How do you remove a sliding door?

[JackOfDiamonds]

My patio door is all gummed up. I'm sure if I could take it out, I could clean the rollers and get another 10 years out of it. But I don't see how it's possible.

I know you can turn these screws to raise and lower the track. But even with it completely lowered, I can see the door won't come out. I thought about prying loose the trim at the top to open up the hole, but the frame almost looks like it's welded vinyl. Is there a secret?

 

[The Cobbler]

there's probably rollers at the top that need to be backed off, the same as the lower wheels . then you lift the doors up & out of the track from the inside .
and very likely the rollers are worn out, need replacing. they are often common parts

 

[DennisK59]

Lower the door wheels lift straight up and swing towards you. Unless it's in a log house, then you might to cut it out.

 

[DennisK59]

Cobbler beat me to it!

 

[P0234]

Probably 10000 YouTube videos that show you how. The manufacturer of your door probably has a few too.

 

[loganb]

Lower the door wheels lift straight up and swing towards you. Unless it's in a log house, then you might to cut it out.

This.

There may be a panel retainer that prevents it from swinging... Slide the door one way or the other to avoid. But adjust roller so door is all the way down then pick up and swing bottom towards you and then drop head out of frame is the standard design for vinyl doors.

 

[isb cornbinder]

 

[Rusted Nut]

Raise bottom wheels, slide door open, lift door and swing the bottom out.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

We are in agreement as to the theory. There are no rollers in the top at all, just vinyl, so nothing to do up there. On the bottom, the adjustment screws seem to work, and I turned the screws all the way counter clockwise, it turned easily until hitting resistance, and when I pick the door all the way up until it's tight against the top, it just barely clears the bottom, like just enough to slide out. But the rollers are still sticking down a tiny bit and won't let it come out. if the rollers retracted completely flush into the door, it seems like it would come out. I'm trying to make a tool to let me get under it and push the rollers up, but if the mechanism is stuck, I'm in a pickle.

 

[Firstram]

It looks like you’re going the wrong way. You can pull the fixed panel out first so you don’t have to lift so high.

 

[loganb]

Check the track at the top of the panel, some designs have a "filler piece" or "anti lift stop" stuck in the head to reduce the amount the panel can lift up. They normally snap in/snap out

Other thing to do is put the door back on the track and with a can of PB Blaster/WD40, other assorted panther piss/lubricant in a can and douse those adjustment screws very liberally with the straw on the nozzle in an attempt to free it up. Then with a drill or other powered tool cause otherwise it's punishment, see if you can slowly run that roller up/down. Once you run it back and forth a couple times I've seen them "raise up" higher when the weight of the door is sitting on the roller.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Rolls great now! $40 at the despot for new trolleys.

There was no secret. One problem was the roller adjustment screws don't actually positively lift the wheels up... there's no spring or anything, so when you pick the door up, the wheels just droop back down even with the tension backed all the way off. I had to get creative with household objects to reach under the tiny gap and push the wheels up. The new trolleys are the same. I wanted to hack them with a spring to make them retract so taking it out would be easier next time, but oh well it's the next guy's problem now. Taking bets on the next guy still being me.

Besides that it was a very tight fit; by cutting the caulk at the top ot allowed the frame to flex a little bit and get the door out.

 

[PCustoms]

There was no secret. One problem was the roller adjustment screws don't actually positively lift the wheels up... there's no spring or anything, so when you pick the door up, the wheels just droop back down even with the tension backed all the way off.

I was about to post this, when I pulled my door it required an extra set of hands to push the wheels up...

Need to pull the 2nd door and change the wheels soon.

 

[The Cobbler]

there's no spring or anything, so when you pick the door up, the wheels just droop back down even with the tension backed all the way off.

I should have said that I use putty knives under the door to lift the rollers

 

[nadogail]

I use two thin bladed putty knives; the lower wheels roll on to the knives and slide over the ridge in the lower track as i slide the bottom of the door out..