Sliding Door Repairs

We can all agree with the fact that glass doors can be one of the most attractive and fascinating features of the house. They make a massive difference in a house’s interior. This is why interior designers all over the world prefer at least one to two glass doors in every home. Not only do they enhance the outlook, but they also allow the sunlight to enter into the house, saving a lot on electricity bills. Glass doors are also an optimal utilization of the space available; they do not need extra space at all. There are different types of glass doors that you can install based on your preference and the house's theme, for example, French glass doors, hinged single doors, sliding doors, and bi-fold doors. 

What Are Sliding Doors?
Sliding glass doors, also known as gliding patio doors, are generally more efficient compared to regular doors. They can be opened and closed smoothly, and require little effort as compared to the other types of glass doors. Sliding glass doors were considered quite unsafe in the past due to the lack of safety glass. But this has changed with modern advancements in glass manufacturing. Nowadays, people install sliding glass doors with shatterproof safety glass. The safety and security of the house also ease concerns for a person who wishes to get a sliding glass door.

Since these doors are composed of glass, they are perceived to be delicate, non-secure, and risky. As a result, sliding glass doors are now designed with a locking mechanism and aluminum seals. The transparency of glass doors is also a concern for others. The solution for which is a double-leaf or etched glass door panel. There are quite a lot of business buildings out there that use automatic sliding doors for the entrance. Some hospitals also use automatic sliding doors for ICUs.

Although the idea and installation of a sliding glass door seem ideal, no household item works well for years without the proper maintenance, or sometimes, may malfunction even with the maintenance. Like all other doors, sliding glass doors also have their problems. Some of these problems are just minor inconveniences and require small repairs or replacements of specific moving parts. Other problems might require the owner to replace the glass sliding door with a brand new one if the existing door is too old to be fixed or repaired.

What Are Some Common Glass Door Problems and Their Solutions?
Some of the common problems that occur in sliding glass doors as well as their solutions are as follows:

1. Broken or Cracked Glass:
A sliding door glass requires special maintenance because its mechanism requires the glass to slide in and out multiple times a day. This can cause scratches on the door and other problems such as cracks or fog on the glass. Even small cracks on a glass door need to be taken care of immediately. If not, they can increase in size, which can be riskier.

The owner needs to avoid the cracks and handle the door with care in the meantime. However, if the glass breaks, the owner needs to remove the existing glass and replace it with a new one after cleaning the glass's shards from the seal.

2. Door Gaps and Drafts:
If there is a gap in your sliding door, then the air is escaping from your house. It is a bit unlikely for a person to notice a door gap, especially if it is at the bottom of the door. But if your heating and cooling system probably does not seem to work as it used to before, then a potential culprit to faulty airflow may be a gap in your glass door that lets the air escape.

There is no need for a professional in such a situation as this problem is a minor inconvenience and can be fixed at home with ease. The owner can use weatherstripping or caulk to seal the gap. Another alternative is a steel or aluminum threshold installation to fix the gap problem regarding sliding glass doors.

Any drafts or temperature changes in the area of your sliding glass door should lead you to repair them. For example, you should not feel cold air when you're walking by the door in the winters, and you should not feel the heat radiating from the door in summers.

3. Bent Tracks:
If you are having difficulty sliding your glass door smoothly like you used to, then there is a fair chance of a bent track in your sliding glass door. A bent track causes the owner to use more of his effort and energy to move the door over it, and it also causes the door to get stuck halfway repeatedly. Sometimes, outward bent tracks also can lead the person to pull the door to jump right off the track.

These problems, however, can also be fixed at home. For a problem such as an inward bend, you should use pliers and gently pull the track back to its place. But an outward bend needs to be handled with extra care. It would help if you placed a rubber mallet, put it against the track, and carefully push the track with a hammer to put it back into its place.

4. Rollers:
The most essential part of a sliding glass door is the pair of rollers underneath it. The rollers are pretty much the whole basis behind the smooth sliding of a glass door, and they are the bearers of all the credit that makes sliding doors so popular. The rollers can get rusty, dirty or they can be broken.

Unfortunately, everything comes at a price, but some things just cost more. Similarly, repairing broken or rusted rollers is not easy. To do so, you will have to remove the stationary and the sliding door and replace the old rollers with new ones. However, if you have dirty rollers, you have to attach the thin nozzle onto your vacuum cleaner and clean out any major dirt.

5. Misalignment:
The rollers moving off the track can cause a misalignment in a sliding glass door. The reason for such a situation can be the screws that happen to hold the rollers against the track. They either fall out, or they become stripped.

In a situation like this, you either have to screw them back in or replace the existing screws with new ones.

6. Difficulty in operating:
There can be many reasons why you are facing difficulty in operating your sliding glass door. Most of the reasons for this are listed above. But there can be another reason why you are facing such a problem, which is the poor installation of the door, problematic tracks or rollers. This can also be highly dangerous in the sense that you are not able to open your sliding glass door in the time of emergency.

Our Additional Tips For Maintaining Your Sliding Doors
The best way to ensure that everything is right about your sliding glass door is by checking its parts. Listed below are some additional tips that will help you out in the long run if you have sliding glass doors in your house.

1. The Track:
The first thing coming into your mind when you face difficulty operating your door should be the track. The track of a sliding glass door is known to be the most sensitive part, and it can easily be bent or out of alignment. So you must look for problems in the track first before making efforts for repair.

2. The Frame:
The door frame can bend just as quickly as the track. This can occur because the frame tends to weaken with time. However, it also depends on the quality of the frame used.

3. The Handle:
You must check for any jiggling movements from the handle, and you must check very carefully. The handle of a glass door is a very delicate part, and applying much force such as an immediate push or a pull, might cause the glass to shatter into pieces.

4. The Lock:
You must have the door installed in such a way that prevents its lock from sticking. Locks stick after being used for a long period of time. They get old and often break due to the way they’re made. Prevention of the door lock from sticking can help your door work much smoother and better. Remembering to repair the lock is also an essential part of ensuring the safety of the house.

5. Double-Leaf Glass Door:
If you are a person who hesitates in using sliding glass doors because their transparency bothers you and you prefer privacy over anything else, then double-leaf sliding glass doors might be your answer.

To sum it all up, sliding glass doors can improve the interior as well as the exterior of your house. They can give you a taste of the modern lifestyle and a different experience. After all, what’s wrong with being a little different, right?

How much does a sliding door repair cost?
The average cost of sliding door repair depends mainly on the problem, but usually, it can range between $100 to $450. If the problem is not a big deal like getting the rollers aligned, then expect a low-end budget of that range. Similarly, if the problem is something complicated, then expect to pay the high-end budget of that range.