"If anyone out there has done this job, what do you find when you remove the old rollers?"

Nine times out of ten, worn out rollers.

OK, nice answer. You've done this ten times? How are the rollers "worn out"? Are they dirty? Are the bearings bad? I've got other people who say that often they just need a cleaning. Ideally with some carb cleaner.

You will not know until the rollers are at least exposed. I don't understand what you are asking. Yes I have worked on sliding patio doors dozens of times. The worst problem I had was no parts available because what I worked on were in apartment houses and cheap. It's best having one person in charge of keeping the door from falling while another retracts rollers. Raise bottom rollers so door drops then lower top rollers until door will tilt out of frame. Lay door on a table or saw horses to inspect. You can then tell if bearings are shot or can be cleaned and lubed. Use graphite to lub,oil and WD40 atract dirt. I would call around to see if rollers are available before taking door out in case rollers fall apart.

My question was pretty simple. What is the usual failure mode for these rollers? You're saying 9 out of 10 times they are "worn out". Does that mean the wheels are crumbling, or the bearings are bad, or the hubs are dissolving? Some people think that grunge and dirt make mechanical things "worn out", and just replace them instead of doing a responsible cleaning.

As I understand the way to access the rollers is just to remove the door. I don't think Andersen patio doors have top rollers, do they? I'm pretty sure the wooden head stop acts as a top side guide. That head stop keeps the door from falling when the lower rollers are retracted. You have to remove that head stop to remove the door.

daninthedirt:

I just did this job today. I've got a pair of Woods Power Grips which makes door removal easy, but it's not impossible without them.

Grab the door, push up, and pull out the bottom. This can be awkward, so be careful. Lay the door on its side and check the rollers. I got by with a few squirts of WD-40, but you may have to replace the rollers and that can be a pain, depending on your type.

Your doors may be toast; I've seen that too.

Good luck.

Thanks. My understanding is that the removal isn't hard, but it's certainly a 2-person job. Andersen cautions against using lubricants, because the door can end up sliding, rather than rolling, but maybe that's about lubricants on the tracks. What happens to a door to make it toast? They're pretty solid doors.

If the doors are not properly adjusted the edge of the rollers tend to wear and the door will almost fall off the roller. I have seen the bearings fail, seen crud get get in the rollers and basically seize them up, and or just plane break. Andersen rollers are on general pretty good and never had to sell many but occasionally.

daninthedirt:

I should have been more specific. Most of the doors I repair are low-grade builder junk, not a decent brand like Andersen. They just wear out.

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