french doors | Dick's Rancho Glass

A Guide to Finding the Right Patio Doors for Your Home

August 1, 2019 by Dick's Rancho Glass

Patio doors are an important part of your home, serving as both a connector and divider to the outside and the rest of your house. The wide selection of sliding, swinging, French, and bi-fold patio doors gives home owners the flexibility to create a custom looking design that compliments your home’s style while helping to define your outdoor living space. The type of patio door you choose will depend several factors including your lifestyle, your home’s design, and your personal aesthetic. Here we present a quick guide to finding the right patio doors for your home.

Available Space – There are 2 popular types of patio door style: sliding doors and French doors [Read more…]

How to Change the Mortice Latch on a French Swing Patio Door

May 13, 2017 by Dick's Rancho Glass

A mortise latch allows a door to be easily opened and closed with a door handle. Learn how to change the direction of the mortice latch on a Milgard swing-type French Door.

For this project you will need: a Phillips head screwdriver, safety glasses, and gloves.

Warning: Do not use any power tools to adjust hinges.

To change the direction of the mortise latch, especially if accidentally rotated, first locate the mortise latch. Open the door panel, locate the strike pin, which is right below the latch, then compress and hold the strike pin. Then pull the handle up. You should see the lock activate. At this point pull the latch out and rotate to the correct position. Check to make sure the latch is correct by pushing down on the handle to de-activate the lock, then closing the door and rotate the handles up until it stops. Then rotate the lower thumb turn to activate lock. To unlock the Milgard French door, first rotate the lower thumb turn to unlock. Then rotate the handle down fully to disengage all locking parts.

How to Adjust the Hinge on a French Swing Patio Door

March 13, 2017 by Dick's Rancho Glass

For this project you will need, safety glasses, gloves, and a phillips head screwdriver.

Warning: Do not use power tools, only a hand screw driver.

Start adjustment steps only after frame is installed, plumb, level, and square, and the hinge anchor screws have been installed so that the hinge leaves and door frame are securely mounted to the rough opening.

The first thing to look for is to ensure that all hinges are carrying the panel load. Close the door panel and inspect hinges for any gaps in the middle. If there is a gap in the middle between the two hinge barrels, then the hinge needs adjusting. Open the door panel to gain access to the hinge adjustment screws. Open the middle hinge gap to the maximum and begin closing the hinge gap at the upper and lower hinges first. Adjust the hinge gap with the vertical gap adjustment screw. Close the gap by using a #2 phillips head screwdriver to rotate the adjustment screw over the top towards the bead indicator. Once the upper and lower hinge gaps have been sufficiently closed, close the middle hinge gap. Once the hinge barrels are touching, rotate the vertical adjustment screw up to one additional turn to fully load the hinge making sure that loading the hinge doesn’t create an additional gap on any of the other hinges. Repeat as needed.

Next it’s beat to check the vertical gap. With door panels closed check the gap between the top of the door panel and frame head, and the gap between the bottom of the door panel and the frame sill. Adjust the hinge gap with the vertical gap adjustment screw. Raise the panel by using a #2 phillips head screwdriver to rotate the adjustment screw over the top towards the V indicator and rotating the opposite direction to lower the panel. It takes approximately 15 full revolutions to move from tick mark to tick mark. Each tick mark is roughly 1/8 from the other. Adjust as needed to ensure vertical gaps are equal.

The last step is to measure the horizontal gap. Close door panel and check gap spacing just above and below the hinges. If gap spacing is inconsistent, or more than 0.1 inch, then the hinge needs horizontal adjustment. Use the horizontal gap adjustment screw which adjusts the gap between the panel and the jam. Clockwise closes the gap, while counter-clockwise opens the gap. Adjustment range achieved in approximately three revolutions where each revolution moves the hinge roughly .060 inches. Check horizontal gaps as explained at the first part of this video. If the gaps are within the specified range, open and close the door panel a few times to make sure that there is no clashing. Repeat as needed.

How to Adjust and Operate a Milgard Fiberglass and Vinyl French Door

March 2, 2016 by Dick's Rancho Glass

Adjusting your Milgard French door helps it operate smoothly. Follow these instructions to adjust the locks and panels on your door.

Safety Precautions: Activities in this video are appropriate for individuals with an understanding of how to use simple hand tool. Remember to wear eye protection and make sure that pets and small children are not present when performing these activities. Questions? Call 1-800-Milgard or visit www.milgard.com

You’ll need a ¼ inch allen key and a number two phillips head screwdriver.

Begin by checking the gaps between the door panels at the center frames and sides. And with the door open, check the bottom of each hinge bolt. Determine the direction you need to adjust each panel to achieve equal sight lines. To raise and lower the door panel start with the top hinge. Using the ¼ inch allen key, rotate the bolt clockwise to raise the panel up, and counter clockwise to lower the panel. Once you achieve the right adjusted height, raise or lower the other two hinges to the same setting.

To adjust panels for the side and center gaps, locate the hinge adjustment screw, this is attached to the panel on the inside of the hinge. Use a number two phillips head screwdriver to make the adjustment. Rotate clockwise to move the panel towards the hinge side, rotate counterclockwise to move the panel towards the center. Be careful not to over-turn the adjustment screw.

Now let’s operate the locks. To lock the French door, begin by closing the passive panel. Rotate the handle up until it stops. Rotate the thumb turn to activate the lock. Now do the same for the active panel on the other side. To unlock the French door, begin by rotating the thumb turn. Rotate the handle down to disengage all locking points, then open the door. If needed adjust the mortise latch to the correct position. Compress the strike pin, pull the handle up to activate the lock. The mortise latch can be pulled out and rotated to the correct position. Pull the handle down to disengage and close the door.

A Guide to Finding the Right Patio Doors for Your Home

How to Change the Mortice Latch on a French Swing Patio Door

How to Adjust the Hinge on a French Swing Patio Door

How to Adjust and Operate a Milgard Fiberglass and Vinyl French Door

Map to Dick’s Rancho Glass

SACRAMENTO

FAIR OAKS