uPVC Door 5-point lock gone stiff

[KM-Tiger]

I've got a door with a 5-point locking system - the type where you lift the handle to engage - and it's gone very stiff to operate in the last week or so.

It's quite stiff even when not engaging in the keeps, and worse when it is.

What sort of oil or grease should I use, and where? There seem to be a lot of possible places.

 

[estwig]

If it is difficult to engage the locks when you lift the handle, it is more than likely the door has dropped. Get your allen keys out and look for adjustment on the hinges, you should be able to raise the hinged side of the door. Use the middle hinge only to start and if this works, it should, bring the adjustment up on the other two hinges to help spread the weight.

If this fails, there are a myriad of different ways to adjust these doors, put the door back how you found it and give me a call.

 

[estwig]

To confirm the above, is the handle easy to engage with the door open, not closed in the frame??

 

[papverpoppies]

Just cost me £120 to sort this type of lock out (if it is the drop down locking system)

The lock had locked into postion - on the double conservatory doors..

The handles would not operate as the locking system had gone!

Nothing else to do than call out and new lock - that was not the most expensive quote either .

Poppy

 

[KM-Tiger]

To confirm the above, is the handle easy to engage with the door open, not closed in the frame??

It's easier with the door open, but not as easy as I would expect it to be.

I'll have a go with the adjustments and see how I get on.

 

[Dawg]

Forgive the obvious suggestion but have you blitzed with WD40? It magics a lot of things, although is not so good at stopping peanut butter sticking to the top of your mouth.

 

[estwig]

WD40 ruins most locks and lock mechanisms, sure it's a quick fix, but it is a cleaner and will wash away any remaining oil that may be in a sticky lock. 3 in 1 oil is a much better long term option.

 

Try K-Y jelly brilliant for anything thats a bit stiff .

Earl

 

[Mister B]

WD40 ruins most locks and lock mechanisms, sure it's a quick fix, but it is a cleaner and will wash away any remaining oil that may be in a sticky lock. 3 in 1 oil is a much better long term option.

Good point. I use 3 in 1 on the chains on my Bike as opposed to WD40.

Amazing how many people think that WD40 is an oil replacement.

Mister B

 

[happyoutdoors]

I used to sell locks for a living, stay well clear of WD40 it gunges up the inside of locks.

The best stuff to use is Graphite powder, which by definition is 'greaseless'.

Ceka tools is one manufacturer, 'Dry Powder Graphite' 50g bottle lasts for ages costs about £3.50.

Bonus you don't get oil spray everywhere

Geoffrey

 

[lockie]

Give me a bell i live down the road and could probably sort it out quickly for a beer. Dont use wd40 or graphite both will do more harm than good. Wd4o is a cleaner and will clean the grease away leaving a nice unlubed lock.Graphite will gunge it all up by sticking to the existing grease or lube.

As estwig says either door is out of square or moved or it could be something else.Not all hinges have adjustments though so not always straight forward as an allen key.

 

[Lasting Designs]

Give me a bell i live down the road and could probably sort it out quickly for a beer. Dont use wd40 or graphite both will do more harm than good. Wd4o is a cleaner and will clean the grease away leaving a nice unlubed lock.Graphite will gunge it all up by sticking to the existing grease or lube.

As estwig says either door is out of square or moved or it could be something else.Not all hinges have adjustments though so not always straight forward as an allen key.

Surely thats a red herring, the guy said that when the doors open its still stiff, in my book thats bugger all to do with the hinges... And as for KY Jelly, he wants to fix it, not bu....

 

[KM-Tiger]

Thanks all. I was worried that WD40 would make matters worse. I've seen that before where it works great for a day, then doesn't work at all.

I have made it a bit better by moving one of the keep plates, so I'll try that with the others as well.

Lockie: That's a very kind offer, I'll take that up if I can't sort it.

 

[happyoutdoors]

I used to sell locks for a living, stay well clear of WD40 it gunges up the inside of locks.

The best stuff to use is Graphite powder, which by definition is 'greaseless'.

Ceka tools is one manufacturer, 'Dry Powder Graphite' 50g bottle lasts for ages costs about £3.50.

Bonus you don't get oil spray everywhere

Geoffrey

The above advice, I learnt from doing the Guild of Architectural Iromongery courses, where we had to be able to take locks apart & put them together again, there was never much grease or lube in any of the locks that I recall. Of course it does rather depend on the type of mechanism, be it cylinder or lever. For the cylinders I would advise Graphite powder for the bolt & latch I would advise oil/ grease and on the moving mechanisms.

As for doors, many doors are hung on hinges that are inadequate, the hinges bend, twist, buckle or indeed don't get lubricated. The better hinges often have washers between the interlocking two sides of the hinge 'the butt' these often corrode or wear out. On Brass DSW hinges for instance, take the hinges off, turn them upside down and then the door will move much more freely again.

On the modern double glazed pvc doors, there are often 2 major issues, first that the 3 different materials used metal, plastic & glass all have different expansion & contraction rates when under the hot sun. Second that many of the doors don't fit the frames squarely. And just for good measure the cheaper manufacturers use cheaper hinges that cannot support the weight of the door properly and then the door drops relative to the frame. Give me a wooden door anytime.

Geoffrey

 

[lockie]

Surely thats a red herring, the guy said that when the doors open its still stiff, in my book thats bugger all to do with the hinges... And as for KY Jelly, he wants to fix it, not bu....

He said it NOT as stiff when open as it is when closed which confirms that something is out of alignment.Its all very well curing the symptoms ie the stiff lock, but that doesnt cure the problem and if not cured the lock gearbox will fail.If this happens it could mean getting locked out or in.

As the original op is talking about a multipoint lock that is the reason i said not to use graphite.These locks require grease or oil to maintain them.Many even have stickers on the face plate telling you to oil it.
Just like the one i sorted out earlier for exactly the same reasons.

Just realised you said it works fine one day but not another,is it a wood effect door by any chance ?