My wife had a second door installed in the same opening as the original door. The pet door is installed in door two. When we are home, the original metal door is left open and the dog can access the pet door.

 

[Dragfluid]

OK, thanks for the input guys. I appreciate it.

 

[rharman]

We've used Hale Pet Doors and been happy. Great service when you call.

We had them do a custom magnet layout (extras) on the double flaps when our cat learned how the door worked. Didn't help though...

 

[rburke65]

I bought our pet door at HD. Functions very well...looks like ‘boatshoes’ posted photo. The cat has no problem using it. Dual flaps with magnets. Seals well. And yes, we have been presented in the house with a dead chipmunk, a Mallard duck, rabbits....but I’d do it again

 

[Dragfluid]

Thought that I'd give an update. Chose a Petsafe brand. $85. Easy to install and seals up on the door very well. Keeps the sound and the cig smoke out.
The dog got acclimated to it in one day. The cat after a couple. Since the apartment floor is 6" up from the shop floor, I made a step for them.

Thanks again for all the previous input!