uPVC door adjustment

[evanso82]

Can someone help please.

I have being volunteered to be the maintenance man at my kids playgroup, because i am supposedly know what am doing. They have just had a new floor fitted, but the door scrapes on the floor, after some google searching (i have never altered a uPVC door before) i managed to alter the door so it doesnt scrape, but when it came to lock, the handle wouldn't lift up enough to lock. Because Ive had to raise the door quiet a bit i dont think the metal security bits? engaged properly. can i grind/file the hole a bit so they engage properly or does anyone have any more helpful tips,

any help would be much appreciated because i haven't a clue anymore

Thanks
Mark

 

[Lons]

Hmm.. What do you mean by "a lot"?

Presumably all you did was adjust the vertical adjustment screws and haven't touched the horizontal alignment ones. Any, I also presume it's a standard 3 point locking , 3 hooked latches on the door edge and no top and bottom "shoot bolts" in which case at least you have a chance. A worst scenario is that you might be able to file the frame keeps but they usually have solid insert boxes which might stop that.

Did you check whether the whole door needed lifting or if just catching maybe the leading edge in which case you might have been able to clear the floor using lateral adjustment rather than height in which case you need to start again from scratch. If so then put pencil reference marks on door and frame and make only small adjustments on all hinges.

They are easy to adjust once you've done it but a pig if inexperienced

Probably doesn't make much sense and you really shouldn't be put in that position as the problem should have been evident before the floor was laid.

cheers
Bob

 

[NazNomad]

Sounds like they have their scapegoat. As Lons said, you inherited a known problem.

Fit one of these, they won't volunteer you again.

 

[evanso82]

You can see on the 5th photo how much ive raised the door. Apparently it has always being a problem even before they got a new floor. I think it it is a standard 3 point locking system, to be honest i didnt think about looking at the top and bottom, never had to piss about with a door before.

I did alter it horizontally as well, again i could get the door to open but it wouldnt lock again. i was altering thinks for about an hour before i gave up, i think i tried every combination.

i think there is room to file off a bit on the door frame (the red highlight bit in 2nd photo, so i might try that

 

[Setch]

Do Not file the keeps!

Filing would be appropriate if the keeps were the wrong size, but they're not - they're the right size, but in the wrong position.

The pic shows a 1 piece keep, which means unscrewing and refixing the whole shebang. Let's be charitable and assume the original fitters put it in the right location (not a given!) therefore you need to raise it as much as the door has been raised. Unscrew it, and refix with 3 screws top, mid and bottom, then test. If it's all good, fit the rest of the screws and optimise with the eccentric adjusters.

If correcting the height doesn't sort it, also check there is not too much gap between door and keeps. With hook bolts like that the elbow of the hook can foul the keeps if it's too far away from them.

I've been fixing these for 10 years, easy after the first few, and count your lucky stars it isn't double doors!

 

[Lons]

What Setch said.

I've fitted probably a couple of hundred or so over 15 years so nothing like as many as a window company would fit and as he suggests existing doors are often just chucked in. Some just never operate well and expansion of the doors makes it worse.
Close the door and look to see if the gaps are even and be careful with hinge adjustment as you can pull the door out of shape.
I fitted 2 new composite doors to my house a couple of months ago and they are perfect but then I took time over it.

Maybe you should tell them to get the experts in!

 

[sammy.se]

I agree with what Setch said too: Remove the keeps on the frame and re-position.
Also, the main bolt (ear the handle) sometimes has an adjustable keep. It only takes one part of the locking mechanism, i.e. the bolt, hook etc to not goo 100% and none of it will lock - so check each arm/bolt of the mechanism is going into the keep 100%. Might just be one that is out of alignment...

I had the (mis)pleasure of having to fix my double doors when I moved in. Nightmare.
Works most of the year - meaning when it gets really hot everything expands and things start to catch! Worst fitting I'd every seen....