uPVC door hard to lock/unlock

[Doug Buttimer]

Hi, My daughter bought a house recently, and the uPVC front door has a problem. When you try to lock or unlock it, it gets to a point in the key roataion where you have to REALLY force the handle up (more than normal) for the key to rotate further and actually do the lock/unlock. When you do the same set of sequences with the door open, it does so without that "stickey" point. Not totally familiar with uPVC doors but it is multi-point (2 above the handle and 2 below). Get the feeling that this can be cured by some adjustment screw or other, but don't know for sure or the detail of how to do it. Hopefully, someone on here can help me out ! (Was intending to post some photos of the door edge, but when I got there my phone had run out of charge .... !!)

 

[crank39]

The door has just settled and needs toe and heeling which can be a bit tricky to a non pvc guy, so with that being said I'd be more inclined to adjust it using the hinges, if the hinges are of the 'flag hinge' type then it really is quite simple

 

[KenGMac]

Doug Buttimer, good evening, welcome to this board.

Can I suggest that you try a Silicone lubricant spray?

The silicone tends not to attract dust and dirt which can stick to say wd40

Trick is to apply just enough lubricant spray so as not to flood the areas, it tends to get messy and trying to remove excess spray is at times a pain.

Lets see what other answers you get from the board?

Ken.

 

[Doug Buttimer]

The door has just settled and needs toe and heeling which can be a bit tricky to a non pvc guy, so with that being said I'd be more inclined to adjust it using the hinges, if the hinges are of the 'flag hinge' type then it really is quite simple

Hi crank39,
Not sure that I would recognise "flag hinges" if they shot out and bit me !! I'll take a photo when I'm in next

 

[Doug Buttimer]

Doug Buttimer, good evening, welcome to this board.

Can I suggest that you try a Silicone lubricant spray?

The silicone tends not to attract dust and dirt which can stick to say wd40

Trick is to apply just enough lubricant spray so as not to flood the areas, it tends to get messy and trying to remove excess spray is at times a pain.

Lets see what other answers you get from the board?

Ken.

Hi Ken,
Whereabouts do I apply the silcone lubricant ?? (To be honest, because the lock operates smoothly when the door is OPEN, I do wonder whether lubrication will have much effect )

 

[crank39]

Just Google pvc door flag hinge and look at images, do they resemble the hinges on the door in question?

 

[KenGMac]

Doug Buttimer, hi again.

As previous posts a few images would assist.

At the same time if you cah look carefully for any visual images of the door rubbing on the frame? especially the door and the bottom threshold area.

if you can check the locking dogs that move out from the door to engage with the door frame, you should look for indications of rubbing on these movable parts

Ken.

 

[Doug Buttimer]

Just been in to my daughter's house, and I can confirm that the door is supported by butt hinges. The adjustment screws (cross head) are all fully clockwise and thus the door is biased towards the hinges. The door is NOT rubbing the frame anywhere. I suspect that the problem is to do with the 4 sets of locking dogs being out of alignment with the frame. It looks as though the "keepers" are fixed in position, as the adjustment screw only adjust the angle of the keeper. I wish that I'd had some blue-tack to put in the keepers to see what was going on. There are 2 pairs of torx-headed screws above and below each of the 2 "bolts" - are they the answer to my problem ??

 

[Gazman16]

Those butt hinges have no up/down adjustment.
Most likely the door needs "toe & heeling" check the welds in the top corners to see if they line up.

 

[Doug Buttimer]

Those butt hinges have no up/down adjustment.
Most likely the door needs "toe & heeling" check the welds in the top corners to see if they line up.

Thanks Gazman16, I'll check that next time that I'm in !