Repair guide
Door Maintenance: Adjust It Before the Part Fails
By the Newcastle Window and Door Repairs team
Last updated:
Almost every door mechanism we replace gave warning first. The handle needed a firmer lift, the key needed a nudge, the door caught on the frame in warm weather. Those are adjustment jobs. Left alone for a year, they become gearbox jobs.
This guide is the preventative half of what we do. None of it will save a mechanism that has already snapped, but done once or twice a year it keeps a sound door sound, and it is the cheapest window and door work there is.
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If your door is stiff, dropping or harder to lock than it used to be, we can adjust it and check the hinges, locks and seals. Call 0191 833 0083.
The warning signs worth acting on
- The handle needs lifting harder than it used to
- The key turns stiffly, or only in one position of the door
- The door catches at the top corner or drags on the frame
- Daylight or draughts appear along one edge
- The door only locks when you pull it towards you
Alignment first, parts second
Windows have their own supports and drainage to check; use our uPVC window maintenance guide for the hinged openings alongside your doors.
When care alone is not enough, our door repairs page covers the repairs themselves.
A door that has dropped puts every locking point out of line with its keep, and the mechanism takes that load every time you lift the handle. That is why a dropped door and a failed gearbox usually turn up together.
Hinges on uPVC and composite doors are adjustable, so lifting the leaf back into square is often the whole job. We diagnose the true cause before fitting parts, and adjusting hinges, resetting keeps and easing the frame often restores smooth operation on its own. Our step by step guide on how to adjust a uPVC door explains each hinge setting.
Keeps, strikers and the frame side
The keeps on the frame wear as well as the door, and a keep that has shifted a millimetre or two is enough to make a rolling cam bind. Resetting keeps so each locking point enters cleanly takes the strain off the gearbox and quietens the door at the same time.
Weather seals sit on the same face. A gasket that has flattened or twisted lets draughts through and makes the door feel stiffer, and renewing it is a simple job.
Door repairs
- Doors that have dropped and catch on the frame
- Handles that need lifting hard before the door locks
- Keys that stiffen, stick or refuse to turn
A twice a year routine
- Lift the handle with the door open and again closed, and compare the effort
- Clean the mechanism edge and the keeps, then lubricate the moving points
- Check the cylinder turns freely without the handle being lifted
- Look along the closing edge for uneven gaps top to bottom
- Wipe and lubricate the hinges rather than painting over them
When maintenance stops being enough
If the gearbox already grinds, the handle flops, the key spins or the door will not lock at all, the part has failed and adjustment will not bring it back. That is a repair visit, and we carry quality branded mechanisms, cylinders and hinges on the van so it is usually a single visit.
A door that will not lock is a security problem rather than an inconvenience, and insecure properties are treated as emergencies with a 24 hour call out service.
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Questions
Frequently asked
How often should a uPVC or composite door be maintained?
Twice a year is plenty for most doors: a clean, a lubricate and a look along the closing edge for uneven gaps.
What should I lubricate, and what should I leave alone?
Lubricate the locking points, the mechanism edge, the keeps, the cylinder and the hinges. Leave the seals and the door face alone.
Can I adjust the hinges myself?
Hinges on uPVC and composite doors are adjustable, but adjusting one corner without checking the locking points often moves the problem rather than fixing it.
Does maintenance really prevent gearbox failure?
It prevents the most common cause of it. A dropped door forces the mechanism to lift against misaligned keeps, and that is what eventually snaps a gearbox.
My door only catches in hot weather. Is that worth a visit?
Yes, because it usually means the leaf is already close to the frame and a small adjustment will settle it before the mechanism takes the strain.
Do you charge to look at a door that is still working?
In-person quotations are free, and clear photographs can sometimes help us give an initial estimate first.
Ask about door maintenance
Photo estimates sometimes possible.
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