glass slider very hard to open ??

[needstoknowmore]

this sliding glass door is very hard to open. i vacumed the track and then took a brush to it and vacumed again. This helped for a while but still wasnt enough. I have never had one this tuff. Its hard enough to open I am building muscle and worry about braking them when i visit others! The house was built in the 50's or there about. Most other doors in the house work fine other than being abused by kids, ugh. what can i do to fix it?
help and thank you

[tinknal]

First try the easy fix. Lubricate the track with wax or bar soap.

[grannygardner]

The rollers on the bottom probably need to be replaced. Once they're worn down, the doors are very hard to open.

[SirDude]

Originally Posted by grannygardner

The rollers on the bottom probably need to be replaced. Once they're worn down, the doors are very hard to open.

I second that, sounds like the rollers' bearings are shot and dropped the door down onto the track. Nothing too hard to replace.

Do you look like this?

[dave_p]

Hi, these doors are VERY heavy, so I don't know if you can do it alone. To get to the bottom rollers, position the door about half open and grab both sides and lift it out of the track, them carefully move the bottom out and down, so the top will clear the frame.Then with some help, move it outside and position it so the rollers can be inspected. clean them up if loaded with gunk from all those years. If they don't seem too bad after doing that, lubricate them and reverse the steps to get it back in.
hope this helps some. dp

[WhiteWillow]

I just had that problem. Sprayed WD40 along the track and now it is smooth as silk.

[needstoknowmore]

thanks every body
and it is very close to looking like the picture!!
knowing what the track looked like when I moved in i think i will try the taking it out and looking at rollers. but will get help for that, got some muscle but not willing to take on something so awkward and heavy, really dont want to hurt myself or break it.

[arabian knight]

No you should not have to Lift the door. There should be an access hole to get at the screw the adjust the roller Down so That Lifts the door up and is easier to move. At least that is the way mine 2 doors are like and so are my friends "patio doors"
The access hole should be on top of the bottom frame a hole where a philips screw driver will fit into. They are on both ends or close to the ends of the lower door frame.,

[Buffy in Dallas]

Thanks for bringing this up! I have the same problem. We have been trying to get the land lady to replace this door since we moved in 3 years ago. I can't open the door. I have to get hubby or one of the boys to do it. The track is in tatters, metal shards coming off, can't see through the glass for all the scratches. Dang slumlords!

[mamita]

after cleaning, spray some silicone along the tract. the rollers probably do need replaced, but we sure have had great results with the silicone. also works if a slider window is difficult to slide.

[davel745]

After years of opening and closing our sliders were very hard to use. Tried the cleaning method not to successful, worked for awhile.

I replaced the roller units (parts were available from Home Depot) but the new rollers ran rough.

Went to our local window and door replacement outfit and was going to price out new doors.

The salesman showed me a replacement rail that fits on to the bottom aluminum rails. Just pound it on with a rubber mallet. Very inexpensive. Wow

With the new rollers and the replacement tracks, we now have new sliders. That replacement rail was just the trick.

Best regards,

Dave

[Cabin Fever]

Check the manufacturer's website for troubleshooting tips.

For instance, we have sliding French Doors made by Marvin. This is what the Marvin Door Company provides for a sticky sliding door ==> http://www.marvin.com/default.aspx?p...OperatingPanel

[ronbre]

also the rollers can often be adjusted..also the frame may be a bit too tight..look for loose screws or fasteners and tighten them..all other above information good but no need to repeat it here

[Bearfootfarm]

The adjustment screws for mine are on each side at the bottom

It doesn't require removing the door to access them, although it might help to have someone lift some of the weight off while you adjust them

[where I want to]

With my old house, the slider was heavy too but I used a flat head screw driver to reach under the door and act like a lever to lift it up to where it could be take out of the track.
Once there was some string wrapped around the wheel and that is an easy fix.