Repairing a Sliding Glass Door Handle

Doug Brown, Operations VP at Streetvestor, LLC

     Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun but I bet he never had to replace the door handle-set on a sliding glass door.  My company rehabs houses & sells investment property & recently I had to solve the problem.  Starting at the hardware store the conversation went as follows:

Note: [If you want the bottom line, skip to The Solution.  If you want a story, read on!]

     “Can I help you?” asks The Man.

     “Sure!  I’ve got this sliding glass door and . . . “ I begin to say, when he suddenly spots a profitable customer.

     “Well, let me get Curt to help you.  He’s new but he’s smart.  Ma’am, may I help you?”  He turns to help the lady that probably needs something expensive.

     I stand there wondering which of the two teenage boys that refuses to make eye contact with me is named Curt.  Finally I’m lead down the aisle to a section with generic parts for doors, windows, storm doors, and bi-fold doors.

    I am not a genius, but Curt makes me feel as if my IQ is only a few IQ points higher than an orangutan.  After all, “Everybody knows the things you need to know to know what you need.”  Thanks, Curt.  He says all you need to know is . . .

“Distance between bolt holes on your handle, Door thickness,  internal or external latch, hook latch or clamp style, manufacturer of door, right-hand or left hand, anti-lift key, & color.” 

.

     Frankly, I missed some of these details while looking at my door.  “How much does a new door cost?” I ask, sarcastically.  Curt misses the point.  So I answer . . .

“My bolt spacing is 3 ½”, my door is 7/8” thick, I have an internal latch, I have a

clamp style, my manufacturer is Peachtree, right-hand, anti-lift, and silver”

…

Unfazed, Curt replies, “We don’t stock that model here.” 

Either do what I tell you or experience a day as described.  Forgetting everything above . . .

Go to:  Hardware store of your choice, tell manager to order a “C 1000 CRL Hook Style Surface Mounted Handle Set.”  (You MUST use these words EXACTLY or else.  It comes in silver.  Prime Line is the manufacturer, CRL is their acronym.) This model has 4 15/16” hole centers but it is large enough to cover most existing holes from the old handle set.  It has an anti-lift key that fits into the keeper & it is left or right handed.  All you have to do is attach it to the door & attach the keeper to the 

            door casing.  Everything is factory assembled. 

Conclusion of Story

     There is nothing new under the sun, but things may be new to you.  A house without a secure door is a house a tenant does not want.  Surface mounting the mechanism gets you out of the job quickly.

     Feel free to visit our company website & find out how we solve other problems with sliding-glass-doors, such as how to make them roll or easy ways to provide better security (find under our real estate blog at Streetvestor.com).  These tips are available to all.    

Doug Brown is in charge of outside operations (rehabs) for Streetvestor, LLC, a firm that helps ordinary people invest in real estate.