According to this old house debris build up is the main reason for a sliding door that refuses to glide.
Patio door difficult to slide.
If a sliding door has become difficult to open there may be a problem with the track or the door itself.
Patio doors slide horizontally or at least they re supposed to.
Luckily this is a very easy fix.
Once the patio door track is nice and clean lubricate the track with a silicone based lubricant spraying.
Sliding door tracks are magnets for dirt dust pet hair bugs grass food crumbs you name it.
When the tracks aren t clean it can cause your sliding door to stick.
Remove the door from the track.
Over time it s very likely that your sliding door has gotten dirty and the tracks become clogged and blocked.
In order of likelihood your sticky problem can exist due to the following reasons.
Dirt mud hair and fur can collect along the track and in the groove which clogs the rollers underneath and prevents smooth motion.
The most common cause of a sticking patio door is debris in the lower track.
All it takes is a screwdriver.
Over time the sliding glass door track accumulates dirt and grime.
Here s how you can clean the rollers and the track.
Clean the sliding glass door track.
There is another possible reason that the door is hard to open.
Many patio door sills have an aluminum track that the rollers glide on.
All too often these big pesky contraptions stubbornly resist opening and getting outside becomes about as easy as dragging a refrigerator through a sandbox.
Be sure to brush down both sides of the track as well as help scrub out the dirt that exists in the middle move the door along the track to expose the front scrub move the door back to the closed position scrub and so on.
Aluminum is low maintenance but it is a soft metal and over time the track gets a rut in it from being worn down.
Dirty tracks are one of the most common causes for a sliding door sticking.
Getting your patio door to slide better.
The track acts as a guide for the door and also allows roller wheels to help the door run smoothly.
Sliding glass patio doors are relatively simple machines but they contain a few moving parts.
Failure at any one of these locations can cause it to stick or prevent it from opening at all.
First all you need to do is simply give the sliding door track a good scrubbing.
Troubleshooting a sticky sliding patio door clean the track.
A homeowner s first thought may be to fix it themselves and depending on the problem it may be possible.
The track may be worn.
This slows down your door considerably.
Door problems can often be resolved by adjusting the wheel height as mentioned above.