DDA Construction repairs and maintains doors and windows in Montgomery County, Washington DC and Northern Virginia: sliding door rollers and tracks, pivot door hydraulic closers, lift-and-slide gears and seals, multi-point locks, tilt-and-turn hardware, fogged insulated glass, drafts and water leaks. The company works on U.S. brands and imported systems, including products installed by others.
| Service | Door and window repair and maintenance |
|---|---|
| Covers | Sliding, pivot, lift-and-slide, bi-fold, entry, French doors; all common window types |
| Includes | Imported and European hardware |
| Area | Montgomery County MD, Washington DC, Northern Virginia |
Symptom, likely cause, fix
| What you notice | Usual cause | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Slider is hard to push | Grit in the track, worn or low rollers | Clean track, adjust or replace rollers |
| Pivot door slams or bounces | Closer speed settings off, or seals failing | Re-tune closer valves; replace closer if it leaks oil |
| Lift-and-slide handle is stiff | Gear or rollers need service, panel out of adjustment | Service gear and rollers, re-level panel |
| Door won't latch or lock | Hinge sag, strike or keeper out of line | Re-align hinges, strike and multi-point lock |
| Haze between the panes | Failed seal on the insulated glass unit | Replace the glass unit, keep the frame |
| Draft or whistle | Worn weatherstrip or sweep, panel not seating | Replace seals, adjust panel or threshold |
| Water inside after rain | Blocked weep holes, missing sill pan or flashing | Clear drainage; diagnose and correct the sill |
| Tilt-and-turn sash drags | Sash dropped at the hinges | Adjust hinge height and side play |
Pivot door closers: adjust before you replace
Most modern pivot doors hide a hydraulic closer in the floor or in the bottom of the door, with separate valves for the main swing and the last few degrees. Many problems are settings, not failures. Oil around the pivot is the exception: it means the internal seals have failed and the closer needs replacing.
Seasonal tune-up
Large doors settle, and hydraulic closers run slower in cold weather. A tune-up visit covers cleaning tracks and weep holes, checking seals and gaskets, adjusting rollers, closers and locks, and lubricating hardware with the right product. It suits homes with several specialty doors, and it's how we find small problems before they become repairs.
Repair or replace?
Repair usually makes sense when the frame is sound and square and the problem is hardware, seals or glass. Replacement makes sense when the frame is rotted or bent, water has damaged the opening, or parts are no longer available. When we recommend replacement, we explain what failed and show you.
Questions
Can you replace fogged glass without replacing the window?
Usually, yes. The insulated glass unit can be replaced in most windows and sliding doors while the frame stays in place.
Why is my sliding door hard to open?
Most often grit in the bottom track grinding into the rollers. Cleaning the track, lubricating with a dry silicone or PTFE product and adjusting the roller height fixes many doors. Worn rollers need replacing.
Do you repair imported or European hardware?
Yes. Parts come from the hardware maker, not the window factory, so we identify the hardware brand and source the right parts.
My pivot door opens by itself. What's wrong?
Usually the floor and top pivots are out of alignment or the closer settings are off. It is typically an adjustment.
Do you repair doors and windows you didn't install?
Yes. Most of our repair calls are on products installed by someone else.
Sources
Written and reviewed by DDA Construction · Updated September 2026