Sticking uPVC Doors

[Eremos]

My uPVC porch doors (about a year) old are starting to stick. I tried using Allen keys to adjust these which worked. Once I put the caps back on the hinges they went back to the way they used to be!

Some of the Allen key grooves have worn down now. Looking at the hinge there are different types of grooves in it, so possibly there is a different type of key that I can use to adjust these doors.

Does anyone know anything about this? Has anyone had a similar problem with their doors?

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[Nemesis]

Well I doubt really many who post here have uPVC doors on their period buildings...

 

[Eremos]

Thanks Nemesis. V helpful. Not my fault the previous owner left the doors now is it?

 

[Nemesis]

However - it's true!

 

[Gervase]

Harsh! Mind you a sticking door will help concentrate the mind into thinking of ways of replacing them.
Meanwhile, you could spray the sticking parts with a silicone lubricant. Or think of using a shim under one of the hinges to level the door.

 

[Eremos]

Thanks Gervase for the comments. I'll try that. Nemesis, thanks for the genius comment, much appreciated. If you don't know just say so. Hope your other 3771 posts are as useful as the two that you've given me.

 

[Nemesis]

See Gervase's comment about replacing them, and try to lighten up a little?
Just out of interest - have they a kitemark?

 

[alice]

Ok, not knowing what a kitemark was, I dutifully googled the word and came up with this.

http://www.bsi-global.com/en/ProductServices/About-Kitemark/

I still don't know what it is, but now I know I should trust it implicitly.

Can anyone enlighten me further?

alice

 

[Mark]

On some of these upvc doors the hex key is just to lock the hinge pins (same as on a lot of car doors). the positioning is down to a shim which has probably worn.

you may find you need to reposition the hinge or fit new shims. Or new doors

 

[another_richard]

As you can see eremos, plastic is not fantastic.

(the right type of) Wood is Good.

 

[Penners]

Can anyone enlighten me further?

The kitemark is an indication that the product has been made to standards established by the British Standards Institution. It's generally regarded as a good sign that you're buying a well-made product.

There now follows a whole raft of messages from people who have been disappointed with kitemarked products.

 

[chuckey]

One common fault with UPVC doors is that they "droop" on their hinges. Can you check that the top (and bottom) of the door is exactly parrallel to the frame. The glass panels in the door should be "heeled and toe'ed", that is plastic packing pieces should be fitted tightly at the bottom corner nearest the hinge (edge and bottom) and again at the opposite diagonal corner. This is so the glass acts as a brace to take the weight of the frame. I have seen this problem on many doors as some fitters only fit the top and bottom packers.
Frank

 

[Geoff Flegg]

The kitemark is an indication that the product has been made to standards established by the British Standards Institution.

Absolutely. You can rest assured that your product likes a nice cup of tea, knows how to queue, knows the rules of cricket and talks about the weather a lot.

 

[Penners]

One common fault with UPVC doors is that they "droop"

Only when they get older. Take it from me - I know.

 

[Penners]

The kitemark is an indication that the product has been made to standards established by the British Standards Institution.

Absolutely. You can rest assured that your product likes a nice cup of tea, knows how to queue, knows the rules of cricket and talks about the weather a lot.

You forgot the offside rule.

 

[biffvernon]

The place to ask questions about dodgy plastic doors is: http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=18

 

[Nemesis]

Indeed:

http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=89234&sid=61fc8a5bb9215f28e424cbcab37da0f7


But I suspect the OP is too busy trying still to get the spray foam off his hands (see previous thread about draughts in an attic) to worry.

Just shows though - if these had been timber I doubt that all this wear and tear would have happened so quickly after installation.

 

[Moo]

Talking of plastic doors -

The penultimate day of my six-week stint helping sister-in-law and friend to transform our nephew's dreary little terrace house.

We'd reached the stage where all that was left were cosmetic things like polishing the table and arranging the candles.
Sister-in-law and I were smoothing out the bedspreads when there was a crash and a shriek downstairs. Friend was in the front room, polishing cloth in one hand and the handlebar of a motor scooter in the other. A local lad had lost control and careered (at low speed) into the (plastic) front door. The centre section (the bit with the panelling and the faux transom) was lying on the carpet in the middle of the room while the rest of the door, still locked, had come apart at all the joints.

Memo to burglars: don't bother with pick-locks - just give the centre of the door a good shove and walk straight in.

 

[Geoff Flegg]

Memo to burglars: don't bother with pick-locks - just give the centre of the door a good shove and walk straight in.

You're dead right there - my family business is home security, this is not uncommon. Cheap modern wooden doors are no better though, many (especially back doors) have a large plywood panel at the bottom that doesn't take much effort to kick in. People tend to concentrate on how good the lock is, and forget how strong the door itself needs to be.

You'll never keep a really determined and / or audacious burglar out of your house, the trick is to make it so difficult and inconvienient that they go elsewhere.

 

[Penners]

A local lad had lost control and careered (at low speed) into the (plastic) front door.

Local lad can think himself lucky it wasn't a good, solid period door (or a Biff Vernon equivalent). The outcome would have been rather more serious, I suspect.