A homeowner said water has been pooling in a sliding-door track every year, leading them to suspect the door's weep holes may never have worked properly.
After removing the door, cleaning the rail, and feeding about 20 inches of semi-flexible wire through the openings, the issue still didn't resolve, so the homeowner turned to Reddit for answers.
Here's what to know
Posting on Reddit's r/HomeMaintenance, the homeowner said the track still wouldn't drain during a water test, even after a full cleanup. They posted a video to better illustrate the issue. (If you can't see the video, click here.)
"Every year I have to soak up water that accumulates into my sliding door rail because the weeping holes don't seem to do their job," the original poster wrote.
According to the OP, the drainage problem appears to have been there since the door was installed, though it was only noticed after the first winter.
The poster said they had also considered several do-it-yourself options for loosening debris, including "pouring down boiling water," Drano, baking soda, or vinegar.
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Most of the replies, however, pushed them away from chemical treatments and toward physical clearing methods.
"There should be a hole on the outside lip for that to drain out of," explained one commenter.
The original poster replied that the opening in question was there, but "nothing comes out."
More background
Many of the replies focused on the same explanation: a clog was likely sitting somewhere between the interior channel where the water was pooling and the exterior outlet.
"This happened at my house," one commenter said. "Installer had caulked over the underside weep hole."
Another suggested the blockage might be hardened sediment, speculating that dust on the outside of the glass could wash into the drain when it rains and then settle there over time.
One commenter said they drilled their own drain area but later needed to add a grill because "There was a small pool in mine and mosquitoes loved it."
Other recommendations
Another recurring recommendation was compressed air.
"Have you tried compressed air from both sides?" asked one Redditor.
"Blow it out with an air line," said another.
In a variation on the theme of using air to unclog the blockage, one commenter advised using "a shop vac first to get as much water out as possible and maybe pull out whatever is blocking the drains."
Where can I learn more?
For more DIY drain-clearing ideas, these homeowner-tested fixes focus on simple ways to tackle clogs without reaching straight for harsh chemicals. They cover basic tools and techniques for clearing sink, tub, and other household drain blockages.
• One homeowner used a plumber-approved hack to break up a stubborn household drain clog.
• A bathroom sink started flowing like new after a quick manual fix.
• A handyman said a plunger and hot water cleared a backed-up drain fast.
• One dad showed how an easy, money-saving DIY pulled out a sink clog.
• A woman fashioned a homemade plastic tool to pull hair from a drain.
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