Common Sliding Door Problems and how to Fix them.

As with most hardware, there are sometimes problems with sliding systems which can be very easy to resolve. In this blog we will be looking at some of the most common sliding door problems and how to fix them.

Noisy Sliding Doors

Noisy sliding door gear is much more common with glass door systems, however this can happen with timber door systems too. The cause of the noise may be that your doors are rubbing, and some extra lubrication is needed on the track to stop any squeaking, if you find the door still squeaks after cleaning and lubricating the track, the issue may be with the rollers. This can be fixed by putting some WD-40 or a silicon-based spray lubricant on the rollers to loosen them up.

Stuck Sliding Doors

If you find that your sliding doors are getting stuck, it is likely that there could be an obstruction in the track such as a build up of dirt or dust in the system. The other issue could be with the rollers, they could also either be dirty or dried up which can stop the door from sliding. The easiest fix for this would be to thoroughly clean out the track and rollers, removing any dust and debris. If you find that the door is still stuck, you can use some WD-40 or a silicon-based spray lubricant to loosen them up.

Another reason your doors could be getting stuck is due to binding, this happens when the door drops and rubs/sticks on the floor guide. In pocket doors this can also happen when the door rubs on the framing internally.

The last problem which may cause sliding doors to become stuck is a problem with the wheel pin or bearing. If this is broken the doors will not be able to slide and you will require a replacement wheel, we have lots of these on our website which you can see here.

Rattling Sliding Doors

If your sliding door is rattling or swinging around at the bottom, the first thing to do is to check that you have a floor guide installed. A lot of times we get phoned up about this issue it’s because people have not fitted a floor guide. If you do have a floor guide fitted and you are still encountering this problem, it may be that the floor guide is damaged or broken.

Floor guides are cut into the bottom of the door and they essentially hold the door in place whilst it slides. For more information on floor guides we have a separate blog on this which you can find here or a YouTube video here. Should this be the problem, we sell a range of floor guides as spares on our website here. You will need to ensure that you choose the right floor guide for your system, if you are unsure which one you need feel free to give us a call.

You can browse our sliding systems on our website here. Don’t forget we are always available and happy to help over the phone or by e-mail should you need any assistance.