How to Check Drainage Channel for Patio & Bi Fold Doors

One of the technical team here at Thames Valley Windows talks about How to Check Drainage Channel for Patio & Bi Fold Doors.

Video Transcription How to Check Drainage Channel for Patio & Bi Fold Doors

Today, I am going to show you how to check the drainage channel on both bifold doors and sliding patio doors. This video is intended to just basically show you any maintenance that you might need to provide in the future on your patio & bifold doors.

On the front of the track as you look along you will find the door drainage slot. On a regular basis you will want to do is make sure that this area all along the front and anywhere where the wheels are going to run is clean of debris, dust, and any other materials.

The best way to check that the drainage channel is working and flowing as it should is to get a jug of water and to then pour it into the front part of the track where the drainage channel is located. You should then see water traveling out of the channel and if this is the case you then know that the drainage channel is clear.

If there is no water coming through the channel you will need to try to clear it out. The best thing is to get a long-reach cotton bud and from the front of the drainage slot clean it thoroughly before testing again. Hopefully this should have cleared the draining channel.

On the bifold doors themselves everything runs on a wheel system so the most important thing is to make sure that the silver track you can see here is always free of debris. Any debris is going to catch on the wheels. This can in turn then scratch the wheels and that can lead to several problems in the future. To avoid this, I would normally use a hoover with a thin attachment and use this to clear all of this through. It is common to get leaves and bits and pieces throughout different seasons caught here so regularly cleaning with a hoover will keep on top of this.

We recommend that you use a lubricant that’s PTFE-based on the wheels themselves to keep them in good condition and moving freely. You need to use a lubricant that is not going to gather any of dust or debris. For example, WD-40 is quite sticky, so any particles or debris trapped in the channel is going to stick to the lubricant. A PTFE-based lubricant stops this from happening.