Are there sliding glass doors in your house? If yes, then you want to know how convenient they are for your need. These doors allow lots of light to enter in the rooms with wider view of the outdoors. Apart from their added benefits, sliding glass doors seem to have a good number of problems such as inefficient energy, broken glass and stiff rollers.
Several reasons are there why homeowners decide to have sliding glass doors repaired or replaced and the process may vary. Sometimes, it can be only a matter of replacing some moving parts which are rollers and wear and tear over the years. But in other times, if the door is very old to repair, then you should replace it with a new door installation.
When you find any of these signs discussed below, it is already time to repair or replace your sliding glass doors, as part of your home maintenance schedule. Go through this post to know 7 reasons for sliding glass door repair or shop glass door replacement work.
1. Broken rollers
Sliding glass doors work smoothly with rollers that seem to be fixed on either side of door. But when there is some jam on the door or it becomes really stiff to move, it is possible the rollers have an obstruction and they may fail due to wear. This is true for metal rollers which get rust in due course. Rollers should be cleaned often to avoid further problems. Some common obstructions which occur are dirt, sticks and leaves. When you vacuum the floors, spend a few minutes to clean rollers with brush attachment and prevent any kind of debris from accumulating. While cleaning the rollers seem to be a suitable solution, it is best to replace them with new ones when there is a crack or bend on the rollers.
2. Misaligned door
When rollers support sliding door which are moving off the track, the entire door will shift out of alignment. This will make the doors really difficult to either open or close till the professional fixes the problem. The main cause happens with screws which seem to hold rollers against the track. These screws may get stripped or fall out in due course. The ultimate solution is to screw them back or replace with new rollers in such situations. In order to check whether sliding glass doors are in proper alignment, you may stand back and look at the door from outside. There should be uniform space between exterior wall and door along both the bottom and top of door. When the spacing seem to be off, the door will be misaligned and need to be replaced.
3. Bent the track
The tracks may bend inwards or outwards and stop door from working smoothly. These bent tracks may cause doors to jump off track when doors are open or close. It is possible to repair them with the help of a professional or you may do it by yourself with the right tools. It is possible to repair inward bend with vise grips or pliers for pulling the bend back in place. But outward curve needs a hammer, rubber mallet or a plier for pushing curve back in place.
4. Damaged glass
The glass in these sliding doors seem to be broken, chipped, foggy or cracked due to environmental causes and daily accidents. Even some scratches and minor cracks need to be addressed promptly as they have the probability to be bigger and lead glass to replace completely. If you need to replace glass in sliding doors, then you need to hire a professional for it. This can prevent any injuries which might occur to you when done by yourself. Try to work with a licensed glass repair company at the time of replacing glass in the sliding door.
5. Gaps in the door
When there is a gap between sliding door and framework, you lose money on energy bills. The heating and cooling system of your home becomes hard when there is air escape from outside. Old sliding doors are energy inefficient as they had been installed before the present standards and technology which makes energy efficiency almost possible. Gaps in the door can allow dirt and insects to enter your house easily. If you find it difficult to detect gaps, you can ask someone to stand outside at night and you can stand inside with a flashlight at the door. After you detect the gaps, you can plan accordingly to repair or replace your door.
6. Drafts
Even when you do not find any gaps in the door, you may still see drafts that cause you to spend more money for heating or cooling your house. Any temperature differences or drafts near the sliding door may prompt you for replacing them. You should not feel any heat radiation from the door in the summer months and burst of cold air when you walk by during the winter. Fixing drafts may save significant amount on the energy bills and improve comfort level in your house. By fixing drafts, you can save you somewhere from 10 to 20 percent on the energy bills in a year.
7. Difficulty in opening and closing
Various reasons are there why sliding doors may be difficult to operate. This can be due to poor installation, damage to rollers or problems with tracks. Whatever might be the case, it can be really annoying and even risky not to operate your door when you need it. So, the sliding door cannot serve as exit during emergency. Mostly, the right course of action is to replace door when the problem is the result of bad quality installation job or when it is time to repair the rollers.
Thus, repairing or replacing sliding glass door is among the most affordable projects for home improvement. When you invest in the improvements to sliding glass door or shop door glass repair, you can pay off for several years in the form of savings on energy bills. The glazing experts specialize in restoring door with replacement parts to maximize its efficiency and install new sliding glass door, when it is the need of the hour.
