Question about sticking sliding patio doors:

Dear Glass Detective,

My Florida pool home has three sliding glass patio doors that face the pool. They are extremely difficult to open and close. I believe the bottom hardware or rollers need to be replaced. Who can I contact to rebuild my sliding doors? Are there contractors who specialize in this service? 

Frank W. 
Ocala, Fl. 

Answer to question about sticking sliding patio doors

Frank,

Thank you for contacting the Glass Detective with your concerns over how best to approach the repair of your patio doors. Believe it or not, this is a relatively common question and especially so in the spring of each year. Typically, when patio sliding doors become hard to operate it is because the rollers have jumped off the track, the track is dirty or something has gotten into it which is causing difficulty in operation, or the rollers have broken or become worn out.

In a perfect world, the rollers on these types of doors would be cleaned and lubricated every year, but patio doors are kind of heavy and it often takes two people to lift them off the track, clean and lubricate them and then get them back in place. If you can identify the original installer, I would suggest you contact them to service your patio doors. I suggest this because not only will they be familiar with the type of door you have, but they should also have the correct rollers for your patio door.

There are dozens of rollers available and your goal should be to get the right roller for your door. If this is not possible, get the name of a local (and reputable) glass shop and give them a call. Glass shops that do residential work should be quite familiar with patio door repairs and replacements. And good luck with your project!

-The Glass Detective