Sliding Glass Door Removal

NEVER MIND - GOT IT HANDLED ....

I'm trying to remove the sliding door in order to take it to a glass shop to replace the foggy glass.

I'm stymied and cannot figure out how to remove the panel. There is no manufacturer information. There do not appear to be any accessible roller adjustment screws (but the door works fine). The floor threshold seems to indicate that this panel should be lifted and pulled out from the bottom, towards the outside.

However, the stationary door prevents getting the sliding door into a position where it is free to be pulled forward.

The stationary door does not seem to have any lateral travel at all, thus I'm not even sure if I can get it out first. also, there do not appear to be any screws indicating that some part of the frame can be removed.

Any thoughts or pointers?

 

Did you check on the price for a company installing a IGU panel? It all depends on whether you are in a small town or a metro market.

I had a bad panel that had to be replaced. I called around and got approximate prices to buy one (they really wanted accurate dimensions, including thickness).

When the man came out to measure, it turned out he had one of the old "dinosaur" over-sized panels on his truck. The price was reasonable. - In about 20 minutes, he removed the slider, replaced the bad panel, installed the slider, cleaned the track and wheels and adjusted everything.

The price was not bad and it was easy without a problem.

Dick

 

Thanx, Dick - we're half way there. The panel with the bad glass is out and in the van heading for the glass shop tomorrow. Now, let's hope I have that opening sealed up well enough to weather a couple of days. I appreciate your time.

 

Hollerin' Jer,

You have to realize several things about sliding glass doors.

First, the glass size is standard (as long as we are talking tempered panels). Tempered glass is MADE to size, not CUT to size. Every 6' X 6'8" wide slider will have the same width and height pane of glass in it. The only difference will be in the thickness of the IG unit, and things like grids, Low-E glass, gas fill, etc.

Call the glass shop and simply let them deal with replacing it. Do you have the capability to transport the glass pane?? Probably not, but the glass shop does.

You are having problems figuring out how to get the slider apart. The guys from the glass shop have seen it literally thousands of times.

Sometimes DIY is fine. But there are times when leaving it to a pro will save you a lot of hours and a lot of dollars!!

 

Hey lefty,

Either I misunderstood, or I have to just plain disagree.

"Every 6' X 6'8" wide slider will have the same width and height pane of glass in it"

No way an Andersen Frenchwood and an American Craftsman will have the same size glass in them even if they're both 6/0 6/8. The rail and stile width are what determine the glass size for a specific size door.

Like I said, I may have mis-understood. Still on first cup a java

 

Gunguy45,

As it was explained to me about 10 years ago by a glass shop owner who's been in the trade for about 30 years now, there are only a handful of plants in the US that make tempered glass. (Tempered glass is made to size, not cut to size.) They have standardized the size of panes for sliding glass doors so that they can produce them by the carload (not just by the truck load) and distribute them. and keep the cost down. That's the only reason that a local glass shop can afford to stock them.

Every time the plant has to stop production to change the size of their jigs for making the glass, that is a costly down time for them.

When I ordered 4 panes for a couple of windows I was building in my house about 18 years ago, it took 2 weeks to get them and those 4 panes cost more that 2 dual pane panels for a slider would have cost. My 'special' panes were about 13" wide and 4' tall.

 

Ok Lefty, I get ya...

Absolutely I agree with what yer sayin, now that I heard the rest. Many, many manufacturers will use what the glass companies can supply cheaply, as opposed to extruding their aluminum or vinyl frame components to a non standard size.

And Oh I know what you mean about those panes you had to order.

I guess it was the "every" that got me...instead of "most".

Companies like Andersen, Pella, Marvin, etc..get what they want, not what's cheap...as you can tell when you check the replacement part prices.

We're good!

 

A tad off topic, but do any of you know why I would be having a heck of a time trying to get my sliding screen door to slide smoothly? I have bought 3 doors in the last 3 years, and they get 'stuck' when sliding opened and closed. It must be something to do with the actual frame?

Please help, I cannot buy another one and it's very frustrating. I have monkeyed with the adjustments, but every time, it seems to be too tight or too loose.

Is there a door that hangs instead of locks in? Maybe it wouldn't stick? I'm almost sure the problem is with the door frame, but how can I tell?

 

Are these generic replacement screens? I've always found the cheaper doors and cheaper generic screens never slide as smoothly as the better brands like Andersen, Pella, Marvin, etc.

They used to make some very heavy duty sliding screens (Gorilla? maybe?) with nice thick aluminum frames and very well designed roller tracks, but I'm not sure if they're still out there somewhere. I put one on an Andersen slider, and was very pleased, though it still didn't work as smoothly as an OEM unit.

 

misterzero,

Welcome to the Forums.

If you are trying to use those "one-size-fits-all" versions that have the adjustable plates top and bottom, forget it. They are worth the powder it would take to blow them across the street.

Go to a glass shop and have a good screen door made. They should have an order form which will let you tell them what the door frame is shaped like, dimensions, etc. They will HAVE to know that information in order to build one that fits. Better yet, have THEM come measure the frame. That way, if there's a mistake, it's theirs, not yours.

There are a few sliders that have a frame designed for a hanging screen door. But if your's isn't designed that way, there's no way to mount one.

 

Thanks, Lefty- first post for me


Thanks guys. I had no idea the "one size fits all" were so lousy. It really does explain a lot, though.

I will call a shop and see if they can come out to measure.

Any idea of the $$ involved with something like this?