When bifold doors begin to open awkwardly or won't stay closed, a simple do-it-yourself (DIY) repair is all that's needed. With common tools and about 10 minutes of your time, your door can be reset and working like new. Does this Spark an idea?
Awkward Opening Bifold Doors
A bifold door that won't open correctly is simply set too high or too low on one of the hinges. These hinges are located at the corners of the doors. To fix them simply remove the door from the track by lifting it up and off the bottom bracket and sliding the top rollers through the open end of the track. If the door is rubbing against the bottom part of the door frame, then simply loosen the setting screw in the bottom hinge and extend it out from the door. Or, raise the position of the bracket that the bottom hinges set into. This is attached to the floor at the corner of the door frame.
Moving the Lower Bracket
Other times the lower bracket is causing the problem, not because it is set too high, but because it is not lined up properly. Remove the door as in section 1, and then realign this bottom bracket with the top of the door frame. Make sure it is perfectly aligned with the center of the bifold door track. Hold a string with weight to the top of the door frame right in the center. Where the weight intersects the floor is where the center of the bracket should be.
Adjusting the Top Rollers
Another problem with bifold doors occurs when the top rollers are out of alignment or hung improperly. Fully open the doors and then check to make sure the edge is perfectly straight and running right along the center of the frame. Adjust the top rollers to straighten the doors by loosening the screws and resetting. Make sure they are perfectly aligned; any misalignment---even a small one---will cause the door to open awkwardly.
Resetting the Hinges
In some cases, another DIY fix can be used. If doors can not be adjusted, the hinges should be taken out, filled with wood putty, and let dry. Then new holes need to be drilled into the bottom of the door and the hinges set back inside of them. This extreme fix is only if you do not want to buy new doors, and you have exhausted all other options.
Tags: door frame, bifold door, bifold doors, bottom bracket, open awkwardly