DURING warm weather, traffic through patio doors increases and doors that stick or are difficult to slide become nuisances. Fortunately, most problems with sliding patio doors can be fixed relatively easily. Cleaning and lubricating the bottom track may be sufficient. Open the door and use a whisk broom to remove accumulated debris from the corners and ridges of the track that are exposed. If small holes have been drilled in the outside of the track to drain water, clear these with a piece of wire or an opened paper clip. Then vacuum the track to rid it completely of dirt. Next, wipe the track with a cloth dipped either in a solution of detergent and water, followed by clear water, or in mineral spirits. Wear rubber gloves when using mineral spirits and avoid inhaling the fumes. Afterward, lightly lubricate the rail - the protruding part of the track - by rubbing it with a waxy door lubricant or with a candle. Then close the door and repeat the process to clean and lubricate the remaining portion of the track.
If the door still does not slide smoothly, try adjusting the rollers. These are in the base of the door, and each can be raised or lowered by turning an adjusting screw accessible along the door's lower edge. On some doors, the adjusting screws are at the ends of the door; on others, the screws are installed along the inside face. First, determine whether the door rests squarely in the door frame. To do this, open the door so that there is a gap of about an inch between it and the vertical section of the frame next to it. If the door is mounted squarely, the edges that define the gap will be parallel. If the gap is wider at the top than at the bottom, retract the roller nearest the gap by turning its adjusting screw counterclockwise, using a screwdriver to do so. This will lower the door on that side, causing the top of the door to tilt toward the gap. Alternatively, extend the roller that is farthest from the gap by turning its adjusting screw clockwise. Doing so will raise the door on that side, causing the same tilting result.
You may have to adjust both screws if one has reached its limit. If the gap is wider at the bottom than at the top, reverse the procedure. When the door is positioned squarely, slide it again. If it feels tight, turn both adjusting screws counterclockwise to retract the rollers an equal amount until the door slides more smoothly. If the door wobbles or seems to drag along the bottom, raise it by equally turning both adjusting screws clockwise. Having a helper lift the door to take the weight off the rollers makes turning the adjusting screws easier. If a door is very difficult to slide, inspect beneath the base with a flashlight to check whether the rollers have slipped off the rail. If they have, retract the rollers fully and then lift the door while sliding it. This may set the door back on the rail; if it does not, remove the door and rehang it as described below. The rollers of doors that are difficult to slide also may need cleaning or replacing, or else the track may require repair.
Methods for removing sliding patio doors vary, and so do procedures for removing rollers. With many models, removing the door is done by sliding it toward the middle of the track, then lifting the door to push its top edge into the upper track as far as it will go. This raises the bottom edge of the door clear of the rail, allowing the door to be tilted from the bottom toward the inside of the house. The door can then be lowered to free it from the upper track. On other doors, removal is by detaching a strip of molding at the top of the door frame. Then the door can be tilted toward the inside from the top and lifted clear of the rail. To remove rollers from some doors, it is only necessary to loosen one or more obvious screws, including the adjusting screw. With others, however, the lower section of the door must be detached from the sides and the rollers slid out of openings in the ends. To do this, lay the door flat on a table or sawhorses and unfasten the screws joining the lower section of the door to the sides.
Then tap against the section with a hammer and wood block to separate it from the glass. The screws that fasten the lower section to the sides may also fasten the rollers. If not, the rollers may be fastened to the section by screws in the groove that fits over the glass. In both cases, after removing the screws, pry against the rollers with a screwdriver to slide them out of the section at each end. To clean rollers, soak them in kerosene, charcoal lighting fluid or mineral spirits. Use an old toothbrush to remove gummy deposits. Wear rubber gloves and work where there is plenty of ventilation. If any parts of a roller are damaged, obtain a replacement roller from the door manufacturer or from a window and door-repair company. After cleaning, dry the rollers and lubricate them lightly with silicone spray or household oil. Reinstallation of rollers and doors is by reversing the removal procedure. After rehanging a door, adjust the rollers until it slides smoothly. A crushed rail is the most common kind of track damage.
