Blum Soft Close Drawer Slides Not Working

How Does One Adjust Soft Closing Cabinet Drawers?

Understanding what soft closing cabinet drawers are and how they work can help you know how to adjust effectively when they fail. Also known as automatic or self-closing, soft-closing drawers are those that retract quietly back into the cabinet with just a nudge.

Due to the normal wear and tear or wrong installation, soft closing cabinet drawers may sometime present some challenges when closing. They may either bang or drag when closing, and this means that something is wrong with the slides or the runners. It could also mean the drawer box was built out of square. However, the good news is that you can always have them adjusted and brought back to the correct alignment. This is possible by following these simple and easy steps.

Determine the Direction of the Tilt

Kitchen Cabinet Door Drawer with Soft Quiet Closer Damper Buffers Cushion, solution to slow down closing action of cupboard, storage, cabinet and drawer protect from slamming, reduce close noise.

The first step to adjusting soft closing cabinet drawers is determining the direction of the tilt. This is easy and simple to determine since you can see where the drawer is leaning and in what direction. For example, if the drawer leans forward, it means the runners are raised at the back of the cabinet and thus will need to be lowered a little to bring the drawer to correct alignment. If the drawer tilts towards the left side, it means the runners on the right side are raised and will need to be lowered. If the drawer is always getting stuck when removing it, then the slides need some adjustment outwards; to the left and right respectively.

Remove the Drawer

To avoid damaging the drawer, the runner, or the lever, ensure to remove the drawer first before embarking on the adjustment process. It will also allow free access to the working area, without anything obstructing you. The direction from which you remove the drawer is determined by what position the runners and the lever are located. If the runners are placed on the bottom side of the cabinet, you will just pull the drawer out and raise it a little. If the drawer is a little stuck in the cabinet, pull it slowly because too much force might end up damaging the system.

Clean the Metal Slides

Another reason for drawers dragging or coming out with struggle is due to debris or some particles. If the drawer is getting stuck when removing it, then you will want to pause and check for any presence of debris or particles. This is very probable if by any chance you happened to store food items in the drawer. To remove debris, use a pressurized air pump to suck or blow the particles.

Adjust the Tabs

Depending on the tilt of the drawer, it is now time to adjust the tabs. If for instance you want to raise the front side of the drawer box, all you will have to do is pull the adjustment towards the back. The tabs are located at the bottom of the drawer box and they slide in and out of the cabinet.

Check the Fit

Having done that, now it is time to test whether drawer slides in and out softly and quietly. If it still gives off that screeching sound, then it means the drawer box is out of square and needs further adjustments. You will repeat the same process until the drawer box is correctly aligned. If the problem persists after several trials of adjustment, then it means the slides are completely worn out or tabs are damaged. In this case, you will need to replace them with new ones.

Reposition the Drawer Dumpers

Remove the drawer box and you will see some adjustment levers at the back of the cabinet. The tilt agents are situated on the rear of the cabinet slides themselves that are mounted to the bureau box. To change the tilt, evacuate the cabinet box and utilize the tilt tab on the rear of the cabinet slides. As you move the tab, you will see a little mounting projection move with the tab. As the projection goes up, that will correspondingly raise the rear of the cabinet box. By controlling the tilt tabs on every one of the cabinet guides you can tilt the cabinet both left to right and front to back varying to accomplish a level cabinet box.

Some types of wood, especially hardwood absorb water and heat, which means they will slide out of square due to expansion and contraction. The best and effective solution of misaligned soft cabinet drawer is to call in a professional contractor instead of gambling with the slides.