uPVC Door Won’t Lock When Closed – What To Do

A uPVC door is always a good solution for your home. Not only will it give your property a more modern look, especially if you decide to combine it with matching windows, but you will also get to experience a long list of benefits like an unlimited range of designs, noise isolation, security, etc. 

But like all things, uPVC doors can develop problems over time and have weak spots. In this article, we are going to talk probably about the most common issue – why your uPVC door won’t lock when closed.  

Most common issues and ways to fix them

You see, uPVC doors aren’t like ordinary doors. They require more attention in terms of maintenance and certain issues may arise over time, including the door not being able to lock properly. That said, some issues you can fix yourself, while other repairs are better left to the professionals.

• Changes in the weather – Weird as it sounds, the weather can actually be the reason why you have troubles properly closing your uPVC door. Basically, when it gets a bit warmer or colder than normal outside, the door starts to shrink, contract, and then – expand. All of these factors can make locking and opening your uPVC door difficult. 
• Dropped door – This is probably the most common reason why your uPVC won’t lock when closed. What happens is that the locking points and keeps misalign, making the door harder to open and close. 
• Faulty euro cylinder – Another very common issue is a faulty key cylinder. Such a problem can lead to not being able to lock the door properly or ending up with a stuck key. If the second has already happened to you, check our in-depth article on how‌ ‌to‌ ‌get‌ ‌out‌ ‌a‌ ‌key‌ ‌stuck‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌lock‌.
• Broken locking mechanism – A uPVC door locking mechanism is a very intricate and capricious thing. The list of reasons why it broke is extremely long.  
  

How to fix an expanded or shrunk uPVC door

If your uPVC door isn’t closing properly due to weather conditions, one of the things you can do is wait for the temperatures to get back to normal. We understand that this isn’t the best-case scenario, especially regarding the security of your home. You can also try wetting a piece of cloth with cold or hot water, depending on if your door expanded or shrunk, and applying it to its surface. 

How to realign a dropped door

In order to realign a dropped door, you have to adjust the hinges. That said, there isn’t only one type of hinges, but three – flag hinges, t-hinges, and butt hinges. And that’s not even all of it – each type of hinge has a different sort of adjuster that moves the door in a specific direction. Don’t worry – it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Now, here is what you need to do in order to fix each type: 

Flag hinges

Flag hinges have 3 sorts of adjustments: a height, lateral, and compression adjuster. As you’ve probably already guessed it, we are going to be working with the height adjuster. You will find the part located on the bottom section of the hinge, hidden under a removable plastic cap. Now, what you are going to need for the job is a 5 mm Allen wrench. Insert the wrench into the adjuster and start turning it clockwise until the door lifts up back to its place. Once you are done, try to lock the door. If you still have a hard time closing it, adjust the height again. Make sure to adjust all of the hinges.

T-hinges

Similar to the flag hinge, t-hinges also have different kinds of adjusters – a height and lateral one. Basically, what you have to do is, like for the flag hinges, locate height adjuster and turn it until the door is in the right position. Again, don’t forget to adjust the height of the other hinges, too. 

Butt hinges

If you have an older uPVC door model, chances are it does have butt hinges. And do you know what butt hinge DON’T have? Height adjusters. In translation – if your door has dropped, you’ll have to reinstall the whole thing to fix it, and that can be only done by a professional. 

What about the if the lock mechanism or euro cylinder is faulty?

Like we said earlier, some types of uPVC door repairs you can actually do yourself, while others can be performed only by a professional. A faulty euro cylinder or a broken lock mechanism fall exactly into that category. 

Get a professional to fix the uPVC door for you

Trying to repair a uPVC door that won’t lock is hard, and frankly – sometimes impossible. So, no matter if your door has dropped or the locking mechanism decided to break, don’t worry as we’ve got a solution for every problem. 

Don’t bother yourself trying to figure out what type of door hinges you have and book our Door Repair services for a quick and easy fix. The service is performed by especially trained and highly experienced professionals, has a 6-month workmanship guarantee, and also happens to be available 24/7! How awesome is that?

Takeaways

• Don’t try to forcefully lock or close the door. This will cause only further damage and make repairs harder and costlier. 
• Make sure adjust all of your uPVC door’s hinges, otherwise, it still won’t close and lock properly. 
• If you have any lock mechanism issues, it’s best to leave the repair job to a professional, so you don’t create a bigger problem. 

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Did you find our article helpful? Make sure to leave a comment below, sharing your personal experience! 

Image source: Shutterstock / HDesert

• Last update: July 30, 2020

Posted in Home Security and Safety Tips

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