Pvc & Aluminium sliding patio door repairs and more

Over time your sliding door will need some repairs and maintenance. Below are some of the main things that can go wrong with you PVC or Aluminium sliding patio door. A few simple tricks can keep your door working like new for many years to come.

If door is dragging along it can just mean the wheels are after dropping. If this is the case all you need do is readjust them. This is done at the bottom of the door sometimes there might be a PVC cap covering the hole of just remove the cap. In here you will find a screw. If you turn it clockwise you will increase the height of the sliding door and if you turn it anticlockwise it will lower the height of the door.

When adjusting the patio door wheels. Don't just adjust one and think you're done. First thing you do close over your door and than open it about 5mm just enough that your small finger will fit in. Now stand back and have a look at the gap in the door from top to bottom. It should be 5mm all the way up and down. If this is not the case you need to adjust the wheels more.
If the gap on the top of the door is bigger than that at the bottom than you need to increase the height of the wheel in the back. If the gap on the bottom of the sliding door is bigger than that at the top than you need to increase the height of the wheels in the front of the sliding door.

If the bearings in your patio door wheels are worn down than adjusting the height up and down will do you no good. It's time for new wheels.

To change a set of patio door wheels. You must first lift of the sliding part of the door. First have a look at the top of the moving part there may be what is called an anti lift block. This is to stop people taken of the door or to prevent it from jumping of the track. Open the door all the way back and you should than have access to the anti lift blocks. Remove them and your door should now lift off.
Once you have your door off you will now be able to see the wheels and the screws that hold them on. Just unscrew them and of comes your patio wheels. Than just put the new ones on in the same place. When you stand your door back in you will need to adjust the height of the wheels to make sure it is closing right against the seals.

A lot of people seem to think that by putting grease on the track will sort all there problems out. And for a small while it will seem to improve. But than dirt and small stones will stick to the grease and end up making things worst. So in short do not grease the metal track on the bottom of your sliding door. The best way to maintain your patio door wheels is to lift the door off and put some oil into the wheel bearings. You should only need to do this every few years.

This is one of the main things you should do with your sliding door, Just keep the track clean from any build up of dirt and grit because it will only end up in the bearing s of the wheels and wear them down a lot quicker. There is no need to grease it or anything just stop dirt building up.

Some of the very older sliding patio doors would not have the best security and can be forced open with a nail bar quite easy. If you are worried about security on your patio door. You can buy some extra locks for your door they don't cost a lot and are very easy to fit.

If you need to buy a new set of wheels it is best to take off one of the old one's first. This way you will know that you are able to take them off plus you can now see what type of sliding patio door wheels you have. There are some different heights available so just get the height closest to what you have and you can than adjust the rest to get it lined up when the door is standing back in.

If you are buying a new door. Here are a few tips as to what you should be getting
1 : type of wheels the door will have. Most new doors will now have four wheels instead of two. Make sure you get the four wheels
2 : Anti lift blocks make sure your door come's with them. These stop the door from jumping of the track and also help stop your door from been forced opened. All styles of sliding doors will have these, but some window and door fitters forget to fit them or just can't be bothered. So once you point it out about the anti lift block. The fitters will be told to make sure they don't forget as they know you will be checking for them.

3 : Check what type of lock will be fitted. and make sure it is an anti lift lock. This means it can not be forced open when forced upwards with a nail bar.

4 : There are now many different styles of Sliding patio doors from 3 part sliders and four part sliders. But they all work on the same principles so the same rules apply when buying a new one.

Above are a few of the main things to do with PVC & Aluminium Sliding Doors. If you have any tips or helpful hint just leave them in the comment box below. You may just save someone a lot of time and money if you do.