+- Woodnet Forums (https://forums.woodnet.net)
+-- Thread: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't (/showthread.php?tid=7378896)
Pages:
1
2
Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - crokett™ - 07-20-2025
or at least it's difficult.
I want to get the door out of the track, but I can't pick it up quite high enough to clear the bottom track. Looked at youtube. most of the videos show the adjustment holes on each edge of the door. I don't have that. There are 2 holes on mine along the bottom of the inside face. I assume those are the adjustment holes. I want to get the door out so I can inspect the rollers and clean/lube everything. What lube do I want? I want something that won't attract dirt.
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - MstrCarpenter - 07-20-2025
Those holes are supposed to line up with the adjustment cams. I can't tell you which way to turn them though. The two might even go opposite directions. Once you figure out how to lower the door as much as possible, you're supposed to be able to lift the wheels over the track and threshold trim. Sometimes a drywall knife helps. If you can't, then removing the fixed panel and top parting bead might be the next easiest option. By the way, if the top of the track is worn but not at the end(s), the bearings are probably shot so you're dragging the steel wheel housing on aluminum. Unless it's been used that way for a long time, new roller assemblies should fix the problem. If you Google "sliding door rollers" and choose images, you can find out who makes the right ones quickly.
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - crokett™ - 07-21-2025
Thanks. that's about what I thought. I found some labels on the doorframe and was able to track down the manufacturer. I ordered new rollers and will pull the door and replace them when the new rollers arrive.
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - jteneyck - 07-23-2025
The elevation screws for my Pella door are on the ends of the sliding panel. Not sure about the lock side, but definitely on the other end. Also, the wheels have to be aligned with a section of the track that has a small cutout in it in order to lift and pull the bottom of the door outwards.
Triflow is a great lubricant for things like this, but the rollers on my door were shot after 30 plus years and needed to be replaced. I got some replacements off Amazon for a fraction of the cost from Pella. It rolls as good as new now. It was not a very difficult job other than the door being really heavy. If you have to pull the door off, I would replace the rollers and be done with it.
John
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - crokett™ - 08-02-2025
Suggestions for getting the door out of the frame. It has rollers on the bottom edge and the adjustment screw holes are on the inside face of the door on the bottom. There are no adjustments to be made on the top of the door. I loosened them all the way and the rollers won't clear the frame. I -think- the problem is at least one of the rollers is bad and when the screw is loosened the roller tilts so one side is lower than the other. So it seems that I wil either have to figure out a way to keep that from happening or have two people, one lifting and one trying to pry the rollers.
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - Roly - 08-02-2025
(08-02-2025, 07:53 AM)crokett™ Wrote: Suggestions for getting the door out of the frame. It has rollers on the bottom edge and the adjustment screw holes are on the inside face of the door on the bottom. There are no adjustments to be made on the top of the door. I loosened them all the way and the rollers won't clear the frame. I -think- the problem is at least one of the rollers is bad and when the screw is loosened the roller tilts so one side is lower than the other. So it seems that I wil either have to figure out a way to keep that from happening or have two people, one lifting and one trying to pry the rollers.
Did you try lifting the door when they were retracted, I used a small pry bar to lift the door and a screwdriver to lift the roller to clear the track while pulling the door out enough to clear track. Roly
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - Dave Crow - 08-02-2025
Cut a hardwood board to the length of and slightly less than the width of the bottom of the door, trim the board so it will be slightly above the frame.
Open the door to its max, drop in the board and close the door on top of the board until you can pop it out.
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - MstrCarpenter - 08-02-2025
I had suggested some drywall knives. Ones you don't care if they get bent up. Try to work the knives from the edges of the door panel towards the center to get the wheels to roll on top; vs. attempting to get under the wheels from their sides. If you've got the wheels adjusted all the way up and still can't get the knives under the wheels while on top of the track, then the doors may not be designed to come out that way.
I've seen many different types of patio door frames, weatherstripping, and trim. I installed some Andersons that the panels are installed from the outside; starting with the inner active panel, followed by the fixed, which is then lifted so a spacer can be put under it on the threshold. There's no way the active panel can come out without doing the fixed first. Harvey a similar approach at one point also. I've done others where a small "L" bracket in the head jamb is the only thing that keeps the fixed panel from sliding out of the jamb pocket and there's only the plastic screen channel tapped into a groove to cover the gap at the top of that panel. A similar style has a full jamb filler (instead of that "L" bracket) and sometimes another in the threshold. All of these have some type of parting bead at the top which in my experience has been easily removable.
Then of course there's the type of frame that has a stop applied to the jamb (similar to western style dbl. hungs, but on the inside) and the casing is installed on that. Those require removal of the casing, which is why I'll try to get it out from the exterior first.
I hope my first suggestion works for you. It's the easiest! The only other suggestion is to make sure there is nothing at/on the top keeping the panel from raising higher. Good luck!
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - fixtureman - 08-03-2025
make sure there is no stop peice in the upper track to stop it from lifting up. my old door had one of those and when I tried the door would not lift high enough until I took that out
RE: Sliding Patio Door Doesn't - crokett™ - 08-03-2025
There's no stop piece or weather stripping that I can see in the top of the door. I don't think the fixed panel needs to be removed. The middle track doesn't look any lower than the inside track and there aren't any notches or areas I can see that it's obvious that the door comes out to the outside. I will try the drywall blade trick an/or something to pry the wheels later today. If that doesn't work I will call the company. They sent instructions on replacing the wheels but it was only the 2 pages on replacing the wheels and not the full document which I assume includes removing the door panel.