Sliding Door Repairs
Most sliding doors are made from either Aluminium or PVC. They are robust and usually give many years of service before they give trouble, with many doors working perfectly for 25 years or more. Traditionally the sliding patio doors fitted to the front of the house, as a porch infill, were single glazed. This meant that they were less heavy and so caused less wear and tear on the wheels, rollers and patio tracks. Sliding patio doors fitted to the back of the house are usually much larger as they often are in place of a window. Back doors are usually double glazed and this too adds weight, which is why it is often the rollers on the back patio door that wear out first, despite the front sliding door being used far more frequently.
Ageing doors
Over time the bearings in the wheels underneath your door wear out. This can make the door difficult to slide back and forth. It is important to replace the rollers as soon as this problem arises because if a wheel is not turning it can cause severe damage to the patio track. Some older doors have only 1 large wheel front and back, these wheels cause a great deal of damage to patio tracks when they seize-up or break as each wheel is carrying half the weight of the patio door.
Replacement Wheels & Rollers
We supply and fit new wheels and rollers to almost all makes of sliding patio doors regardless of age. We always use stainless steel tandem rollers. This means that there are 4 wheels underneath your sliding door. Having 2 wheels at the front and 2 wheels at the back means that the door can roll much smoother over any bumps, imperfections or minor damage in you track. Each wheel is carrying only a quarter of the weight of the door and this is also important in reducing the amount of wear to the track underneath the sliding door.
Replacement Patio Tracks
Sliding patio doors run along a track. This track can be either solid aluminium or hollow stainless steel. Over time the track can become so damaged that it is necessary to replace it. Some damage is caused by normal wear and tear but tracks can be severely damaged in a short period of time if the rollers on the patio door are worn out. Until recently a damaged patio track could cost several hundred Euro to replace because the whole bottom sill needed to be replaced in order to do a satisfactory repair. Now however, we have new retro fit patio tracks to suit the majority of aluminium and PVC patio doors at a much lower cost.
Locks & Handles
As with most moving parts locks can become stiff or broken over time. There are several common types of locks used on sliding patio doors.
- A 2 point lock that is operated by a lever inside and outside and locked using a key.
- A 4 point lock that is operated by a lever inside and outside and locked using a key.
- A single point lock that is operated using a key alone.
Unlike wheels, rollers and tracks, the locks used on sliding doors vary widely. Although most of these locks can be replaced there are some that are no longer available. Ambassador Windows are able to replace 9 out of 10 sliding door locks.
If you have a sliding patio door that is difficult to open or close don’t wait. Phone Ambassador Windows & Repairs to have your sliding patio door’s wheels, rollers & tracks repaired or replaced now.
