With just a gentle push, sliding patio doors glide open, improving the lighting and ventilation in your home. This ease of operations forms a large part of sliding doors’ appeal, but at the same time, this advantage is also their biggest drawback, as the opening mechanism of these windows tends to malfunction.
Prestige Windows & Doors, your go-to company for windows and doors, lists the most common problems with sliding doors and elaborates on how you can address them.
Worn Down and Bent Tracks
Over time, it might get slightly more annoying to open your sliding doors. The friction from sliding doors’ rollers will cause the deterioration of the tracks over time. Past a certain point, the tracks start to produce a scraping sound.
It’s not uncommon for homeowners to have difficulty opening their sliding doors over time, as well. Bent tracks are usually behind this; inward bent tracks prevent the door from sliding all the way while outdoor track bents increase the likelihood of accidentally pulling the door away from the tracks. In such cases, you can straighten the tracks or get a new one to replace the worn-down tracks.
Dirty, Rusty or Broken Rollers
The tracks may not be the only reason you’re having trouble opening your sliding doors. The most likely cause is broken rollers, which you’ll have to replace. Other times, dirty rollers are the culprit. Dirt might have accumulated in the rollers’ gaps and joints, jamming the wheels. Storefront windows and doors are more likely to have this problem, due to the amount of foot traffic and the dirt and dust they usually bring.
Sliding doors that haven’t been frequently or properly maintained are usually the ones that suffer from rusty rollers. Without frequent lubrication, the metal oxidizes and forms rust, impeding your sliding doors’ movement.
Weak Locking Mechanisms
Older sliding doors and windows were notorious for their flimsy locking mechanisms. Luckily, you won’t have to deal with this problem nowadays. Advances in technology have improved the security of sliding windows and doors.
Reputable brands and large manufacturers went even further. Using proprietary technology usually only available to them, they improved sliding doors to the point where the problems aren’t as troublesome as they were years ago. These manufacturers also offer extensive warranties that can minimize the already decreased possibility of malfunctions.
Prestige Windows & Doors offers an expansive catalog of windows and doors from leading brands and manufacturers. From commercial storefront doors and windows to residential custom windows, our catalog has a wide variety of options. To get a free estimate, call (305) 250-2848 or fill out this form.