Sliding glass doors are prone to flooding, which means they often have mold and mildew. Many windows and door frames have weep holes to drain the water from rain, spills, and so on. You might be wondering if your sliding glass door has weep holes to handle the draining or if you need to manually drain it.
Sliding glass doors have weep holes to drain water out of the track. Some weep holes have covers that need to be removed when the sliding door’s track is full. Remove excess debris from the weep hole if the water won’t drain out of the sliding glass door.
Throughout this post, we’ll explain why your sliding glass door has weep holes, where they’re located, and how you can clean them to ensure they work properly.
Where Are Weep Holes Located on Sliding Glass Doors?
Weep holes are located at the base of the tracks on sliding glass doors.
They’re typically oblong holes with caps over them. You can remove the caps to let them drain.
Some homeowners prefer to cap their sliding glass door weep holes when there’s no rain because they’re big enough to allow some bugs inside.
Drilled weep holes are often added by the homeowner if they got sliding glass doors without them pre-installed.
If you can’t find the weep holes in the tracks, head outside.
Look near the bottom right or bottom left of the door frame.
You’ll find bored holes somewhere along the track. If there aren’t any holes, you can drill them with a ⅛-inch drillbit.
Make sure you drill through the metal portion that’s near the bottom of the tracks to drain as much water as possible.
Why Does Your Sliding Glass Door Track Fill With Water?
Your sliding glass door track fills with water because the weep holes are covered, filled with debris, or your door doesn’t have them. Almost all sliding doors have weep holes on the tracks to prevent flooding. However, debris and excessive amounts of water can prevent them from draining quickly enough.
IQ Glass UK explains heavy rainstorms can be too much for sliding glass door weep holes.
They’re quite small, which means they can only drain a little bit of water at a time.
If too much water builds up in the tracks, causing rust.
It could also flood onto the carpet or hardwood near the edge of the sliding glass door.
Cleaning your sliding glass door tracks and weep holes is the best way to prevent them from overflowing.
It’s important to clean them regularly, especially if you think there’s a rainstorm around the corner.
Remember to remove the covers from the weep holes at the base of the sliding glass door to ensure they can drain properly.
Read on for more information about getting the most out of your sliding glass door’s weep holes.
How Do You Clean Weep Holes in Sliding Glass Doors?
To clean weep holes in sliding glass doors, follow these steps:
- Scrub the area around the weep holes with a soft sponge. It’s important to remove as much surface mold and bacteria as possible. The last thing you want is to push the debris deeper into the sliding glass door tracks. Use a sponge, warm water, and a drop of dish soap to get the job done.
- Use pipe cleaners to remove excess debris from the weep holes. Use pipe cleaners or toothpicks to get rid of the fine particles of dirt in the weep holes. These tracks can be quite small and hard to get to, but pipe cleaners are more than suitable.
- Spray water through the weep holes to ensure they work. While a garden hose works best, you can also try a water bottle or a funnel. There needs to be a light amount of water pressure pushing through the weep holes. Not only does this remove excess debris, but it also ensures the weep holes are functioning properly.
- Dry the holes to prevent rust and mold. Use a microfiber cloth or a soft towel to absorb the leftover moisture. Too much water in the sliding glass door track will eventually cause corrosion. Don’t use anything too abrasive because it can scratch the tracks.
Read also: Can A Bedroom Have A Sliding Glass Door?
Final Thoughts
Weep holes play a crucial role in preventing flood damage and mold growth.
Even if you don’t live in an area prone to floods, we highly recommend removing the caps and cleaning them every so often.
Always let water flow out of the weep holes when the sliding glass door’s track has moisture in it.
Cheers, tools owners!
