If you are facing the stickiness of a door, especially the sliding one, it is a clear indication that it needs some maintenance. It usually happens when the tracks are dirty. So, if you are not concerned about the cleanliness of your patio or a glass door that slides, you may end up with inconvenience of a bigger fix due to a sliding door that sticks.
However, the good news is that you can easily solve this problem in a few simple and basic steps.
- Detach the patio/ Fix A Sliding Glass Door.
- Wash the parts of the sliding glass door.
- The solution of soap and hot water helps clean the tracks. Use it.
- Carefully observe and inspect rollers and see whether or not they are damaged.
- Make sure to use lubricant like WD-40 on the tracks.
- Now proceed with the reinstallation of the sliding glass door.
Consider the right adjustment of the door components to get the glass door aligned with the tracks.
These above steps can save you from having to deal with glass door replacement and prevent further damage to your door.
What Are Some Uncommon Causes Of Door Stickiness?
Although the major cause of the stickiness of glass doors is dust and outdoor debris. this is not the only reason behind this rigid behavior of your door.
Here are some more reasons.
- Sometimes careless usage of your door causes slackness which results in the door coming off the track.
- If the door is too old, then even if you are careful about its cleanliness, it will stick. Door replacement is the only option in this case because your old door has undergone years of wear and tear and cannot provide smooth operation
Why It Is Important To Keep Your Sliding Door From Sticking?
Using a sticky sliding door requires excessive force. As we know that sliding doors are usually fragile and can be easily dented, you can end up in the situation where you have to replace the whole door.
To avoid this, you should immediately look for solutions. Here are the pure DIY techniques that you can use to clean the difference in the track and adjust the rollers.
So let’s get started and see what’s a catch.
How To Detach and Remove a Sliding Glass Door?
- Both door’s sides contain the special screw covers for adjustment purposes. If you are facing difficulty in finding the most likely towards the bottom and you will see them. These are the screw covers, unscrew them. Ask someone to grip the sliding gate/door until you complete this process.
- Rollers are used to keep your door in a place and they are the major areas that hold it.
The most important step in removing a sliding glass door is to remove the rollers using a screwdriver. Screwdrivers will help you in simple adjustment that will move your rollers in opposite directions, making it easy for you to detach the gate.
- As you need helping hands for this purpose, it is important to let the other person slowly tilt the side of the gate towards you.
- Cooperate with the helper to detach the door gradually, and you are done with the removal process.
Cleaning A Sliding Glass Door
The main purpose behind the removal of the glass door is to remove the frictional issues.
Here’s how you can clean a glass door track.
- Look for the debris in the inner regions like tracks that are easy to remove. All you need to do is to remove this visible debris that can detach quickly.
- After cleaning the track using the vacuum, it is time to proceed with the scrubbing process. It is the process in which you make a warm solution of water and soap.
Apply this solution to scrub and thoroughly wash the components including tracks using a stiff brush.
- Applied this technique to clean the edges of the door as well.
- Now let the track air-dry. You can also use a clean rug to speed up the cleaning process.
Lubricating a sliding glass door track
The next step is to remove friction from the door.
And yes, “It Depends”. Because the material of the tracks in your door determines which material should be used for lubrication purposes. For example, wooden tracks require hard wax (bee wax or cotton wax) as a lubricant.
Various lubricants are readily available in the markets and online stores depending upon the type of rail used in the formation of tracks.
The pro tip?
Never the mistake of using greasy and oily lubricants. The biggest disadvantage of using oil-based lubricants is that they later become sticky, which will lead to difficulty in opening the sliding glass door again.
All you need to do is to use the oil-free lubricant for your door’s tracks and apply it gently on the gate.
How To Proceed With The Reinstallation?
After cleaning and lubricating the tracks as well as the rollers, the next step is to reinstall the gate or a door. Make sure to closely and carefully analyze the rollers. Sometimes, they need replacement instead of cleaning and lubrication.
If you want to know whether or not you should detach all rollers, replace them with new ones, here is the simple solution. Ask the Home Inspector to detach rollers, take them to a nearby hardware store and ask for the shopkeeper’s recommendation.
Now you have clear information about whether or not you should replace the rollers it is time to proceed with the reinstallation.
- Just as you took the help of someone in your family to remove the door, the reverse process also requires a friend or a fellow who can provide a helping hand.
- After the successful installation of your door with the help of your friend, you should check out how to tighten the rollers. A screwdriver can greatly help you in the proper adjustment of the rollers.
If you put a lot of force in tightening the rollers, it will harm the sliding ability of the door. It is extremely important because any wrong tightening can lead to conditions where your door will not slide well.
- Set the rollers to an extent where they get in touch with the track. You will see that the door also slides perfectly well.
- Installed the door? Congrats! Well, now it is time to check if the door is sliding without stickiness or not. Sliding a door a few times will give you a clear idea about the quality of work you did.
How To Keep Your Sliding Door From Sticking?
Normally the sliding doors are easy to use and do not stick. However, with the accumulation of dust and dirt on the tracks and the rollers, they can create a big mess. Their stickiness is a clear indication that you have been ignoring their cleanliness and overall maintenance for a long time.
Focusing on the above-mentioned tips will keep you at maximum ease. In this way, you also learn the cleanliness techniques and their importance.
Final Verdict
Have you ever tried to fix a glass door that sticks? It may seem a bit of a confusing task but it’s not. Proceeding with fixing the issues of your glass door is a cost-effective idea.
If you have a shuttered sliding glass door and you need glass replacement service, you can call us today to schedule a glass door repair and replacement services!
Call Advanced Window & Glass Repair at 571-351-3692 to replace glass in your sliding door.
