If you have a sliding glass patio type door, you may need to adjust it periodically. If it is hard to open or close, or the latch doesn't work properly, you can often quickly and easily fix it yourself. Most likely you have a sliding door with wheels on the top and bottom, and a lever type lock mounted in the handle.
If the door is hard to open and close, there are a few things to try to fix it. First of all, if your door has wheels (which they you probably do, you just may not be able to see them), there should be two little round "buttons" covering holes on the bottom part of the door. If your carefully remove these covers with a flathead screwdriver, you will see two screws inside the holes they were covering. Using a screwdriver, turn these screws and the wheels will move up or down. Do this in slight (1 turn) increments until the door operates smoothly.
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If adjusting the wheels does not work, you may simply have to lubricate the track. If you have a wooden door with a metal track, use WD40 to lightly lubricate the wheels and track. Open and close the door a few times and it should move more freely. If you have a vinyl door DO NOT USE WD40, it, or any other petroleum product, will destroy the vinyl.. In this case you will want to use a silicone lubricant, which can be purchased at most home improvement stores in spray or gel.
If neither of these methods worked, you may need to contact a professional for adjustment or replacement. The door may be old and it has warped, or it may have been installed incorrectly in the first place.
If your door does not latch correctly or securely, try this method. On the inside portion of the sliding door, you will see the hook part of the latch, and just above or below that will be a small screw. By turning this screw, you can adjust how far in or out the hook goes. Try adjusting this, and observe the hook and latch to see if it is hitting the back side of the jamb, or is not extending out far enough to hook the latch.
If that adjustment doesn't work, you may have to adjust the position of the catch latch. This is found on the inside of the jamb and looks like a small square "eye" latch. There are screws holding this in place, and by slightly loosening the screws and adjusting the position up or down, you can place the latch to where the hook will connect with it.
If neither of these adjustments fix the problem, contact a professional door installer or the manufacturer.
How to Adjust Your Sliding Door
Dave
[http://www.handymanswers.com]
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