Patio Door Help

[DonBo]

My sliding patio door is a real pain to open - close. Is there some way to make it slide easier? Some kind of adjustment I'm missing?

[jentz]

Depending on brand there a few different adjustments.Look on the bottom each side there may be screws to turn to raise and lower the rollers.Those are on better brands.Some have replacement rollers.Even the adjustable wear out and need replacement.

I'd start by removing the sliding side and take a look at the rollers.Adjustment screws normally are located on the stile side of the door.

I always found the brand name was hard to determine if the original owner didnt save the installation papers.Without that it gets real tough to find parts!

[Macgyver55]

Could be just dirt in the track and rollers, the rollers are worn out or the adjusters have backed off and the door is dragging on the track. Are you familiar with how to remove the door from the track? If so, lift it out, vacuum and/or clean out the track then spin the rollers to see if they are free or if they have seized up and gotten flat spots. I think they are fairly easy to find if they need replacing. If they look good and spin freely inspect the track for wear, give them a small shot of silicone lubricant, (not oil) and put it back in. On each side of the door near the bottom there should be a small hole with a screw head inside. Turning it clockwise (I believe) will raise the door on that side and turning the screw on the opposite side of the door will raise that side. Raise it if necessary to make sure it is not dragging on the frame then use the other side to make it square in the frame. Its important that the door be square in the frame and that it matches up with the stationary panel to insure proper latching. When everything is clean and straight it should glide freely.

[Fishinguy40]

Most common issue is cleaning the tracks. You'd be surprised how much easier it operates when they are clean.

Also, don't oil the rollers unless they really need it (if they're rusty). Oil just attracts more dirt.

[DonBo]

Okay, so looking at the screws at the bottom of door, there are two. Top one appears to screw directly into the door, the bottom one is inside a hole. The top screws out easily, but other than than doesn't appear to do anything. The one inside the hole, I'm assuming is the adjustment is very much stuck and not moving. Ideas?

[Macgyver55]

That would be the adjustment. It might be turned all the way up or down, or seized from rust. Did you try both directions? Try spraying some rust penetrant on it and wait a while, then try turning it both ways without forcing it too much. If you cant get it loose you may have to disassemble the frame to get it out and that gets a bit more involved. Possibly it would be easier to take the door out of the track and set it on its side to make working on it less awkward. See how it goes with the spray, hopefully you will get lucky.