Aluminium fly screens let you open a window on a hot evening without letting in mosquitoes, flies and moths. This guide explains how our roll-up fly screens work, which windows they fit, how to choose the right size, what they cost and how to look after them, so you can decide whether they are worth adding to your windows.
In this guide
Why fit aluminium fly screens?
South African summers are long, and most of us want the windows open from October to March. A screen on the opening sash keeps the breeze and stops the insects. These are the reasons customers add aluminium fly screens to their windows.
Fresh air without the insects
Mosquitoes are most active from dusk, exactly when you want to cool the house down. A screen on every opener in the bedrooms means you can sleep with the windows open. Malaria still occurs in parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal (see the National Institute for Communicable Diseases), and there keeping mosquitoes out of the house matters even more.
Out of sight when you do not need them
A roll-up screen does not sit in front of the glass all year. When you do not need it, the mesh rolls up into the head of the screen and the window looks and works as normal.
A frame that does not rust
The frame and screen sash are aluminium, the same material as the window itself. Aluminium is light and strong and does not rust, so aluminium fly screens last well in coastal air and on the Highveld.
Made to fit, nothing to cut
Each screen is made to the opener size of a Coetz™ window, so it arrives at the right size with no cutting or adjusting on site.
How our roll-up aluminium fly screens work
A roll-up fly screen has four parts. An aluminium outer frame is fixed around the opening sash, and an aluminium screen sash is joined at the corners with cleats. The insect mesh is held in with a spline gasket and rolls up into the head of the screen, and a pull handle lowers the screen and raises it again.
Our screens cover the opening sash only, not the whole window. The fixed panes do not open, so they do not need a screen. A single opener window needs one screen; a twin opener needs two.
Which windows can take a fly screen?
Roll-up fly screens are made for the windows that open on hinges: top hung and side hung windows and our casement windows with opening sashes. Every Coetz™ window that has opener sizes on its product page can take them, in the 30.5 mm Standard frame and in the Casement 34 frame.
Roll-up vs fixed aluminium fly screens
A fixed screen is simply a framed mesh panel clipped or screwed over the opening. It is cheap and works, but it stays in front of the glass all year, and it can get in the way when you want to reach the window handle or clean the glass. A roll-up screen rolls up out of sight when you do not need it, so you get the full view and can reach the handle, and the mesh is protected from sun and dust while it is rolled up.
Choosing the right size
Aluminium fly screens are sized by the opener, not by the overall window. The easiest way is to start on the window’s own product page in our aluminium windows range: tick Add roll-up fly screens to order them with the window, or use Buy the fly screens only if you already have the window. The right opener sizes are filled in for you.
If you are pricing a whole house, the online estimator adds fly screens to each window line, and the Whole project tab lets you tick them window by window.
What aluminium fly screens cost
Prices are per screen, excluding VAT, made to the opener size. Some common sizes:
- 450 × 600 mm: R1 159.00
- 600 × 600 mm: R1 324.45
- 600 × 900 mm: R1 655.36
- 600 × 1200 mm: R1 986.26
- 900 × 900 mm: R2 004.37
- 1200 × 900 mm: R2 353.38
A twin opener window needs two screens, so the price doubles. You can see every opener size and price on the roll-up fly screen page.
Fitting and care
Our windows and screens are supply only, so the screen is fitted by your installer, usually at the same time as the window. See our guide to choosing an aluminium window installer.
Looking after aluminium fly screens is simple. Brush or vacuum the mesh now and then, wipe the frame with mild soapy water, and keep the head of the screen free of dust and leaves. Guide the screen up with the handle rather than letting it spring back, and it will roll smoothly for years.
Planning other upgrades at the same time? Read about the benefits of double glazing, and look at our aluminium burglar bars, which are also made to the opener sizes of our windows.
Running a lodge or guest house near a national park? See our guide to fly screens for game lodges, and for the Lowveld, Kruger National Park fly screens.
Aluminium fly screens: frequently asked questions
Do aluminium fly screens cover the whole window?
No. Our roll-up screens cover the opening sash only. Fixed panes do not open, so they do not need a screen.
How many fly screens does my window need?
One per opener. A single opener window needs one screen, and a twin opener needs two.
Can I buy a fly screen without the window?
Yes. Use Buy the fly screens only on the window’s product page, or choose your opener size on the roll-up fly screen page.
Do fly screens fit Casement 34 windows?
Yes. Top hung windows in the Casement 34 frame have the same opener sizes, so the same roll-up screens fit.
Who fits the fly screens?
Your installer. Our windows and screens are supply only, and the screen ships with your order.
Coetz™, Unit 2, 84 Ridge Road, Laser Park, Johannesburg. Call 010 412 0062, WhatsApp 076 613 4418 or use our contact page.
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