Last Updated on April 5, 2024
These days, houses prefer using sliding doors in their homes to let more natural light in. Natural light helps in giving homes that airy feel. It also helps save energy because there is minimal need to use artificial lighting indoors.
So naturally, more and more homeowners are making the switch from regular doors to sliding doors. However, sliding doors need maintenance and cleaning to keep it from malfunctioning. That doesn’t mean just cleaning the glass. You also have to clean the heavy duty sliding door rollers so the sliding doors continue to slide smoothly.
Here are some signs that your sliding door rollers need cleaning:
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Visible Dirt and Debris on the Sliding Door’s Sill
Every week or so you should clean the glass of the sliding doors to keep them pristinely clean. But people often forget to look down and look at the sill to see if it is still clean. It is normal for sills to accumulate dirt from dust and some pebbles.
So when you look and down and see dirt on the sill, you should clean it too to prevent the sliding door rollers from getting damaged. You can clean the sill by using a vacuum.
First, open the sliding door and use the vacuum to clean the tracks. Spray it with water mixed with detergent and wipe it dry. Next, close the sliding door and proceed to clean the other side of the track with the stationary part of the sliding door in the same manner.
Do not use oil if the sliding door rollers are made of nylon. It will only trap more dirt because of the oil and it can also cause damage to the rollers.
The Sliding Door Doesn’t Slide Smoothly
When your sliding doors don’t slide smoothly anymore, and you have cleaned the tracks but it still isn’t working well, then the roller of your sliding door is probably in need of cleaning.
To do this, you have to remove the stationary glass and sliding glass door. Check the rollers to see if they’re not broken or if debris has got stuck. If the rollers are not broken, then you can simply clean it using warm water and soap to wipe it.
On the other hand, you might need to get new sliding door rollers if you notice that they are broken or have developed rust.
Once you have fixed that, you can now install the sliding door first and use a latch to adjust it just right. After that, you now install the stationary glass door in place.
Always try to provide timely solutions for your sliding door problems to prevent complications and more issues. If you cannot solve the problem with do-it-yourself solutions, always ask for a professional’s help.
The Sliding Door Gets Stuck Often
When your sliding door gets stuck often, you should do the same thing as you do when your sliding doors won’t slide smoothly.
Detach the sliding doors and check for debris or other signs of damage. If there are no problems with rollers, then you should check for other problems. The tracks, for example, might be the culprit for the issue.
If you have no idea how to proceed, then you can call professionals to help with the problem. Their extensive knowledge and experience can help in identifying the problem and proving solutions with the issue at hand.
Conclusion:
Sliding doors are low maintenance as long as they are kept clean – not just the glass, but the tracks and sill as well. Sliding door rollers are also mostly made of nylon so if you ever hear someone advise you to use oil to lubricate the tracks for smoother slide, do not believe it. Keeping the tracks clean is the only way your sliding door slides smoothly.
These types of doors are also bound to be damaged and replaced because of wear and tear. So as time passes, the rollers become dry and they may start to crack. So it is not unusual to have to replace them every few months. But you don’t have to worry. Sliding door rollers are easy to find and replace.
If you are experiencing other problems with your sliding door, like they keep sliding off the tracks or they won’t fully close anymore, then don’t wait too long before calling professionals to solve the issue.
Leaving the problem for long without a solution will only make the matter worse or you may end up with more problems stemming from just one problem.