jeffdee
Well-known member
Hello all,
Well I got tired of always being blocked from going to and from the garage or den when the slides are in. So I decided
yesterday to reverse the position of the sliding door. It was not hard but it is a tedious job. Also be careful because the
frames have very sharp corners and edges.
Here are the steps:
1 - Remove the screen door:
There is a screw in each corner on the inside of the screen door frame that positions the top and bottom rollers.
Back off all four screws about 1/4" and remove the screen door by lifting up into the top channel to clear the bottom rollers.
2 - Remove the fixed glass door:
There is an "L" bracket in the bottom and upper channel that holds the fixed door in place. (See in photos below)
Remove the two small screws and the one long screw. Remove the bracket and put the long screw back in. Do this
with both brackets. There are three narrow bumpers with short screws in the frame where the fixed door meets the wall.
I removed these but did not reinstall them on the other side. The door is ready to come out but take care pulling on the frame.
It is made of aluminum and will bend. The door is wedged in tight in the wall frame. I pulled from the top and bottom corners.
When the door comes free it will lift out. It is heavy for a single pane glass. Mark the "Top" and "Bottom" of door, and mark
the side of the door facing the garage.
3 - Remove the sliding glass door:
This one was easy. Lift the door up into the upper channel for the lower roller to clear. Now lift the door out slowly. It is also
heavy. Mark the "Top" and "Bottom" of door, and remember that the door latch is in the den. Remove the long screw in the
bottom of each end of the door to remove each bottom roller. Take care to see how the roller is positioned. With the screw
removed I slid the roller to the center of the door and spread the frame slightly to get the roller out. I did this with each roller.
At this point I have to explain what is important for reinstalling. By reversing the sliding and fixed doors you are actually rotating
the entire assembly 180 degrees inside of the mounted frame. "Top" becomes "Bottom" and "Bottom" becomes "Top". You do this
so all the felt seals and notches remain in correct positions. Therefore remove the two long frame screws one-at-a-time while
reinstalling the rollers to the door in what was originally the "Top". This is a good time to lube and adjust the rollers and all the friction
points and surfaces.
4 - Reinstall the sliding glass door:
Now that you have rotated the door, and have the wheels installed, the door goes back in the track the same way it came out. Slide
the door up into the upper channel then set the bottom rollers onto the guide track that looks new because it hasn't been rolled
on yet. The inside latch should now be closest to the center of the room (and inside the den). At the end of the top and bottom
sliding door track should be a 2" long rubber bumper. Move them to the other end of the sliding glass door track. At the original door
latching point is another guide bumper held in place with a small screw. Move that to the other end where the door will be latching now.
The sliding door should be tested now for proper operation before continuing on to the next step.
5 - Reinstall the fixed glass door:
Simply rotate the fixed glass door and slip it back into its track. There should be no obstructions so slide it into place. Reinstall the "L"
brackets. I found that the inside small screw hole lined up again and I only had to drill a hole for a small screw top and bottom.
6 - Reinstall the screen door:
First lube all four wheels. I used a dry Teflon spray lube. When reinstalling and adjusting the wheels, keep in mind that the top wheels
are used to minimize up/down slack. The bottom wheels must also be adjusted to maintain alignment with the frame in the closed
position. You also have to transfer the catch for the screen door latch.
Finished! See photos below:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another project in the garage was to install a portable AC. I used a 6" dryer hose for a duct. The cardboard was for reinforcement to
contain the flexible duct. This is a 12,000 btu AC I picked up at Sam's Club. I would not recommend going any smaller. It is rated
10 amps at 110 Volts. I am using the washer/dryer plugin in the garage. The exhaust goes out the fresh air vent. By-the-way, does
anyone else have to open their ladder in order to open this vent. The outside ladder is installed to where it just prevents the door from
opening when the ladder is in the retracted position. Pretty poor craftsmanship!
Well I got tired of always being blocked from going to and from the garage or den when the slides are in. So I decided
yesterday to reverse the position of the sliding door. It was not hard but it is a tedious job. Also be careful because the
frames have very sharp corners and edges.
Here are the steps:
1 - Remove the screen door:
There is a screw in each corner on the inside of the screen door frame that positions the top and bottom rollers.
Back off all four screws about 1/4" and remove the screen door by lifting up into the top channel to clear the bottom rollers.
2 - Remove the fixed glass door:
There is an "L" bracket in the bottom and upper channel that holds the fixed door in place. (See in photos below)
Remove the two small screws and the one long screw. Remove the bracket and put the long screw back in. Do this
with both brackets. There are three narrow bumpers with short screws in the frame where the fixed door meets the wall.
I removed these but did not reinstall them on the other side. The door is ready to come out but take care pulling on the frame.
It is made of aluminum and will bend. The door is wedged in tight in the wall frame. I pulled from the top and bottom corners.
When the door comes free it will lift out. It is heavy for a single pane glass. Mark the "Top" and "Bottom" of door, and mark
the side of the door facing the garage.
3 - Remove the sliding glass door:
This one was easy. Lift the door up into the upper channel for the lower roller to clear. Now lift the door out slowly. It is also
heavy. Mark the "Top" and "Bottom" of door, and remember that the door latch is in the den. Remove the long screw in the
bottom of each end of the door to remove each bottom roller. Take care to see how the roller is positioned. With the screw
removed I slid the roller to the center of the door and spread the frame slightly to get the roller out. I did this with each roller.
At this point I have to explain what is important for reinstalling. By reversing the sliding and fixed doors you are actually rotating
the entire assembly 180 degrees inside of the mounted frame. "Top" becomes "Bottom" and "Bottom" becomes "Top". You do this
so all the felt seals and notches remain in correct positions. Therefore remove the two long frame screws one-at-a-time while
reinstalling the rollers to the door in what was originally the "Top". This is a good time to lube and adjust the rollers and all the friction
points and surfaces.
4 - Reinstall the sliding glass door:
Now that you have rotated the door, and have the wheels installed, the door goes back in the track the same way it came out. Slide
the door up into the upper channel then set the bottom rollers onto the guide track that looks new because it hasn't been rolled
on yet. The inside latch should now be closest to the center of the room (and inside the den). At the end of the top and bottom
sliding door track should be a 2" long rubber bumper. Move them to the other end of the sliding glass door track. At the original door
latching point is another guide bumper held in place with a small screw. Move that to the other end where the door will be latching now.
The sliding door should be tested now for proper operation before continuing on to the next step.
5 - Reinstall the fixed glass door:
Simply rotate the fixed glass door and slip it back into its track. There should be no obstructions so slide it into place. Reinstall the "L"
brackets. I found that the inside small screw hole lined up again and I only had to drill a hole for a small screw top and bottom.
6 - Reinstall the screen door:
First lube all four wheels. I used a dry Teflon spray lube. When reinstalling and adjusting the wheels, keep in mind that the top wheels
are used to minimize up/down slack. The bottom wheels must also be adjusted to maintain alignment with the frame in the closed
position. You also have to transfer the catch for the screen door latch.
Finished! See photos below:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another project in the garage was to install a portable AC. I used a 6" dryer hose for a duct. The cardboard was for reinforcement to
contain the flexible duct. This is a 12,000 btu AC I picked up at Sam's Club. I would not recommend going any smaller. It is rated
10 amps at 110 Volts. I am using the washer/dryer plugin in the garage. The exhaust goes out the fresh air vent. By-the-way, does
anyone else have to open their ladder in order to open this vent. The outside ladder is installed to where it just prevents the door from
opening when the ladder is in the retracted position. Pretty poor craftsmanship!
