Slimline bifold doors are becoming a popular choice among homeowners. They have both an aesthetic and practical appeal. They flood interior spaces with natural light, are more elegant than simple sliding doors, and take up less space than French doors. It’s no wonder so many people are choosing aluminium bifold doors for their homes.
Bifolding doors indeed offer great benefits, but they can, like all things, malfunction over the course of time. With regular repair and maintenance, you can see to it that your doors stay in perfect shape. Often, you can do these repairs yourself if you understand what the problem is. Here you’ll find a guide on repairing bifold doors that won’t close.
How Do Bifold Doors Work?
Before starting repair work on your doors, it’s important to understand how they work. In doing so, you’ll know what to look for when you start the repairs.
Bifold doors run on tracks, affixed to either the top or bottom of the door frame. The bottoms of bifold doors have pegs in them, which glide along the tracks. The top contains a spring-loaded pivot hinge and a wheel. The pivot can be loosened and adjusted when the door isn’t functioning correctly.
Repairing Bifold Doors: 6 Steps
Now that you have a clear picture of how a bifold door operates, you can troubleshoot the problem. Since the most common issue with bifold doors is having them pop open or close incorrectly, that’s what is addressed below.
Step 1 – Locate the Snugger
The first thing to do is examine and adjust the outer pin. To get at the pin, you’ll need to remove the door from its track. You can do this by pushing on the roller installed in the door’s upper edge. Wiggle it back and forth gently, until the top of the door releases. Once it loosens, you can lift the door up and out.
With the door off its track, you can now easily locate the bracket which contains the outer pin. The bracket will be on the very end of the track, close to the casing. Inside the bracket is a hole, and in the hole is a pin loaded with a spring. This is called the snugger.
Step 2 – Test and Readjust Snugger
Usually, the reason for doors not closing correctly or popping back open is the snugger. If the doors will close upon the snugger too forcefully, the spring-loaded pin will push the door back and pop it open. Another reason is that the bracket may have shifted due to normal wear and tear. You should ensure the bracket is in its original position from when the doors were installed. If it isn’t, screw it back into place.
You may also need to readjust the snugger. Its correct position should be further into the bracket, so that the door doesn’t hit against the bracket so forcefully. You can slide the snugger back into place easily. If you have four bifold panels, the spring should be centred in the hole in the bracket. If you only have two panels, slide the spring further into the bracket.
Step 3 – Examine the Inner Roller
In the next step, you’ll look at the inner rolling mechanism on the door. The roller should be loaded with a spring that allows the door to glide closed. If there’s any friction when you push down on the roller, then you should spray it with some lubricating spray.
Afterward, test the roller’s proper movement by sliding it back and forth underneath the upper track. Once let go, it should ram itself back into place.
Step 4 – Slip Doors Back Into Place
Now that you’ve troubleshot some of the most common issues with bifold doors, it’s time to see if your repairs worked. You’ll need to place the doors back into their frame. When putting the door back, push it upward so that the pin fits into the bracket and the rolling mechanism fits into place as well.
Test the doors by gliding them open and closed, and see if they still pop back open when they’re not supposed to. If the problem persists, try readjusting the bracket again. If, after all your efforts, you cannot seem to make your bifolding doors function properly, it may be time to call a professional.
Final Word
While you can easily find tutorials online guiding you through bifold door repair, sometimes expert help is preferable. If you’re unsure what you’re doing and uncomfortable using the tools required to repair a bifold door, then don’t hesitate to call experts. A professional with experience installing and repairing bespoke bifold doors can get the job done properly and give you peace of mind. Bifold doors are meant to add value to your home – you don’t want them to pose an inconvenience instead.
Share this article
