back door handle borked – anyone know their locks?

left it a bit late now, but the door handles been stiff for a few days now, today im reliably informed it wont lock/unlock and is seized shut.

soaked in wd40, itll lock and unlock now, but the handle wont open the door, so its still effectively locked.

tried and tested method of unscrewing what you can see has resulted in a loose handle plate, but the handle wont pull off the bar even tho the little grub screw is out.

video below shows how loose/ineffective it is.

any ideas, or is this a professionals job now :-/ i always like to think with the help on here i can fix anything 😉

thanks

Bigger hammer

so the handle is not engaging the locks when lifted and now wont dissengage? I’d suggest that where the handle joins the squared peg has rounded (though this would make it loose?) or the mech isnt lined up and has jammed a bit. either way you need to get the handle off and see whats going on. try moving the whole door whilst lowering the handle a bit?

Youve removed the two screws top and bottom of the face plate, so the handle should now just pull off, or perhaps these are a thin cover for the handle, try to get a thin screwdriver behind the thin cover, tap gently downwards, and it may pull off leaving an another secureing plate holding the handle to door, remove the screws from this plate and the handle should pull off gently, remove square spindle and insert a large screwdriver in square hole and turn anti clockwise, dorr may now open, ensure its unlocked first.

right, bit of brute force has got the handles out with the square bar, so now theres just the square hole accessible.

cant see that theres anything i can play about with, no?

EDIT: (as typing whilst you replied…..)

remove square spindle and insert a large screwdriver in square hole and turn anti clockwise

isnt that just the same as sticking the handle back in with the square bar and trying to move it?

got it thanks 🙂

sticking the bar back in did indeed open the door, no idea how. once open i could try and work out what the problem was. seems to be those pins that move up and down into metal pockets in the frame when you pull the handle up, then back down again to open.
the top pin is catching in the top plate, so ive taken that plate out and door opens freely.

looks like a job for tomorrow to file the sides of the pocket down a bit so the pin can pass it freely. unless its hardened metal in which case ill struggle.

thanks a lot chaps.

Those pins are supposed to be quite tight as they pull the door into the frame to help seal it. Have you tried greasing the pins and pockets?

When ours did this, it was the rack inside the lock that works those sliding bars when you turn the handle that had broken. Apparently they are prone to cracking: The broken bit stays roughly in place for a while, making the lock temperamental (sometimes it jams, sometimes it doesn’t). After a while the broken bit escapes into the mechanism and jams it solid.

Those pins are supposed to be quite tight as they pull the door into the frame to help seal it. Have you tried greasing the pins and pockets?

ive soaked them in WD40, havent greased them. when i open and close the door, i can feel and hear the top pocket and pin catching for some reason.

When ours did this, it was the rack inside the lock that works those sliding bars when you turn the handle that had broken.

its possible the pins arent going high enough when the handle moves them tho. when theyve reached as far as they go with the handle, i can push them further by hand. not sure if thats normal or not, as they seem to move the whole time the handle is moving, there doesnt seem any slack, its just that one catches. could be either the doors moved or the pins arent moving as high as they used to, not sure.
either way, i spose if i file the pocket a little lower it should solve it.

I have had this ,has the door dropped a bit on the hinges? Try tightening the hinged,ours take an allen key on a modern UPVC door

Not having much luck at the moment, are you!

Check that the door hasn’t dropped before filing anything. There is usually an adjustment on the hinges somewhere.

[Wot he said^^^]

looked at the hinges but cant see any adjustment, just pins into the hinges. ill have a closer look tomorrow.

Not having much luck at the moment, are you!

tell me about it, got so many things on the go at the minute, this door, lawnmower, gazebo electrics, headlamp for my lads bike…… think my heads gonna explode soon 😆

The sqaure hole through the lock sometimes cracks open so the square bar revolves around in the square opening, a screwdriver will fit in the quare hole and open the latch on the door, also sometimes the sqaure hole in the handles becomes rounded so when you move the handle the handle moves on the squre spindle

thanks mate, all the ‘squares’ seem decent, i fixed it now as above ^^^. i filed the pocket down a bit this morning so the pin isnt catching any more. might be a bodge but it works 🙂

Not having much luck at the moment, are you!

door sorted now, lawnmower fixed this morning, well on the way with the electrics…… todays a better day 😉

cheers

holy thread revival, same door!

this time its the handle just spinning round and not opening the door, so again, its effectively locked.

The sqaure hole through the lock sometimes cracks open so the square bar revolves around in the square opening, a screwdriver will fit in the quare hole and open the latch on the door, also sometimes the sqaure hole in the handles becomes rounded so when you move the handle the handle moves on the squre spindle

this seems to be the case. too late, dark and cold to start looking properly but ill get a big screwdriver in there tomorrow to see if i can twist it open.

taken the cover and handle off as you can see, the square bar fits neat enough in the handle, its just that it spins in the door.

is it likely to be broken inside, hole rounded or both? looks like ill need something new anyways, any idea what it is i actually need and what size thatd be? and i assume my only method of opening door is the big screwdriver?

thanks

If the locking mechanism is kaput and you can get it open you will need a new locking strip.

