Teak front door with 3 point system hard to lock.

[PadraigL]

Hi

I have a teak front door with a 3 point locking system. The top and bottom are sliding (up/down) and the middle is (open close). Sorry don’t know the technical terms. It requires some pressure to lift the handle, to lock the door (by the way I cannot lock the door until I lift the handle) there is a very rough sound from the mechanism. It a bit like bad bearings. The kids find this difficult to lock the door.
Can I take the cover off the edge of the door to have a look? Is there an adjustment I can do?

All help is appreciated.

 

[JohnD]

look for a maker's name, preferably on the locking mechanism but the key might help, and post a pic of the mechanism on the door and frame. there are a few suppliers who specialise in multipoints. they are rare on wooden doors but Handyhands may be along and recognise it.

 

[PadraigL]

Thanks. As soon as I get home I will have look.

 

[PadraigL]

Hi

Checked the name on the door edge and checked the web site.

http://www.g-u.com/index.php?id=386&Lang=20&MP=28-207

The link is the make of lock I have. The right picture shows 4 roller cams. My door has 2 roller cams.
The lock I have is the "SECURY-EUROPA R 2 with 2 roller cams"

Thx

 

[HandyHands]

Does the door mechanism work ok when the door is open - does the handle lift up/down, the rollers go up/down, and the bolt in/out? Is any sound made when operating the mechanism open?

If the door mechanism works ok when open, it's likely the frame keeps are out of allignment and need adjusting (moving up/down) - the scraping/grinding noise could be th mechanism "catching" the keeps.

If the door mechanism makes the sounds when operating open, then the mechanism is likely to be knackered - or very dry. To remove the mchanism, you'll need to remove the handles and euro cylinder, and then remove the retaining screws from the door face. Take out the mechanism and oil the moving parts. If no better, then it's a new mechanism. Note - if you're not confident in tackling the above (and removing one screw too many from the door face could result in the mechanism coming out in pieces!), call a local locksmith - not one of the big adverts though, as these are likely to be call centres, and you'll be paying way over the odds. Let us know how you get on.

 

[PadraigL]

Thanks HandyHands.
The door mechanism works easier when open. Its still noisy though. But I have noticed that the top roller cam is loose where as the bottom one is solid. So there is a problem with the mechanism.
I am prepared to take it apart to look into it further. All I was afraid of, was that it would all fall apart if I did not do the job in some order or other.

 

[yandownie]

when you remove the screws along the door to remove the mech dont remove the machine screws,only the wood screws and you'll be fine (the machine screws have a finer thread and will be very short).it will all slide off the door easy enough and may just need a good clean out with WD40 or similar.
dont start it late afternoon cos if you run into problems it might be to late to call out a locksmith.
use an MLA member locksmith and you wont get ripped off.
the other thing is that the plates on the frame be slightly out of alignment.look for marks on the lock,locking plates for signs of metal rubbing against metal

 

[PadraigL]

Thanks yandownie

I will do it monday morning and let you know how I got on.

 

[HandyHands]

Always phone around a couple of local locksmiths, and don't rely on the large adverts in the paper. Look for no callout charge, and try to get a fixed price for the work - not on an hrly basis.

There are lots of honest locksmiths out there, but there are also a few rogues. Try looking for members of an established association such as The Institute of Certified Locksmiths (ICL) - who's members are subjected to police checks, skills assessments, and who specialise in non-destructive opening techniques, and also check out your local MLA member.

 

[PadraigL]

Sorry I did not get back soon but I just sorted the door yesterday.

Firstly I took off the handles by taking out 2 screws on the inside handle cover and both handles then slipped off easily. I then took out about 10 wood screws on the side of the door holding in the 3 point mechanism. I had to take out the door keylock mechanism by taking out a threaded screw on the side of the door and using the door key, turning the opposite to locking the door and the unit slid out.
The whole 3 point door locking mechanism then slid out. I used WD40 on the moving parts and it loosened up dramatically. Reinstalled the mechanism and its now perfect.

Thanks to all who replied.