Sometimes a rail that is only slightly mishapen can be straightened with pliers or by placing a wooden block on one side of it and striking the other side with a hammer. In most cases, the best solution is to obtain a metal replacement rail that snaps into place over the damaged original one or after the latter has been pried off. Like rollers, replacement rails usually must be obtained from the door manufacturer, but sometimes they are available from window and door-repair companies.Many of today`s homes feature sliding glass doors. Although they open up the home to a world of light and pastoral beauty, they also can be a source of annoyance. Fortunately, it is easy to fix doors that stick or skip out of their tracks.All sliding doors in the home either hang from rollers that run in overhead tracks, as most closet doors and other light interior doors do, or they run on tracks along the bottom of the door, as patio doors and other heavy glass sliding doors do.Suspended doors usually have plastic or metal guides on the floor to keep the bottom of the door from swinging in and out.
If the guides are bent or knocked out of position, doors may bind, stick or rub against each other. Most guides have slots for making small sideways adjustments; sometimes the mounting screws loosen to cause the binding. Replace bent or broken floor guides; most lumberyards and many hardware stores carry them.Probably the most frequent cause of binding is rollers slipping out of their overhead track. Each door has two roller hangers, one near each end. Lifting up on the door and guiding the roller back into the track is usually a simple task, but it is seldom a permanent solution. The roller jumped out of the track for a reason and will probably continue to do so until the problem is eliminated. Sometimes one or more mounting screws work loose, letting the track sag or shift and leaving inadequate clearance between doors. Make sure all the screws are tight.If the track is bent or dented, the roller jumps out as it slides past. To check for this, slide both doors to one side, step inside and examine the track with a flashlight.
If it is bent, you should be able to straighten it with a pair of pliers and a hammer. At the same time, make sure the inside of the track is clean and unobstructed.Another frequent problem is broken rollers, which must be replaced, or an improperly adjusted roller bracket. Most have self-lubricating nylon wheels so oiling is not required, but it doesn`t hurt to spray on a powdered graphite lubricant.The best way to check for problems is to remove the door. First remove the floor guides (each is held down with one or two screws), then pull the bottom of the door toward you and lift up to take the door out of its track.Roller brackets have adjustments for raising or lowering them slightly. On some the entire bracket can be raised, on others only the roller is raised and the bracket stays in place.All roller units are designed to vary the height of the roller above the top of the door, enabling the installer to hang the door level even if the frame is slightly out of square or the track at the top is not exactly level.
It also enables the installer to compensate for minor irregularities in how the overhead track is mounted.If the adjustment screw on the bracket loosens, the door can sag slightly at one side, drag along the floor and make it difficult to slide. After removing the door, see if the original setting has changed or if any of the adjusting screws or bolts are loose. Before tightening screws or nuts, try to reset the bracket at its original position.If the adjustment has changed, marks or lighter spots will usually show the original setting. If you are not sure of the original setting, try to set the brackets so the door hangs level. In some cases you will have to experiment with various settings. Start out with both brackets at the same height.With bottom tracks, the most common problem is dirt, leaves or other debris in the tracks. Remove the debris with a stiff brush or screwdriver, then use a vacuum cleaner with a narrow nozzle.Another point to check on glass patio doors is the adjustment of the rollers set into the bottom edge.
In some models the rollers ride on a raised section of track in the center of the channel; in others the rollers ride on the bottom of the channel. They are made of self-lubricating vinyl that needs no oiling, but if they seem to be moving stiffly, spray them with a silicone lubricant or powdered graphite. Do not use oil.Improperly adjusted rollers may make the doors bind or roll open or shut by themselves. Such doors usually have a small screw on each edge, near the bottom, that enables you to adjust the roller height without taking the door out of the track. Turning one way raises it slightly; turning the other way lowers it.Aside from dirt in the track, the most common problem in this type of door is a bent track. Because most such tracks are metal, it is often possible to straighten the track with a hammer and a block of wood.For inward bends that tend to pinch the door, the block of wood is cut for a snug fit inside the track, then forced into the channel to bend the metal back to its original shape.