In alt.home.repair, on 14 Jun 2017 16:49:33 GMT, KenK
wrote:


What's a good lubricant for patio doors, those glass doors that slide in
metal tracks? I'm afraid oil will attract dirt and cause a need for
frequent removal of dirty oil and its replacement. I suspect grease would
have the same problem. Graphite wouldn't work. So far I've just been
leaving them alone and vacuuming them out when they get too much dirt in
the tracks. I seldom use them - once in a great while for moving furniture
or large appliances in and out or if I should accidently lock myself out,
which has not happened so far.

What do you successfully use?

TIA

I don't lubricate them but there are other things to consider.

I probably have medium quality doors. At any rate, they are thermopane
and the smaller one** moves easily with one hand after 38 years, and no
other flaws have shown up. Well, not counting that the aluminum frames
are oxidized a little, and maybe pitted a litle (but I really should
look before I say that.). (My landlady with windows and a sliding glass
door just 4 years old had beautiful windows with vinyl(-covered?)
frames.)

Somehow one or both of mine had to have the wheels lowered, which is
done by turning the screw at the each end of the door, although maybe
only one wheel will need this. Lowering the wheel raises the door so it
doesn't rub on the track. It might have helped -- I can't remember***
-- to use a pry to lift the door and take the weight off of the
adjustment, even though leverage is in your favor. It might have helped
to spray light oil or wd-40 on that one screw, at each end, if adjusting
it was hard.

I also took out the sliding part of the smaller door. I was 30 years
younger then but it was heavvvvy. I could handle it, but it wasnt'
that easy, almost tripped over kitchen things, and it surprised me and
it might have gotten away from me. I would want a helper if I did it
again and that was the smaller of the two. (I think I wanted to drill
a hole in the track and the door was in the way, but if you ever want to
replace the wheels, you'll have to remove the door.) .

**The bigger one takes a shove to get it moving, but then it rolls okay.

***I guess I did this a long time ago and haven't had to do it since.
Maybe they weren't adjusted right when the doors were put in???