rollers for sliding door

Question

I need to replace the rollers on my sliding door. This door was the original that came with the house built in 1970. It has a sliding door and stationary door. Total width is 6', sliding door is 3'. I can't find anything on the door itself that identifies a part number. The door handle has the company name as Acorn Dorwal but that's as much info as I have. This was a subdivision build so my guess is that this was a common sliding door placed at the time. I looked up the company for replacements and Swisco comes up regarding replacement parts. The research I did makes me think that Swisco part number 81-030 may be correct replacement but without pulling the door out, finding a part number for the roller and ordering on-line, waiting for delivery and then replacing, I was wondering if you had a better idea what the roller replacement part number would be - or a better process to do the replacement?
I believe I need to remove the stationary door before I can remove the sliding door which will open the area to the elements. I'm in St. Louis, MO so its still a little cold to let that happen.

Bob · Accepted Answer

Thanks for writing in. Unfortunately, the only reliable way of identifying the replacement rollers you need is to see the originals out of the door. Sliding door rollers are incredibly brand-independent. The only way to know with confidence what you have is to see photos of the original; the width and height of the entire assembly, as well as the diameter of the wheels, is also valuable to know.

Now, all that said, Acorn Dorwal has been associated with a few of our rollers in the past. See the 81-030 as you surmised, as well as the 81-005, 81-027, and 81-174. But again, the only to really know if one of these might be what you need is to compare the dimensions with your original hardware.

For information on how to remove and replace these rollers, see the video below. If you wish to wait for warmer weather, we'll be here if you need us for identification. Thanks.