A returning customer in Walton got in touch about an aluminium bi-fold door that was no longer locking properly and was leaving a gap at the top when closed.
These faults are difficult to diagnose accurately from a phone call alone. After thousands of conversations with customers over the years, I’ve learned that everyone has their own name for the same parts 😊. That’s why I sometimes ask for a photo or a quick video — not to make life difficult, but because it lets me see exactly what you’re talking about and often spot something you may not have noticed. It also means I can give a much more realistic price or at least a sensible range.
In this case there were too many possibilities to quote confidently without seeing the door: alignment, rollers, frame movement, hinges or a combination of them. As it was a returning customer, I went out to inspect it.
The moment I opened the door and saw what was happening at the top, the possibilities narrowed down very quickly. It was either badly out of alignment or the hinge had failed. This time it was the hinge. A large section had sheared away and the door was effectively hanging on for dear life from one screw.
These aluminium bi-fold doors are extremely heavy, so once something structural starts failing they can become dangerous very quickly. The customer had called at the right time; another few uses could easily have made the situation much worse.
The roller hinge needed replacing. I didn’t carry that particular one because it’s a fairly niche part, so I took the measurements, carefully closed and locked the door, and advised the customer not to use it until it was repaired.
After a few hours of searching I found a compatible replacement in stock, which was a result because some of these parts can take months to source. It was a different colour to the original, but that wasn’t exactly the customer’s biggest concern at that point.
Part ordered, fitted and properly tested — job’s a good’un.
