Lift and Slide Door Problems, Benefits & Mechanism

What is a Lift and Slide door?

Lift & Slide doors are a popular choice and help open up your living space to the large expanses outside with just a few turns of a handle. Almost silent in operation, these doors offer seamless functionality while offering a space-saving design ideal for those homes where space is a luxury. Additionally, the door sash of a lift and slide door tends to open parallel to the fixed unit, instead of opening into the room while allowing the inflow for plenty of light and providing secure ventilation. With just a gentle flick of the hand, these door panels can travel smoothly to one side or open in the middle.

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Features & Benefits of Lift and Slide door

As locking points all around the sash perimeter are engaged, it provides exceptional protection against the elements of nature. Resistant to air and water infiltration.

• Highly energy efficient.
• Extremely simple and easy to operate.
• Unobstructed views to the great outdoors while offering high levels of protection against burglars.

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Lift and slide door mechanism

When the handle is turned down, the door is effectively locked into place and weather seals compress all the gaskets to prevent air leakage. With a 180-degree turn of the door handle, the door unlocks, engaging the wheels and the door rises to glide onto the rail therefore providing an effortless movement. This, in turn, allows seamless operation and sliding with minimal effort and without rubbing against the weather seals.

Lift and slide door problems and Potential Issues

Like any other mechanical door, even a lift and slide door can run into its fair share of issues and problems. Listed below are a few you could run into:

• More often than not, the handle of your lift and slide door tends to get stuck in the horizontal position which results in your door not shutting or locking properly. Although you probably can get the door shut in one movement without any problems, there are times when it could take multiple goes. This might mandate a handle replacement or oiling of the entire mechanism.
• Cleaning wide expansive glass panels could be a chore as they’re potentially fingerprint magnets as well. Similarly, the sliding sill can result in the accumulation of dust and grime causing doors to jam and not run around smoothly across the sills.
• Transparency
  If left uncovered, lift and slide doors can give large expansive views of what lies inside your house to burglars. Right from your valuables, art, electronics and other expensive knick-knacks, your home is right out there on display. One way to overcome this is by either applying a good quality tint or another good solution is installing attractive blinds, curtains or drapes to cover it up.
• Easy to break-in
  Lift and slide doors usually comprise a huge glass area and while they provide a nice aesthetic and can really brighten up your decor, they also pose a potential security hazard. If a burglar really wants to a break-in, he could simply shatter the glass or push the doors off their tracks as compared to a door made of steel or solid wood. Although this might take a lot more effort and even stands as a potential chance of being noticed, nonetheless it’s a vulnerability that an expert thief could exploit and use it to his advantage.