Doors are a critical part of any home or business, providing both security and temperature control.
Should things go wrong, it can give you quite a fright, especially since a faulty uPVC or composite door may threaten your home security, as well as the belongings and people inside at the time. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that you have a fully functional front door locking system. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the reasons your door may not be locking.
If you’re having problems with locking or unlocking your door or if your door is not closing correctly in cold or hot weather, the local locksmith and door specialists at Sure4Doors are on hand to help.
A dropped uPVC front door usually only requires a simple fix with an Allen key or screwdriver to tighten the door hinges. The specifics relating to this may vary depending on your chosen type of front door, so if you’re struggling with this, it’s a good idea to contact the door manufacturer. Our quality locksmiths and uPVC door specialists will always be able to fix a dropped exterior door.
A great way to check this yourself is to look at the corners of the uPVC door and ensure they line up with the corners of the frame. You can also place a spirit level on top of the door to make sure the door is balanced appropriately.
A faulty door or lock mechanism is a more complex problem than a misalignment in your door. A common problem in locking doors is a stuck key; usually happening when worn or when a new key is poorly cut.
Often when a key is stuck in a lock, rather than removing it or leaving it for a professional local locksmith to handle, people will try to force the lock, which can result in the key breaking off, leaving fragments inside the lock.
Alternatively, you can try using a lubricant such as silicone spray to free it. To do this, you should spray the silicone lubricant directly into the keyhole and wiggle the key up and down to release it. Never wiggle a key side to side since this dramatically increases the risk of breaking the key.
You’ll need to call a locksmith to drill and replace the front door lock if a key breaks off inside of it.
Older composite front doors are often prone to problems with warping due to temperature fluctuations, especially when it comes to an external door bearing the heat of summer and colds of winter. Sadly it’s not always possible to repair a warped door due to the nature of the damage.
Newer composite doors, such as those supplied and installed by Sure4Doors, are fitted with door skins that make them much more resistant to changes in temperature and last without damage for much longer.
The door specialists at Sure4Doors are well equipped to remove and dispose of your warped door sustainably while installing a newer, more structurally stable and secure front door in place of your old one.
Composite door locks can be fragile due to the number of complex mechanisms present. If you’re skilled with a screwdriver, you could remove the locking mechanism and take a look to see whether you can find any small, faulty, or worn parts. If you’re unsure what the problem with your door or locking system may be, it’s best to leave this to a local locksmith or door installation specialist.
In most cases, repairing or replacing a broken lock is a job for professional front door fitters like Sure4Doors. As long as the damage to your locking system isn’t too severe, a skilled emergency locksmith will be able to service or repair it. If your lock is beyond repair, a new one will have to be installed.
Sure4Doors can send an expert locksmith for any uPVC door lock repairs or replacements that you’ll need. Simply get in contact with us, and we’ll be sure to help.
The decision on whether your door and lock need to be repaired or replaced ultimately comes down to the issues with your door or lock, and whether or not it’s economical to repair them.
If you’re unsure whether your faulty door or lock can be repaired or requires replacement, get in touch with us for a free, no-obligation quote, we’ll be happy to help.
We provide a wide range of locksmith services while specialising in composite and uPVC doors, as well as garage door installations, repairs and maintenance.
We cover Reading, Newbury, Basingstoke and all surrounding areas in Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.