It’s screwed up almost the ntire length of the door edge.
It should have the lock manufacturers name on it, takes some photos as that system may not still be readily used and send some emails with photos to the look manufacturer and they may be able to help you source the new part.

To remove the strip You will have to remove the barrel first by removing a long machine screw that holds it in place through the door edge, then using the key to turn it slightly and it will slide out.

thanks, ill have a go tomorrow. 2 things…… firstly i assume i can do no more until the doors open, i HAVE to get it open dont i?

secondly, once i start taking it apart for photos, i assume theres a chance that i wont be able to shut/lock the door again until a new part is sourced?

Bigger hammer.

Is this helping? Sorry.

^^^ Really bad time of year for this to happen. No big deal spending anything up to a few hours fettling a door in the summer. Not so good when it’s freezing outside and the heating is on inside.

Just adds more pressure to rush it and, potentially, end up with an insecure door. 🙁

Is it multipoint locking? Is the locking engaged?

If not and it’s just the latch you could try shimming it? I did this successfully a few months back, though on a traditional Yale lock. Cut a section out of a Coke bottle and slid it between the door and the jamb. Other drinks may be equally effective.

The the multipoint is engaged, I’ve got nothing I’m afraid.

I would not take it apart yet, I would photo the strip in situ. Then take it apart once you have the replacement.

Unless you wish to take it apart to see if you can fixit.

I would not take it apart yet, I would photo the strip in situ. Then take it apart once you have the replacement.

Unless you wish to take it apart to see if you can fixit.

too late, its off 🙂 had to really as the door wouldnt open, even with a large screwdriver. got the largest chisel that would fit diagonally in the hole and more by luck than judgement i must have moved the latch just enough as it opened. i then foolishly thought id see if we could keep opening and shutting with the chisel so closed it again. would it open again? would it b*ggery 😀

spent another 10 mins or so cursing my stupidity before i must have got it in the right place again and it opened. wasnt going to make that mistake again so im afraid now it was open it wasnt going to be shut again!

on inspection it was quite obvious why i was struggling, the ‘square hole’ has broken into several pieces and bits were dropping down inside the door.

ive bodged up a little security system (youd laugh if i told you) 😀 so we’re secure again with no lock in the door, but its an outside porch door so we have a locked inside back door anyway.

If the locking mechanism is kaput and you can get it open you will need a new locking strip.

It’s screwed up almost the entire length of the door edge.
It should have the lock manufacturers name on it, takes some photos as that system may not still be readily used and send some emails with photos to the look manufacturer and they may be able to help you source the new part.
looks like a whole new strip then. the only markings on it say FUHR which still seems to be a going concern, it also says 3/91, which i spose is entirely possible that thats the date it was made.
ill try and contact them tomorrow to see what my options are.

not having much luck with doors at the moment, struggling with 3 of them! this one first, then ill investigate the others 😐

thanks

Sadx, i had that once. I seperated the lock mechanism from the strip and just used the lock. It was supposed to be a temp fix but i am still using just the lock after 5 years.

Check yr insurance tho as it may specify 3 point fixing on the door, tbh if you want to break in you would just kick the door in.

Wow, that’s had a hard life.

tbh if you want to break in you would just kick the door in.

If I wanted to break in I’d smash that shitty Eurocylinder in half inside of about 30 seconds.

When I locked myself out the locksmith did exactly that in well under 30s using a specially shaped pipe thing.

Quite.

I’ll just leave this here: https://www.abs-secure.co.uk/

Sadx, i had that once. I seperated the lock mechanism from the strip and just used the lock. It was supposed to be a temp fix but i am still using just the lock after 5 years.

i assume that options not open to me as its the square hole thats gone, so that part cant be used any more?

When I locked myself out the locksmith did exactly that in well under 30s using a specially shaped pipe thing.

I’ll just leave this here: https://www.abs-secure.co.uk/

thanks, just been reading about snapping locks etc and how easy it is. ill see what FUHR can recommend before i look at what to replace it with.

thanks

well FUHR.de passed me onto the uk arm, who stated that the parts obsolete now, so get in touch with any double glazing firm in yellow pages :-/

id rather sort it myself than pay someone else, plus id learn a bit for my other doors that need attention. anyone know how easy it might be to buy and fit something thats the same size?

thanks

Have a look on

ironmongery direct

I’m sure they’ll have something that fits your bill

They were a great help with lip gloss for my penguin.

just rang em alan, they dont do the FUHR make, struggling with this one :-/

ill mebbes have to give in and get a pro in.

and cougar….. wtf? 😀