Easing patio door runners

We have a veranda at the rear of the house with 4 very large and 2 half size pvc patio doors. All but one have always been difficult to move and so we made the easy one our main entry/exit.

However, Fran and I both nearly came to grief the other day when I took her to the doctor. There are 3 large concrete steps after the normal entry at the front of the house and I have to lift her down step by step, she does not exactly co-operate and I lost my balance at one point which could have been very serious.

The easy patio door at the rear would be fine but the ground the other side of it isn’t suitable, and so I turned my attention to the end door. I have cleared a lot of stuff outside and tomorrow will do the same inside but it is really extremely heavy sliding. I know from previous attempts that all sorts of advice was given but I wondered what solutions others have now that I haven’t tried before.

I have used a silicone spray on our patio sliding doors with good effect.

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Clean the tracks etc. Lubricate as above.

After that look and check it’s aligned - check top and bottom rails are level - work out what’s catching.

Thanks both, I’ll check that out, I don’t think anything’s catching, although it might by now as they are so little used, but they were like that from the off.

I’ll report back when I’ve had a go.

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I’ve just helped a neighbour with his. He had to buy the little wheels to replace the old worn ones as the door actually fell out of the frame. Lifting back into place was a pig. He told me afterwards the door weighed 160 kg!

I can imagine, these are about 2 metres square, double glazed, 4 of them plus the 2 half ones, the only windows we have facing the forest and north. The artisan who brought and fitted them came alone and needed my help, I was working full time then and he was very lucky I was at home for some reason.

We lifted them into position with 2 heavy duty suction handles and I was so impressed that I bought a pair myself later.

But these wheels won’t be worn out, they have hardly been used.

May not have worn out but could they have distorted slightly due to lack of use and resting in one place for a long time?

Possibly, but they have all been like that from day one, except for the one we chose to use. I am only interested in getting it to move easily the width of a wheelchair, shouldn’t be too difficult, I’ll know more tomorrow after the next stage of the renovation. :thinking:

I’m a great believer in WD40 for anything that’s stuck. That and candle wax on the runners.

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Interesting Sue, I do have a can of that to hand so I’ll give it a try later.

Not sure “ordinary” WD40 will cut the mustard to be honest - might just gum up the works…

Their white lithium grease might be more effective

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Job done and thanks for all the advice. I first cleaned the runner with a hot wet sponge with washing up liquid on, then sprayed it with WD40 as, although I do have some furniture polish it doesn’t say silicone on the tin.

It runs much easier now and I might even change to that door for the main rear entrance once my new curtains (it is always open all day throughout the year for Jules to come and go as he pleases) arrive on Wednesday. They have to be exactly the right length to stop draughts but also to be able to be pushed by him without stepping on them which would result in damage. If a tad too long I have discovered a wonderful seamstress (couturiere) in the village who has previously shortened curtains and also my shorts (2 fingers up to some women who have complained about old men showing their knees :rofl:).

An interesting side benefit occurred this morning too. I hope this doesn’t offend some of a delicate sensibility though. :roll_eyes: I forgot to eat my 2 prunes last night and my visit to the toilet this morning was not altogether successful. After clearing round the doors and floor to complete the patio task and sneezing over all the dust and cobwebs, I suddenly thought I might give it another try and, after drinking a lovely hot black sweet little coffee, it all turned out nice again. :rofl:

All other jobs previously completed, dog walk, dog clearance, trike circuit including post box checking and recycle bag emptying, single slab transfer to make the wheelchair easy to handle, I at last plunged in for my customary 28 metres. Lovely 17 C, it is descending gradually each day. Is the canicule over at last? :thinking:

Sorry to disagree, Sue, but WD40 is a real dust magnet. Although it will initially free things up, they will clog up worse than ever after treatment. Silicone lubricant is the best thing to use for things like patio door wheels and tracks.

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Does it not depend on what’s the reason for using? For me, it’s mainly unjamming locks, which are then used and secateurs, ditto. Surely if David is now going to be using the doors the dust won’t have a chance to accumulate? Just a thought. :thinking:

WD40 is principally a water dispersant and whilst that might help free frozen/jammed locks, it’s not a long term solution to properly maintaining them.
We use euro locks and with them, a graphic powder which is applied to the key and exercised in the lock a number of times.
For freeing rusty implements this video is interesting…

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WD40 also works real well for removing fresh mastic from where it should not be. Just spray on and wipe off. Also unblocks mastic guns and easily dissolves the mastic off one’s fingers, then just wash with soap and water.
Here is a whole list of other uses for WD40. WD-40 Uses & Hacks (With Video!)

Sorry to disagree Brian, WD40 is a very light lubricant so doesnt hold on to much dust, it doesnt attract dust (magnet) any thicker types of lubricant (silicon, white lithium) can hold on to a lot more dust dirt and grit that thinner lubricants cant.
On to the doors, the runners are often aluminium, grit, dirt etc causes aluminium to wear off, if that gets into the grease it becomes aluminium oxide which is the same stuff modern abrasive papers are made from (sand paper to us) causing more wear and tear.
Keep runners clean by regularly vacuuming and only use dry slide lubricants usually PTFE based, no residue for any thing to get stuck to.

IIRC WD40 is largely ‘white spirit’ with a small amount of lubricant. It’s got good water dispersion and searching/penetrating properties, which makes it useful with rusted metal to metal joints. The lubricant dries out fairly quickly, and you need to spray pretty much weekly. It’s a good start, but I’d try a more conventional lube for long term work.

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Ah turpetine, the Great White Spirit! :joy:

Thanks, @Corona - my mistake. I should have referred to Dry silicone lubricant. PTFE is also great but I’ve found that its effects are not as long-lasting as dry silicone. YMMV, of course.

And I wouldn’t be without some WD40 as it can be brought into play for many uses: loosening tight bolts, lubrication, cleaning, anti-rust etc. A light spray followed by a wipe and polish is also a great way of bringing faded plastic car trim back to life! It’s a great one-size-fits-all product but with the disadvantage that it’s rarely the best tool for the job. An essential for any toolbox though!