The longevity of your sliding doors can be prolonged with the proper care. Your sliding doors have metal rollers under the door. These rollers can last for as long as 15 to 20 years if you know how to maintain them correctly.
1. First and most importantly: Most of the time, the sliding doors will be an outside facing door and can cause a lot of dirt and dust to come underneath the track. Every time you open and close a door, grime can get inside the wheels and ruin them. The first thing to do when preventing your wheels from getting stuck is to vacuum the track at least once a week.
2. Because your rollers are made of metal, make sure that no water gets and stays trapped inside the track. This can lead to rust and deterioration. Don’t ever use water to clean the track and make sure that there is no water leaking.
3. If the door is having trouble sliding, don’t ever use WD-40 or GREASE. These products are very sticky. Even one use can lead to ruined wheels. WD-40 and GREASE can cause rollers to get jammed and will combine all the trapped dirt and dust into one sticky roller mess. If you do need to lubricate your wheels, only use silicone lubrication.
4. Every sliding door comes with an adjustment screw. If you notice that the door drags on the track, you can try to adjust the door a bit higher so it can slide easier. When doing so, it is important to raise both wheels to the same height.
5. If the door is very hard to slide, do not force it to. Since the wheels are made of metal and the track is also made of metal, when the door is forced the track will be scratched, the track height will be lowered, and ultimately will require a track replacement.
