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Can't remove sliding glass door from track. (saggy header)

Can't remove sliding glass door from track. (saggy header)


  #1  
Old 06-15-20, 07:21 AM
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Can't remove sliding glass door from track. (saggy header)

I'm having a very similar problem that jstevens described in "Can't remove sliding glass door from track. Saggy header?" - Can't remove sliding glass door from track. Saggy header?

I have a dual slider pocket door going out to my patio. Actually, I have three of these. Each door panel is 80" tall and 48" wide. The two doors slide back into an "open pocket", giving an 8 foot wide opening. Single pane of glass, bronze metal frame, home built in 1980. I've read a LOT about how to remove a slider, and inspect and replace the rollers. My tracks already have the stainless track covers. I'm sure the rollers are worn, dirty, or both.

My question is that one of the doors (of course the one that is hardest to slide!) will NOT come out. If I open the door slightly (is on the right end of the 12 feet of track), I can get the right side of the door to clear the track, but the left edge will not lift high enough to clear. If I slide the door to the left end of the track, the opposite happens: the left edge of the door will clear the track, and the right edge of the door will not clear. It's close, like maybe a 1/4" more will get the door to clear, But I don't want to force it, as a broken glass door would not be a good thing.

I have "raised the rollers" with the adjustment screw, so they are not the issue. This leads me to believe that the header is sagging. But I can't get into the header without major demo/destruction, as the exterior is stucco, and the interior is drywall, with no wood trim.

Does anyone have some ideas? I'm at a loss, and don't want to get frustrated and do something dumb.

Thanks in advance!
Pat
 
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Old 06-15-20, 08:21 AM
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For the header, take some height measurements at the ends and center to confirm!
 
  #3  
Old 06-15-20, 04:55 PM
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Measuring works. You can also just get on a ladder and put your eye up next to the top track and sight down it to see if its still straight. Check this inside and out. Or put a 4 ft level on it, slide the level left, then slide it right and see if the bubble changes (denoting a bow in the head track). If you find it is bowed on the inside only, you wont have to get into the stucco outside.

Assuming the bow is only on the inside...

Drywall is easiest to fix, so rip off the top corner bead and cut off enough drywall from the rough opening with a sawzall to make some room in the rough opening. A paper tape corner bead is like $3, so you have nothing to lose. If nothing else you can run the sawzall (4" or 6" blade) back and forth in the rough opening multiple times. Cut a 2x4 just the right ength and wedge it into the track to push the head up tight and run the sawzall through again and again until the head track is straight again. It's possible you might need to drill a hole in the top track and put a screw into the header to pull it up tight (if it wont stay straight on its own).

If the bow is also on the outside you will want to snap a chalk line on the stucco outside from end to end. Then take a grinder and a diamond blade and cut the stucco on that chalk line. Then when you run your sawzall you will need to run it straight through along that same line, being careful to only cut into the header and not to cut into the stucco.

After you get the head straightened out again (and possibly supported by a few well placed screws) you would caulk the stucco edge to the door.
 
 

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