Patio and balcony sliders
A patio door that drags, jumps the track or won't latch
Your sliding door won't latch, grinds when you open it, or lifts right out of the track. In most Hamilton houses and apartments that's rollers, a track or a latch, not a door that has to go. We connect you with an independent local pro who repairs patio and balcony sliders, and they'll tell you plainly if yours is worth saving.
- New rollers before a new door
- Balcony sliders in towers and condos
- Older sliders matched part by part
Symptoms first
What it's doing, and what's usually behind it
Screen off its track instead? See screen doors. For the glass door, the usual culprits:
Won't slide, or slides hard
Rollers worn flat or seized, or a track packed with grit.
Comes off the track
A collapsed or badly adjusted roller, or a bent rail. Don't keep lifting it back in; the glass panel is heavy.
Won't lock, latch or close all the way
The door has sunk, so the latch misses the keeper on the frame. Raise the door and the lock often works again.
Handle spins or won't unlock
Something's broken inside the handle set, a replaceable part even on many older doors.
The moving parts
Rollers and tracks
A sliding panel rides on small wheels in its bottom rail. When they wear flat or crack, the panel drops onto the track and grinds. Many adjust with a screw near the end of the door, so the fix may be adjustment or new rollers. A dented bottom track can often take a metal cap instead of a new frame.
Your safe check: vacuum the track and look along it with a flashlight. Leave the lifting to the pro; a patio panel is heavy tempered glass.
Won't latch?
Handles, latches and locks
When a slider won't latch, the lock is often fine. Pros usually work through it in this order:
Raise the door
Adjusting or replacing the rollers lifts the panel so the latch meets the keeper again.
Move the keeper
The small catch on the frame can be shifted, shimmed or replaced.
Replace the handle set
For a spinning handle or a stuck lock. On an older slider, one matched part can save the whole door.
Weather at the door
Drafts, ice and water at the sill
Air at the latch side or water at the sill usually means tired weatherstrip, a panel out of line, or drain slots packed with grit.
Freezing-rain days and wind
Freezing rain is a regular part of winter here, and ice in the track can lock a door shut; don't force it. On the Mountain, where wind and snow come harder than below, check the weatherstrip each fall.
Water inside after a storm
Clear the drain slots on the outside of the sill. A cracked sill is one for the pro.
Honest call
Fix or replace the door?
Repair makes sense when the frame is straight and the door just moves badly. Parts are far less upheaval than a new door.
Replace when the frame is bent or corroded, or parts can't be matched. If only the glass has failed, new glass in the same door may do; if not, see patio door replacement. A door that never slid right may just need re-shimming in its opening.
Before you ask
What changes the price of a patio door repair
These are what move the number:
- Which parts: rollers, a track cap, the handle set, the keeper or weatherstrip
- Panel size and weight
- Access, such as a balcony slider high up with elevator bookings
- Damage to the track or sill
A short video of the door moving, plus a close-up of the track, tells a pro a lot before they visit.
Condos and apartments
Balcony sliders in condos and apartments: who signs off
Plenty of Hamiltonians live in apartment and condo buildings, so a sticking balcony slider is an everyday job here. In a condo, the door is often the corporation's to look after, so check with your board or manager before work starts.
Renting? Tell your landlord first. Landlords with several sticky sliders can send them in one request; see help for multi-unit buildings.
Questions
Sliding door questions
Explore your options
Related door jobs
Local pros fix sliders in houses, apartments and condos across the city and nearby, including Downtown Hamilton, Hamilton Mountain, Stoney Creek, Binbrook and Glanbrook and Burlington.
Film the door opening and closing
A few seconds of video and a photo of the track tell a pro most of what they need. We'll pass it to someone who repairs sliders and check you hear back.