Porch Door Not Locking

[secretspy]

Hi guys,

Not sure if anyone is able to help but my mum had a uPVC porch door fitted last year and, whilst it was initially fine, no longer seems to allow her to lift the handle high enough to be able to lock it.

This appeared to start when the hot weather arrived and my sister said she had experienced the same with hers. (My sister managed to fix the issue but can't remember how )

My mum tried contacting the guy who fitted the door several times but he either never responded to her or when he finally did, never showed up when he said he would.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what we can try, to sort the issue or is it a case of needing a new door handle?

I'm not sure if any pictures would help...(If you need different ones please let me know, this is the best I could get off of my mum lol)


https://i.imgur.com/BGBf2Ai.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8fLwNqp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/lX06ZjT.jpg

TIA

 

[Kamakazie!]

Mine did the same and I fixed it by spraying a load of PTFE (teflon) lubricant into the lock and on each of the engagement points then actuating the mechanism whilst open a few times & spraying a bit more.
It's not a permanent fix but 3 weeks on and it's still fine and probably will be all year. Don't think it should happen on something as new as that though. Mines probably 15yrs old and only recently started doing it.

 

[bazzabear]

When you raise the handle, it moves a set of pins and latches out of the door which locate / grab on the frame or other door.

So, my first questions would be:

If she raises the handle with the door open, do all those pins come out smoothly, and does it seem like she can move it all the way up as it used to?

If she still feels like it's not moving easily / fully, then this suggests that the issue is with the mechanism itself.

If it seems to work fine while the door is open, then it suggests that either one of the places those pins are supposed to locate has been blocked somehow, or the door or frame have moved slightly and they're no longer moving into the right place.

 

[Semple]

PVC doors are notorious for expanding in the hot weather, especially if you get any sun on it during the day. Is she able to lock it later in the evening when it's cooled down?

Your first step needs to be to determine if the issue is with the locking mechanism, or locking it into the frame. Does the lock fully engage when you lift the handle up when the door is open?

If it's a case of struggling to fit into the frame then next step would be to try and see where it's rubbing on the frame. If it's a new door, then that should be easy as there shouldn't be any markings on the frame.

 

[jellybeard999]

My UPVC back door wouldn't lock last year and I resolved it by adjusting the hinges. It's been fine ever since. Just a thought - the lock may not be the issue.

 

[secretspy]

Mine did the same and I fixed it by spraying a load of PTFE (teflon) lubricant into the lock and on each of the engagement points then actuating the mechanism whilst open a few times & spraying a bit more.
It's not a permanent fix but 3 weeks on and it's still fine and probably will be all year. Don't think it should happen on something as new as that though. Mines probably 15yrs old and only recently started doing it.

I'll suggest this to her, thanks

When you raise the handle, it moves a set of pins and latches out of the door which locate / grab on the frame or other door.

So, my first questions would be:

If she raises the handle with the door open, do all those pins come out smoothly, and does it seem like she can move it all the way up as it used to?

If she still feels like it's not moving easily / fully, then this suggests that the issue is with the mechanism itself.

If it seems to work fine while the door is open, then it suggests that either one of the places those pins are supposed to locate has been blocked somehow, or the door or frame have moved slightly and they're no longer moving into the right place.

Sorry, I forgot to say we tried to establish if it worked with the door open but it doesn't. It will only allow her to lift the handle slightly but not enough to let her turn the key to lock it. I did try to see if anything was sticking but I couldn't. I'll ask her to test this again though.

edit: she's just replied to me saying it won't let her lift the handle up even when the door is open. It gets about half way

PVC doors are notorious for expanding in the hot weather, especially if you get any sun on it during the day. Is she able to lock it later in the evening when it's cooled down?

Your first step needs to be to determine if the issue is with the locking mechanism, or locking it into the frame. Does the lock fully engage when you lift the handle up when the door is open?

If it's a case of struggling to fit into the frame then next step would be to try and see where it's rubbing on the frame. If it's a new door, then that should be easy as there shouldn't be any markings on the frame.

There was a brief time over winter when it seemed to be fine again but this only lasted maybe a day or do. It doesn't seem to stick when trying to close the door but I did notice after it was first fitted that you really have to make sure you pull/push the door closed properly. When she first had it done and I'd popped around, I just gently closed it when I was leaving and the door swung open again.

My UPVC back door wouldn't lock last year and I resolved it by adjusting the hinges. It's been fine ever since. Just a thought - the lock may not be the issue.

sorry, dumb question here but what do you mean when you say you adjusted the hinges?

 

[Semple]

The hinges can be adjusted to lift the door up slightly, or left/right, in/out. Similar to the hinges on your kitchen cupboards or wardrobe doors.

If it's a new door then it shouldn't have dropped to need the hinges adjusting yet.

From what you're saying though, it's not locking even when not in the frame which suggests the issue is more with the locking mechanism rather than the frame.

When you lift the handle up, a rod pops out the bottom and top of the door. I would first check to see if both of these are extending and fully. It's possible a bit of debris may have got stuck in the column that holds the rod that's preventing it from extending fully. Also worth spraying something like wd40 across all the moving parts just to see if something gives.

 

[jellybeard999]

what do you mean when you say you adjusted the hinges?

https://youtu.be/Gf0UU6cS4zQ

Your hinges might look different (mine do) but there should be some screws to allow adjustments

 

[bazzabear]

Sorry, I forgot to say we tried to establish if it worked with the door open but it doesn't. It will only allow her to lift the handle slightly but not enough to let her turn the key to lock it. I did try to see if anything was sticking but I couldn't. I'll ask her to test this again though.

In theory that means it must be the mechanism, so adjusting the door won't help. The suggestion to give it a good dousing with some PTFE or silicone spray is worth a try. It might be that some debris from when the multipoint locking mechanism was fitted has wedged somewhere though, in which case it'll probably need to be loosened and refitted. That isn't the hardest thing to do, but probably not something who isn't happy with DIY wants to approach.

 

[PlacidCasual]

Is she leaving the door open all day in the hot weather? Because I agree they will dip in the heat. I have this problem with my patio style door for the workshop. The double glazing unit needs to be heel and toe set better so the glass acts as a cross brace otherwise in the warm it can dip.

My advice if it's as above. Keep it closed in hot weather.

 

[secretspy]

No it's kept closed as it's a front porch door. I shall try and source some WD40 and have a go at it to see if that helps

 

[Steampunk]

No it's kept closed as it's a front porch door. I shall try and source some WD40 and have a go at it to see if that helps

WD 40 can be quite sticky as it's designed to leave lubricant behind. This can gather dust and dirt and stick the mechanism up. I found that WD 40 penetrating fluid is much more of a cleaner, and if you spray it into the various holes and gaps in the door lock mechanism (there will be holes on the sides, top, and bottom), this should make it all very clean and slippy. Watch out, as the excess will come out the bottom, so you probably want the door open and some newspaper underneath it, and give it a good wipe.

You may also find you have adjusters in the frame for the various catches and pins that the door locks into. A small amount of adjustment will often be enough to deal with the frame and door heating up in the sun. Just make sure that when you close and lock the door, it still gets pulled tight into the frame.