What should I do to my sliding door each season?
Pick your climate and your door. The checklist is written for your seasons and prints on one page.
How this works
A sliding door needs a handful of small things done at the right time of year: the track cleaned, the rollers given a dry lubricant, the weep holes cleared before the rains, the weatherstrip checked before the cold, the anti-lift blocks and roller height checked once a year. Which season each belongs in depends on the climate.
The list leaves out anything that involves lifting the panel, the glass, or a bent track — those are a technician's, and the checklist says so.
It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent anywhere. It is a guide, not a diagnosis — door makers differ, so check your manufacturer where it says to, and the technician confirms what has actually worn when they see the door.
Questions people ask
- How often should I clean my sliding door track?
- Every season, and after any dust storm, beach weekend or heavy pollen. A vacuum with a crevice tool and a damp cloth is all it takes. Grit in the track is what wears rollers flat.
- What lubricant should I use on sliding door rollers?
- A dry lubricant — PTFE or graphite — on the roller wheels only, never in the track. Oil, grease and silicone sprays collect grit. Wipe any overspray off the track.
- What should I do before hurricane season?
- Clear the weep holes, check the sill drains, replace any flattened weatherstrip, confirm the panel closes square and locks, check the anti-lift blocks in the header, and on an impact door confirm the product-approval label is legible.
- Can I de-ice a frozen sliding door track with salt?
- No. Salt corrodes the track and the rollers. Brush snow out, never chip ice, and warm a frozen track with a hair dryer rather than forcing the door.
Other free tools
Rather have someone look at it?
Phones answered around the clock. Free estimate — the price is agreed before work starts.