New Patio Doors Leak!!

[William]

I recently bought and installed two sliding glass patio doors for my beach cottage. I bought them at Home Depot, the plain-jane, inexpensive ones. They are on the front of the building. Whenever there is a moderate to heavy rain, the doors leak!! The threshold will fill with water. It seems to be dripping in where the individual door panels meet. What should I do? Should I ask Home Depot for my money back, or should I go after the manufacturer? I am steaming mad about this. The 25 year old patio doors looked bad, but didn't leak at all.

Your comments welcomed.

Will

[ameijers]

Hard to see from here, but it sounds like you installed them incorrectly, such that the weep holes to outside world in the lower tracks are blocked. Hope you flashed the sills correctly, or your decking will be rotting shortly. Also possible you installed them 'racked', such that the sliding seal in the middle ain't making it. Call a door'n'window company. or a good carpenter, to come out and look, and give you a quote to take them apart and put them back together correctly.

aem sends...

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Re-read the installation instructions. Did you block or not allow for the drainage? Did you install the backwards?

Even cheap doors won't leak when new and installed properly. Ed

[Ramjet]

check to make sure the "j-seals" (where the 2 panels meet) are interlocking when the sliding door is closed. I have purchased a similar door from HD and the seals were put on backwards at the factory.

[SkyBlue]

I have standard builder grade sliding patio doors on a porch, protected from rain. They were "professionally" installed by the builder - backwards. They leak when I wash the porch with a hose and spray them on purpose. My wife stands guard inside with a towel while the leaking is in progress. Since they are backwards, the outside door slides over the inside stationary door, so there is no way to block it by dropping in a broom handle. Does that sound like your installation?

We are looking at replacing them and find that some doors are built far better than others. Since you are beach front, you have special needs. The cheapest door at HD is not likely to satisfy that location even if installed correctly. Have you checked dealers serving the beach community for their recommendations. That would go for the windows as well.

William wrote:

[Art Begun]

Can't you remove the 2 panels and reverse them? It is hard to believe the whole unit is facing the wrong way.

protected from

backwards. They

stationary door,

needs. The

inexpensive

[Art Begun]

Any chance they are upside down and hardware removable and re-installable correctly?

exterior,

left.

configuration

removable

purpose. My

progress.

[Ann G]

my $.02

Not able to access this forum regularly (as I'd like to) I find articles with numerous replies such as this one extremely hard to follow. After only a few months with usenet groups I can definately see a need for users to consider others with respect to how they reply. I've also seen how many defend their 'way' of replying, whether it be on the tiop or the bottom. I would have to say that this reply is an excellent example of why top may not be the best. Being a beginner I found this site helpful.

Also, for your consideration.

[Arin]

wow what is this................ "art" gone wild trying a different tactic (pleasant) or what?

[xymergy]

I love you, Ann G. Thank you for encouraging bottom posting, and allow me to add my personal strong encouragement for MAJOR SNIPPAGE of relevant posts to include ONLY material to which one wishes to respond so that the entire thing might possibly stay within a single browser window.

Bottom posting is the way to go to keep threads consistent and coherent. Top posting sux.

[Art Begun]

For anyone using a modern newsreader, top posting is just fine. And it also works well when using

and searching the groups page. The bottom posting recommendations were made when people were using green screens. If you are still using a DOS or other character reader I can understand your problem. But it is your problem, not ours.

respond

[Ann G]

snipped Art's top posting.

Hey Art, [e-mail] was right. Snipping is way kewl. LOL Was this link not working?