UPVC Front Door won't deadlock

[andytaylor]

Hi I've just moved to a house with a front door that won't deadlock when the door is closed. The mechanism works fine when the door is open and I managed to deadlock it once from the inside.

I can lift the handle and can hear the mechanism moving the latches into place, but can't then turn the key to move the mortice lock across and prevent the handle being pressed down.

The door is relatively new and supposedly guaranteed for another 8 years, but guess what - the company that fitted it simply say we are not the purchaser and refuse to do anything.

I am guessing that it is an adjustment problem, but have no idea where to start.

Thanks

Andy

 

[EddieC]

Andy there are adjustable door keeps in the centre and top and bottom of the frame, try moving the centre up or down to start with.

 

[andytaylor]

Andy there are adjustable door keeps in the centre and top and bottom of the frame, try moving the centre up or down to start with.

Hi Eddie

Sadly the centre just has a rectangular hole in the frame, no way to adjust it.

 

[EddieC]

ok andy try the barrel lock. on the edge of the door,if there is a plate covering the lock, take it off. there should be a big screw in view, this holds the barrel in place,slacken the screw a little and push the barrel one way other, with the key in lift the handle and try turning the key to lock the door. if that does not work get back to me. fingers crossed

 

[yandownie]

its possable that the handles are not going up far enough if one of the striker plates on the frame are out.
if the lock works fine with the door open then its obviously ok,remove all the striker plates on the frame except the middle one where the lock latches and see if it works then ?
if so then re fit the others one at a time and try the lock each time to identify which is out of true.
the hinges my need adjusting,easy if they are of the flag type,
common causes for these locks not working are,
door too far from frame at some point (prevents hook bolts locking)
door to low or too high
it only takes a few mm out for the door to no longer lock,if your unsure a local locksmith (use am MLA registered Co) can adjust the door and shouldnt cost more than £45+vat for this

 

[andytaylor]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will give them a try tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

 

[masona]

May need Toeing and Heeling Method as the door might be slightly out of line

 

[andytaylor]

Just remembered I would let you know how things went.

Thanks for all the replies - unfortunately my door seems to be quite hard to adjust

Luckily, I discovered that pushing up really hard on the handle as the key is turned allows the handle to move just a little bit more and the door can be locked and unlocked. I can't be sure this isn't a design "feature", so won't mess with it for now - there are more pressing things to attend to.

Andy

 

[HandyHands]

If you force the handle, it will eventually shatter the spindle hole in the multi-point mechanism. You've then got a costly repair on your hands - far better to get the problem sorted now.

 

[yandownie]

handyhands is right and it'll break sooner rather than later,it'll be costly if it breaks in the locked position and you need a locksmith out to sort it,fix it asap.

 

[helper 2]

Hi andy
I had a similar problem with my door. I found that the hole /recess, where the vertical sliding bolt /rod on the side of the door.It was filled with debris /soil once cleaned out all ok hope this helps
helper 2