UPVC DOORS • ALIGNMENT & MECHANISMS
uPVC door won't lock?
If a uPVC door locks when it is open but not when it is closed, the problem is almost always alignment, not the lock. The door has dropped or the frame has moved, so the hooks and bolts no longer line up with the keeps. If the handle will not lift at all, even with the door open, the multipoint gearbox has usually failed. Alignment work starts at £76; mechanism repairs from £216.
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Which fault do you have?
This two-second test tells you most of what a locksmith needs to know. Open the door, and lift the handle.
The handle lifts easily with the door open, but not when it is closed. → Alignment. The door has dropped on its hinges, or the frame has shifted with the seasons, so the locking hooks are catching on the keeps instead of sliding into them. Usually fixed by adjusting the hinges and keeps. From £76.
The handle will not lift at all, even with the door wide open. → The gearbox inside the multipoint mechanism has failed. This is a mechanical failure and adjusting the door will not help. From £216.
The handle lifts and the key turns, but the door still is not locked. → The connection between the cylinder cam and the gearbox has failed, or the mechanism is partly broken. Treat the door as insecure.
The handle flops, has no resistance, or has dropped. → Either a broken spring cassette in the handle itself, or a snapped follower. Often a cheaper fix than it feels like.
Everything works, but only if you lift the door by the handle first. → Alignment, and you are on borrowed time. Every operation is straining the mechanism, and the gearbox is the part that will give way.
Warning signs you should not ignore
A multipoint mechanism rarely fails without notice. If the door is doing any of these, it is asking for attention:
- The handle needs more force than it did a year ago
- You have to lift, pull or lean on the door to lock it
- The key is stiff to turn, or will only turn at a particular point
- The door catches on the frame or rubs the threshold
- There is a draught where there was not one before
- The door opens itself, or will not stay shut without locking
Fixing it at this stage is an alignment job starting at £76. Waiting until the gearbox fails — which it typically does when the door is locked, from the outside, in the rain — costs considerably more and usually means being locked out as well.
What it costs
| Work | From |
|---|---|
| Door alignment — hinges, keeps, realignment | £76 |
| Full door service — inspection, adjustment, lubrication | £108 |
| uPVC door repairs — handles, hinges, keeps, servicing | £148 |
| Multipoint mechanism repair or replacement | £216 |
Call-out and labour are charged on top at the applicable rate; see the pricing page. Parts depend on the mechanism, and mechanisms vary enormously between manufacturers.
Details that help identify the part
uPVC mechanisms are not interchangeable. Supplying these on the phone or by photo means the right part is far more likely to be on the van:
- The brand stamped on the faceplate — the long metal strip along the edge of the door. Yale, Era, Winkhaus, Roto, Avocet, Maco, Fuhr, GU and Mila are the common ones
- The backset — distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the keyhole
- The PZ measurement — distance from the centre of the spindle hole to the centre of the keyhole, usually 92mm or 62mm
- What the locking points are: hooks, rollers, deadbolts, or a mix
- Whether the door is uPVC, composite or aluminium
- A photo of the faceplate and the handle, which is worth all of the above
Repairs across Lancashire
uPVC door repairs in Preston · Blackburn · Blackpool · Burnley · Lancaster · Chorley · Leyland · Accrington · all areas
Common questions
Why does my uPVC door lock when it is open but not when it is closed?
Because the problem is alignment, not the lock. With the door open, the hooks and bolts have nothing to engage with and move freely. Closed, they have to line up with the keeps in the frame — and if the door has dropped even a few millimetres, they catch instead. Adjusting the hinges and keeps normally resolves it.
Does a stiff handle mean I need a new door?
Almost never. A stiff handle means the mechanism is under strain, usually from a dropped door or a worn gearbox. Both are repairable, and both cost a fraction of a new door. Anyone quoting for a replacement door because the handle is stiff should be questioned.
Can you repair the mechanism, or does the whole thing need replacing?
It depends which part has failed. Handles, keeps, hinges, cylinders and spring cassettes are replaced individually. If the gearbox itself has gone, the strip usually has to be replaced as a unit, because the gearbox is not separately serviceable on most designs.
My door locked itself and now I cannot get in — what happened?
Typically a gearbox failure while the door was locked. The bolts have thrown but will not retract. It is an emergency entry job, and the mechanism will need replacing afterwards.
How long does a mechanism replacement take?
Allow an hour to two hours for a standard replacement where the part is available. Older or uncommon mechanisms may need ordering, in which case the door is made secure in the meantime.
Related help
Locked out of your house · Locked out at night · Key snapped in the lock · Lost your house keys
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