External Folding doors

[Colin RedGriff]

Hi

Does anyone know anything about external (pvc) folding/sliding doors?

We've just had an extension built which has bifold/sliding doors fitted. We opened them today and they have now jammed half open. I'm trying to get hold of the building contractor but not had any luck so far. Was hoping there might be someone nearby (Crowthorne) that knows something about them and could help us secure the door. It has been opened and closed a few times but the builders literally finished last Thursday.

It seems to be something on the bottom guide that is catching but looking at the door edge it doesn't look to be vertical so it might have slipped on its mountings. Don't want to force it or try to fix it in case I make it worse. Not sure what can be adjusted or if I need to just wait until we can get the contractors on site, the problem is that the house isn't secure at the moment.

[BerksJack]

It hasn't got a locking hinge on it has it? Or has it jammed half closed?

[Colin RedGriff]

No the hinge doesn't lock it deadbolts into the frame when it's in position.

I'm pretty sure it's the bottom runner that is the catching but I can't work out why

[shimmey69]

Can you open them fully again???

[BerksJack]

Ah ok.

As Jake said, if you can fully open them again, try and close them slowly but hold the doors straight to guide them in the runner as you are shutting them.

[Colin RedGriff]

Nope I can't open them fully. They are about 6 inches from being closed. There is about 2 inches of movement left and right - which is free but then it just jams.

The builders finished fitting decking outside this week and I suspect that something with that is causing the problem, the first thing we noticed was that it was catching the decking as it was opening and digging in. I've ground down the end of the decking in the area so now it isn't catching. But the the bottom guide/hinge seems to by jamming against the metal runner as I try to close it but I can' work out why.

I think the decking is stopping it opening properly but because of the angles I can't get to it to grid down the decking to allow more movement.

If I pull the final section of door against the frame it all seems to be square and not catching so I don't think the sliding hinge has dropped or anything like that.

[Colin RedGriff]

Been playing with it some more and have managed to get it closed thankfully - I just gave it a a bit more force and it scraped past the problem area. Something in the hinge is catching on the bottom runner, the edge has got some heavy scratching.

There is a bolt on the underside of the hinge. Now it is closed I can see that it sits just above the runner. As I open the door and the hinge slides along the bottom of the door is coming down (or the runner is coming up) and the bolt then catches on the top of the runner. If I open it more, the bolt rubs more and more on the top of the runner until it slides off the top of the runner and sits on the outside where it scratches the side of the runner and catches against the decking. I think either the bottom runner is distorted somehow or the door is somehow dropping a few mm and causing the problem.

I'll leave it until I can get the contractors back to look at it.

Thanks for all your help.

Colin

Edited by Colin RedGriff on Saturday 21st January 15:58

[BerksJack]

Ah good news, glad you got it sorted. It may just need easing/ adjusting and will be fine or when they did the decking their may be a small off cut of timber caught in the runner and that is pushing it out of line.

It's closed which is the main thing