Patio doors
Sliding Glass Door Repair
Four small wheels carry the whole panel. When they go, the door stops rolling and starts dragging — and you can prove that to yourself in about ten seconds.
- Typical visit
- One to three hours
- Usually
- Rollers and track together
- Replacement
- Rarely warranted
- Estimate
- Free, fixed in writing
Don't take our word for it
Six things we say, and how to verify each one
Patio doors attract more replacement quotes than anything else in a house. All of these are checkable before you accept one.
| What we say | How to check it yourself |
|---|---|
| The rollers have failed, not the door | Lift the panel slightly as you slide it. If it suddenly moves easily, the panel has been sitting on the track rather than riding on wheels. That is a roller fault and nothing else. |
| New rollers alone will not last on a grooved rail | Run a fingernail along the track. If it catches in a groove, the rail is cut. New wheels on that surface are flat again within a season, and anybody quoting rollers only should be asked about it. |
| A grooved track can be capped rather than replaced | Look at the rail. A stainless cap sits over it and gives new rollers a hard, true surface. Taking the frame out of the wall is rarely warranted and costs many times more. |
| Your lock is probably fine | Lift the door slightly and try the latch. If it engages when lifted, the panel has dropped and the lock is working perfectly. Resetting the height fixes it. |
| Your sill is supposed to drain | Pour a cup of water into the track. It should disappear within a minute or two. If it sits there, that is where the water on your floor is coming from. |
| The screen door is part of the job | Check it while you are there. It shares the opening, it is usually in worse shape, and doing it separately means paying for a second visit. |
Five minutes, no tools
Four tests on a sticking patio door
All four take under a minute and between them they tell you what the repair will be.
Test 01
The lift test
Slide the door while taking a little weight off it. Easier when lifted means the rollers have collapsed. No difference means something else is binding.
Test 02
Fingernail along the rail
Slowly, the full length. Catching means grooves, which means the track needs capping as well as new rollers.
Test 03
The water test
A cup poured into the track. Standing water means blocked weeps, and in a Missouri winter that water freezes and distorts the rail.
Test 04
Hand down the closing edge
Door shut, palm against where the panels meet. Air movement means the interlock gaskets have hardened, usually with a dropped panel as well.
On the day
What we demonstrate before we leave
Five checks you can watch us make at the end of the job.
The door moving through its full travel with one finger, not one hand.
The old rollers alongside the new ones, so you can see what actually failed.
The panel level at both ends, measured rather than eyeballed.
The latch engaging cleanly without lifting, leaning or pushing.
Water poured into the track draining out through the weeps within a minute.
In writing
What you get on paper
Four things on every estimate and every invoice, without being asked.
A named component
The estimate says which part failed — a cord, a balance, a keeper, a roller, a closer. Not 'window needs work'. If a quote will not name the part, it has not diagnosed anything.
A fixed price, before we start
Agreed in writing, and it does not move once we are working. If we think we might find rot or hidden damage, you get a price for both outcomes up front.
What we did not do, and why
Anything we looked at and left alone is listed, with the reason. That is how you know we checked it rather than missed it.
Paperwork an insurer can use
Itemised, dated and photographed where relevant, formatted to submit without anybody rewriting it.
Missouri conditions
What Missouri does to a patio door
Road salt, freeze-thaw and hail on the largest glass in the house.
Winter grit and road salt
Missouri treats its roads heavily, and what comes in on boots ends up in the door track. Mixed with old lubricant it becomes an abrasive, corrosive paste, and it is the leading cause of early roller failure here.
Freeze-thaw rather than deep freeze
Missouri swings above and below freezing repeatedly rather than staying cold. Water in a blocked sill freezes, thaws and refreezes, and that cycling is what distorts rails and splits seals.
Hail on the biggest pane you own
A patio door is the largest expanse of glass in most houses and it faces the yard. Hail damage here is both more likely and more expensive, and a tempered panel is always made to size.
Used most of the year
Missouri's warm season is long and patio doors onto decks see constant use. The cycle counts go well beyond what light-duty builder hardware was specified for.
Questions
Patio door questions
Is it the rollers or the track?
Do the lift test and run a fingernail along the rail. Easier when lifted plus a smooth rail means rollers. Grooves mean both.
Can a worn track be repaired?
Yes. A stainless cap over the damaged rail gives new rollers a true surface at a fraction of replacing the door.
My door will not lock.
Usually the panel has dropped so the latch sits below the keeper. Resetting the height normally restores the lock with no new hardware.
The door came off its track.
Leave it. The panel is heavy and awkward, forcing it back can chip the rail or crack the glass, and it will not stay on because the rollers have collapsed.
Water comes in when it rains hard.
Blocked weep channels. Pour a cup in the track and watch — if it sits, that is your answer.
How do I stop it happening again?
Vacuum the track a few times a year, especially at the end of winter, and use dry silicone. Never oil, which holds the salt.
Coverage
Sliding glass door repair across Missouri
A mobile service covering the whole state, both metros and the rural counties between them. Pick your town below, or call and we will come to you.
Sliding Glass Door Repair Across Missouri
Related
Other repairs we handle
Windows and doors are the whole business, so whatever has failed, it is on this list.
Next step
Get the slider moving again
Free estimates across Missouri, with a fixed written price before we start.