During the summer in Melbourne, a thunderstorm can drop inches of rain in just a few minutes. If you’ve been there, you know how fast that can happen. Heavy rains and high winds may cause major water intrusion issues, even though you would never want to give up the lovely views afforded by your sliding glass doors.
Possibly, you’re reading this because water has gotten stuck in your sliding track. Do your hardwood floors have water damage from leaks in the corners? Our goal is to assist you in preventing future water entry in the case of another storm. Implement the following measures if you’re experiencing light moisture buildup right now to avoid expensive water damage caused by a poorly sealed sliding glass door in the future.
Preventing water intrusion with sliding glass doors
1. Determine the nature of the problem
Take a few minutes now, before the rain begins to pour, to familiarize yourself with the operation of your sliding glass door. Due to the weight of sliding glass doors, they are moved over metal tracks attached to the bottom and top of their respective frames. Metal or plastic rollers help the heavy doors travel along with the metal frames when they are closed.
Make a note of which door is moving and which one is still in its position. If you have an issue with water leaking from the bottom track threshold of the non-stationary door, you will normally find water leaking from the bottom track. See if you can locate the water source and determine what’s causing it.
2. Troubleshoot the Fix
After getting a fundamental understanding of the mechanics of your door, the most straightforward method of preventing future leaks is to check your door properly.
1. Clean the roller threshold track on your sliding glass doors
Debris might accumulate in the track of your sliding door, preventing it from creating a tight seal on the door. It is possible for the doors to become misaligned and water to leak into your house if the tracks are dirty.
As a result, it is necessary to keep your tracks clear of debris and your plastic or metal rollers free of dirt and grime. Attach a narrow crevice tool to your vacuum and suck up any large pieces of dirt from your sliding track and rollers to keep them clean. Using a moist paper towel, wipe away any remaining dirt or muck accumulated around the wheels or in the corners after you have vacuumed.
2. Remove and replace the threshold track on your sliding glass doors
Sometimes a proper cleaning isn’t enough to get your slide track back in shape. This might cause your door to stick or become vulnerable to water intrusion if it has been worn down from years of opening and shutting.
If this occurs to you, remove both your stationary and sliding glass doors fully, raise the worn threshold, and replace it with a new one. In addition to avoiding moisture intrusion, current thresholds generally provide superior temperature management by preventing reduced air leakage and moisture invasion.
3. Make any necessary adjustments to your wheels or rollers
Your sliding glass doors may need extra tension to move open and shut if the wheels on the door are out of balance. This might potentially cause jams by allowing water to enter via the cracks.
To check for this, open your door just enough to reveal a small space between the door and the frame. Is the space between the top and bottom of your door larger or skinnier than the space between the top and bottom of your door? If this is the case, you may quickly change the roller adjustment screw using a portable screwdriver to bring it back into proportion.
Turn the screws counterclockwise to lift the door. To lower the door, crank the screws in the opposite direction of the clock. You’ll also notice that your door will move more smoothly along the track, and it’ll also close more tightly because it will be more stable.
A variety of other problems caused by water intrusion via sliding doors.
However, although we discussed a few difficulties with your tracks or rollers here, we produced another blog article dedicated to typical problems with sliding glass doors to assist you in your future troubleshooting efforts.
The following are some more reasons why moisture can enter your sliding doors:
- A twisted track that could be hammered out (if it’s aluminum) or completely replaced (if plastic or unsavable metal)
- A faulty or nonexistent water drainage system might result in an excessive amount of water pooling at the base or dripping down your door.
- In the case of broken glass, it is possible to repair or replace it depending on the extent of the damage.
- Flashing or caulking has been worn around the door, which may be found both on top of and at the bottom of the door.
3. Complete the project with weather stripping
Installing an additional layer of weather stripping to prevent leaks caused by driving rain may be necessary even if well-maintained sliding glass doors don’t have water infiltration issues.
While installing the weather stripping, ensure that the whole door jamb is sealed with one continuous strip of weather stripping. Verify the seal by closing the sliding glass doors and feeling the material to see whether it compresses.
Do you continue to have water intrusion issues? Seek professional help
Melbourne hurricane rules for sliding doors require a 1.5–3.5-inch water threshold dam. Your sliding glass doors may not be correctly placed if you continue to see water penetration after performing regular maintenance and installing weatherstripping.
The door frame might get flooded if the door is set directly on the concrete slab. The top of the sliding glass doors may leak water if the door is placed near the edge of a roof overhang, which is common.
According to the information provided, there are many reasons why you may have water leaking from your sliding glass door. Sometimes the best course of action is to have your doors examined by an expert.
