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Last Updated: , Created: Saturday, October 20th, 2001

The sliding patio door won't slide.

Stephanie from East York, Ontario keeps vacuuming her sliding glass door but it keeps jamming. She knows it has something to do with wheels in the bottom, but what to do?

First get someone with a good back to lift the door vertically up and swing it outdoors off of its tracks. Be careful, it is very heavy and delicate at the same time. If you need to get at an inner door, remove all the doors in the way first from the outside in. If it won't lift up, there are probably security spacers screwed to the track above the door, precicely to prevent a theif from lifting the door up. Locate and remove these spacers and the door should lift.

The first thing to check is the track itself. If it is badly worn or broken, the door may be fine but the track has to be replaced. If that looks fine, go on to the door.

In the first photo you see where the wheels come out. You will have to remove a screw holding the frame together, then remove a screw that holds the wheel in place. Then the wheel assembly will slide out. Check for a broken wheel or one that is rusted tight. The best replacement wheels will be obtained from the manufacturer of the door itself. If you can't find them, then all the renovation centres now have "generic" wheels. These are generally better than the wheels on cheap doors, and not as sturdy as wheels on expensive doors. They will however almost always fit as a replacement.

You will notice a long screw in the side. When the wheel assembly is in place, this screw is accessible from the side of the door. Driving this screw in will lift the door up, and pulling it out will drop the door. This way you can get the door high enough to run smoothly, and you can adjust the fit of the door to the door frame by raising or lowering one or both of the wheels.


Keywords: Doors, Wheels, Patio Doors, Sliding, Repair, Maintenance

Article 1379