subject: Making The Most Of Sliding Doors [print this page] Making The Most Of Sliding Doors Making The Most Of Sliding Doors
There are many trouble free methods to sustain sliding doors, whether bypass or patio type. For showers and closets, for instance, the panels must be light and easily rearranged, and the bypass type fit these requirements. The reason the panels can slide past each other is that they dangle from a multi rail conduit above. Pulling the doors aside can reveal everything inside, which makes them perfect as closet doors.
Glass in wood, metal, or vinyl frame is used for patio doors, with one door immovable and one or two other panels sliding. There are rollers at the base of these frames that allow movement of the other doors. The way to remove some doors is to pick them up from the tracks, and the way to remove others is to put them parallel to key spots usually at the halfway point. An attempt to move a patio door by you can be dangerous.
Many hardware stores offer kits for minor rail issues. You may need professional help for bigger track problems, though. Each manufacturer makes unique sliding door parts. When your manufacturer is MIA or unknown, your hardware store might have the answers. A close equivalent can be found if you bring your original part with you.
Maintenance for bypass doors usually involves the rails. The following is good advice on fixing bypass doors. The roller brackets are the usual suspects when the bypass door does not slide open. The doors are kept steady at a good height above the floor by the roller brackets.
Suspension brackets come in many types, sometimes with single and other times with double wheels. It is safer to get a double wheel bracket for a heavier door. Disassembly is not required to adjust the height of the door. Unscrew the doors to adjust the height.
Usual causes of doors being stuck or straying off track are loose screws, objects stuck in the track, broken rollers, or bent rails. If the rollers don't move freely, apply a little powdered graphite to the axles of the sticky rollers. One big don't is applying oil on nylon rollers.
With catches and locks, regular oiling can be a big help. The upper tracks of bypass doors are easy enough to clean, with a rag and some household cleaner. Proper maintenance of bypass doors also require proper situation at the underside tracks.
