How to Look After Your Aluminium Bifold Doors Through Winter
Winter is when bifold doors work hardest. Here's how to keep them operating perfectly through cold, wet weather, and what to watch for before problems develop.
Aluminium bifold doors are built for year-round performance. But winter, with its combination of low temperatures, rain, debris, and reduced use, is the period when small maintenance oversights can develop into real problems. Here's how to keep your doors operating perfectly through the colder months.
Before Winter: The Autumn Check
Clean the track thoroughly
Autumn is the most important time to clear the bottom track of your bifold doors. Fallen leaves, grit, and general garden debris accumulate in the track over summer and autumn and, if left, will compress over winter and affect the smooth operation of the rollers. Use a vacuum and a soft brush to clear the track completely, then wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Lubricate the rollers and hinges
Apply a silicone or PTFE-based lubricant to the rollers, hinges, and locking mechanism. This prevents any stiffening of moving parts in cold temperatures, metal components contract slightly in the cold, and dry hardware can become stiff or resistant to operation. Don't use WD-40 or oil-based products, these attract dust and can gum up precision components over time.
Inspect the seals
Check the rubber weatherstripping around all panels. Press it gently, it should be soft and springy, making full contact around the frame perimeter. Seals that have hardened, cracked, or pulled away from their groove will allow cold air and water ingress through winter. Replacement seals are available and can be fitted without specialist tools.
Check the threshold
Inspect the threshold seal and ensure it's making proper contact with the door panels when closed. A compromised threshold seal is the most common source of draughts and water ingress at ground level through winter.
During Winter: Operating Your Doors Correctly
Open them regularly
Even in cold weather, it's worth opening your bifold doors periodically, not wide open, but fully cycling through the open-and-close sequence. This keeps the hardware moving smoothly and prevents any stiffness from developing in rollers or hinges that sit static for weeks at a time.
Don't force them
If your bifold doors feel resistant to opening or closing, don't force them. Resistance is usually a sign that the track needs clearing, the rollers need lubrication, or a panel has drifted slightly out of adjustment. Forcing a door that's resisting can damage the running gear. Identify and address the cause.
After heavy rain
After heavy rainfall, wipe the frame and glazing seals dry if standing water has collected. This is particularly relevant at the threshold, while quality thresholds are designed to channel water away, consistent pooling at the base of the door indicates a drainage issue worth addressing.
Ice and Frost: What to Do
In genuinely cold weather, bifold door thresholds can ice over. Never use metal tools to clear ice from the threshold or track, these can scratch or damage the aluminium or seals. Use a plastic scraper or, better, pour warm (not boiling) water across the threshold to melt ice quickly. De-icing products safe for use on UPVC are generally also safe on powder-coated aluminium, but avoid products containing acetone or strong solvents.
After Winter: The Spring Check
Once winter is over, repeat the autumn check routine: clean the track, wipe the frames, inspect the seals, and lubricate the hardware. If you notice any rollers that feel rough or uneven, or any panels that don't align quite as precisely as they did, have them adjusted by a professional rather than leaving them to worsen.
Origin-installed doors rarely need adjustment, the precision engineering of the running gear maintains alignment over thousands of cycles, but any door exposed to a full UK winter deserves a once-over before summer use begins in earnest.
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Author at SmartaView, writing about aluminium glazing, home improvements and the buying process.
