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Home Repair Windows Design Dilemma

My Options to Replace Sliding Door Rollers

7 months ago

Hi Guys,

Looking for some advice on what would be the easiest way to change rollers on my sliding door.

Situation:

Frame of my sliding door really sagged in the middle. It is so low at the middle that I can’t take out the door even if I put my current rollers to the lowest position. Even when I put rollers to lowest setting, I need almost one inch of more space in the middle for door to come off. I did try to move door all the way up and then slide out the bottom part after.

I also tried to remove side panels from the door itself, how they show on some Youtube videos. However I was unsuccessful and side panels won’t move no matter how hard I try to knock on them. They remain so in place that I think there are groves or rails that will only allow side panels to move up or down.

I am looking for other way of how I can remove the door from the frame so that I can remove/change rollers.

Please let me know your ideas.

Below are some pictures to give you better idea about my situation

Thank you for your help.

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Comments (8)

millworkman
7 months ago
If you are having that much issue it is time to replace the door and inspect the opening before putting in a new door. That is a pretty old aluminum door by all appearances.
irafikov
Original Author
7 months ago
last modified: 7 months ago
Thank you for your time to type out your reply, but my question was on what are my options to remove the door, not if i should buy a new door.

I am looking for solution that would be less damaging to door or frame so that I can still use it for some time. I am thining about cutting off one of the sides of top rail that holds door in place. After I will change rollers I would attach that side back somehow
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usually the doors just lift up and swing out of the bottom track to remove them. Take a look at the rollers and see what shape they're in. Is there a manufacturer's name on the door? check online and see if repalcement parts are available and what they cost. It should be visibly obvious if the frame is racked or otherwise distorted from settlement. Just curious, how do you know it's a $300/ 1.5 hour job if you don't know what the problem is? If you got a quote over the phone with only the information you provided here, the estimate likely includes time to determine the make of your door and look for a suitable replacement part. It might only take 1/2 hour to replace the rollers but could take a day plus to try to locate the correct part. Hope that helps.
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Depends on how old the door is and how much wear is on it. When looking at a new door keep in mind that you will get better energy efficiency with a new door, much less possibility of condensation, less air infiltration and better aesthetics. You will also get a 30% tax credit if the new door qualifies. Subtract the tax credit from the price of the door and then look at the difference in price between just replacing the glass as opposed to replacing the entire door.
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Is there anything else wrong with the door? Rollers can be fixed/serviced quite easily in many cases. As to your question about a 4' French door, I would be cautious about that. French doors are notoriously sensitive to operation and size. A 4' door, hanging out in space, hinged, and heavy (i.e. full glass) is a recipe for operational difficulty in my opinion. There are plenty of sliders that can be opened with a single finger's effort. I think you need to see one of those type doors and feel the operation on it to make and apt comparison and then decision.
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You are welcome. I'd use WoW if they were here (same area) for my own house LOL. Anyway, the sliding door is under-serviced no doubt. And it's been replaced a few times as well in the last 20 years. Basically, there is something going on where a lot of debris and water get into the track. I think the exposure directly to the outside and a lot of yard debris (leaves, dirt from the ditch that blows up in windy weather, etc). And that starts the downward decline. Perhaps the last install was bad. But we really want to do away with a slider completely this time and simply avoid having to keep cleaning the track and servicing it. Even with a new sliding door, the shoulder surgeries have left their arms weak and I think it's best to avoid that type of door going forward
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woodbutcher_ca
7 months ago
Hi, Maybe the frame is sagging. If you have a power drill, Get some fender washers that fit in the channel and Sheet rock screws about 1 1/2 long and start from each end and screw the fender washes up, Mabe it may do the trick and pull the channel up.

Good Luck Woodbutcher
AnnKH
7 months ago
'm not sure how to help you get the door out, but I would be concerned about the sagging frame. We had a similar issue - caused by a leak under the door, which seeped into the wall below. The door had to come out and the wall repaired. It was a pretty big job, but it would have been a lot worse if we hadn't fixed it when we did. And yes, we replaced the door.

I hope this isn't your problem with the door frame.
cat_ky
7 months ago
I would be more concerned as to why the door is sagging. Is there no header above it, and house is pressing down on the door (not a good thing at all), or is their rot underneath it, so the whole door is dipping downward. Even if you are not replacing the door, the repairs to get it all level, are more important than new rollers.
Jennz9b
7 months ago
Water leak?
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
7 months ago
+1 to previous comments. There are bigger issues here. Those penetrations in the wall above the door as well as the siding are indicative of a larger issue. Need to do some investigation here...and pronto.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
7 months ago
This job starts with unzipping that siding and checking the status of the header. The sag is worrisome.

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