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  • Multipoint UPVC door jam

    From Harry Bloomfield Esq@21:1/5 to All on Sun Mar 23 09:52:40 2025
    It's all sorted now, but.....

    Our side/back door, jammed recently. The multipoint locking system, was
    failing to fully retract, when the handle was lited, just around a 3mm
    gap between door face and frame. It would close, and lock with the key,
    just fine - just couldn't open it.

    A bit of research, suggested, ragging the handle up and down fast, to
    try to get the multipoint released. In fact that worked, after which the multipoint with door open, seemed to be retracting normally. It worked
    just the once, but at a time when the door needed to be relocked, I had
    to rush out to an appointment.

    Back home, I tried the ragging the handle up and down again, whilst both pulling and pushing on the door, but all I could manage, was a partial retraction of the arms. Next day I tried hammer on the door, jacking the
    lock side up and down, nothing helped - still jammed, three days later.

    I finally conceeded defeat, and tried to find an honest locksmith,
    emailing a few, explaining the problem, for a quote - I'm still waiting
    four days later, for a reply from them. Then I remembered a mention long
    ago, that a local cobbler, knew a bit about locks, so I popped round an enquired. He agreed to take a look. He arrived, spotted that the handle
    had been slipped on temporarily, pointing the wrong way, and asked me to
    go through the house, and adjust it.

    I set off, but by the time I had made my way to the back door, it was
    already open. I heard no noise, I saw no tools, yet he'd managed to
    release the door, like magic. He made no charge, but what did he do?

    It was obvious what the problem was, the gearbox was broken and not
    operating the multipoint rack properly.

    Whilst it was open, I removed the entire lock, and multipoint rack out,
    wedging the door shut with timber, until I could organise a replacement gearbox.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Tricky Dicky@21:1/5 to Harry Bloomfield Esq on Sun Mar 23 12:52:01 2025
    Harry Bloomfield Esq <harry.m1byt@outlook.com> wrote:
    It's all sorted now, but.....

    Our side/back door, jammed recently. The multipoint locking system, was failing to fully retract, when the handle was lited, just around a 3mm
    gap between door face and frame. It would close, and lock with the key,
    just fine - just couldn't open it.

    A bit of research, suggested, ragging the handle up and down fast, to
    try to get the multipoint released. In fact that worked, after which the multipoint with door open, seemed to be retracting normally. It worked
    just the once, but at a time when the door needed to be relocked, I had
    to rush out to an appointment.

    Back home, I tried the ragging the handle up and down again, whilst both pulling and pushing on the door, but all I could manage, was a partial retraction of the arms. Next day I tried hammer on the door, jacking the
    lock side up and down, nothing helped - still jammed, three days later.

    I finally conceeded defeat, and tried to find an honest locksmith,
    emailing a few, explaining the problem, for a quote - I'm still waiting
    four days later, for a reply from them. Then I remembered a mention long
    ago, that a local cobbler, knew a bit about locks, so I popped round an enquired. He agreed to take a look. He arrived, spotted that the handle
    had been slipped on temporarily, pointing the wrong way, and asked me to
    go through the house, and adjust it.

    I set off, but by the time I had made my way to the back door, it was
    already open. I heard no noise, I saw no tools, yet he'd managed to
    release the door, like magic. He made no charge, but what did he do?

    It was obvious what the problem was, the gearbox was broken and not
    operating the multipoint rack properly.

    Whilst it was open, I removed the entire lock, and multipoint rack out, wedging the door shut with timber, until I could organise a replacement gearbox.



    Although not a door but a window where we had a similar experience, it
    turned out to be the gearing housing which was simply held in with piened
    over tenons to the front plate, coming loose. What was happening as a
    result was that the gear was not engaging the rack correctly. By putting
    some pressure on the handle so that it caused the gear to engage the rack opened the window. We managed to get an exact replacement and so far no
    repeat of the issue.

    I would check the gear engagement whilst you have it out, it might be repairable. Also whilst out try lubricating the mechanisms.

    Richard

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Harry Bloomfield Esq@21:1/5 to Tricky Dicky on Sun Mar 23 19:33:37 2025
    On 23/03/2025 12:52, Tricky Dicky wrote:
    I would check the gear engagement whilst you have it out, it might be repairable. Also whilst out try lubricating the mechanisms.

    The door is all working now, but I kept the old gearbox/lock, to
    investigate when I get a roundtuit, just to satisfy my curiosity. I
    spotted a couple of tiny 1/8" round steel discs had fallen out of the mechanism, which have been the cause.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)