How to fix soft-close drawers that won't stay closed?

[tsc1611]

Hi, We have a soft-close drawer in our kitchen bench that all of a sudden decided it was no longer going to close all the way. You can push it all the way in, but it just springs out again. Can anyone please offer advice as to what the issue might be?

Thanks in advance

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @tsc1611. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

If it was one of our brands like Kaboodle then I would be happy to contact them for you to work out what the issue is. Alternatively, I would advise removing it as well as another functioning draw and having a look at what is different between the two track systems. Perhaps that might identify broken parts on the draw that keeps opening.

Do you have any excess weight in the front of the draw versus the back of it? Or do you have more weight in this draw than others? If you do you might like to shift the contents into another draw and see if it has the same self-opening issue. That would clarify if it is a weight distribution problem.

Let me mention @redracer01 to see if he could add to the discussion.

Please let me know how you go or if this is one of our cabinets units.

Mitchell

[redracer01]

Hello @tsc1611 

Looks like a metal sided drawer? Is this correct? The release switch is either located at the bottom of the rail at the front or the right hand side of the covered rail. You will have to do some investigating in order to find out. Once you have removed the drawer, it will now be just a matter of eliminating possible causes of the jam. A wayward cutlery tool shoved in the back perhaps? Bearing failure? It could be any number of causes, what we do need to find out is to see if the rails still work and the soft close mechanism has not failed. Once you've determined the cause it will now just be a matter of repair ( if possible ) or a total replacement of the unit. Good luck and stay safe.

Cheers,

Red

[tsc1611]

Hi Mitchell,

Thanks so much for getting back to me. We have had the same amount of weight and distribution for a number of years, and the problem has only started to occur recently. Just to verify, I took all the items from the drawer, but it didn't still didn't close. I also compared the track system to another similar drawer, and I couldn't see any major differences.

Thanks again,

Tim 

[tsc1611]

Hi @redracer01,

Yes, it is a metal-sided drawer. I was able to remove the drawer from the unit, but couldn't see any obvious reason for the cause of the failure. You mentioned possible bearing failure. What are the steps to verify if the bearings have failed?

Thanks very much,

Tim

[redracer01]

Hello @tsc1611 

Its possible that the drawer has pulled out from the slide mechanism as well.

- Pull the left and right sliders all the way out.

- Clip the drawer back on to the runners with the rails all the way out.

- The end of the rail must be as close as possible to the front of the drawer and locked in to place.

Upon testing the drawer must now go all the way in.

- Still not working? Unlock and remove the drawer again and look at the rails and push back in to cabinet till it reaches end. If does not go all the way back then it is a drawer runner problem and must be replaced. How ever if it goes all the way in with no hint of catching, it must be the way the drawer sides are attached and is cathing on something. You may have to do some trial and error to find what is causing the failure to close.

Cheers,

Red

[MitchellMc]

@tsc1611,

It's great to see @redracer01 is now also assisting with your issue. Please follow their instructions and let us know how you go.

After following the provided instructions you might like to swap the drawer with another one. If another drawer is placed in that position and the issue continues it would narrow down the possibilities of what could be the problem.

Mitchell

[tsc1611]

Thanks very much for the feedback @redracer01 - I will give your suggestions a try and let you know how I go.

Cheers,

Tim

[tsc1611]

Hi @redracer01, @MitchellMc,

Thanks for all your input - really appreciated. I believe I have found the issue with the draw. When I looked at the rails more closely, it appears as though the plastic clips have broken on the spring housings on both rails, and as a result, the springs have retracted, and are no longer attached in the correct place. 

The rails are Harn Triomax, so I will endeavour to find some replacement spring housings or rails, and hopefully that will resolve the issue. I looked on the Bunnings website, and it appears as though Bunnings don't stock Harn rails or parts?

Thanks again for your help,

Cheers,

Tim

[MitchellMc]

Hi Tim (@tsc1611), 

Great work on locating the issue with the drawer. I've had a look myself and you are correct that we do not carry Harn rails or parts. If you have difficulty replacing the rails or parts, perhaps you could consider replacing them with one of our systems. 

Mitchell