The majority of UPVC / composite door locking problems are due to misalignment between the door and frame. This can either be due to poor initial installation, or the building settling/subsiding slightly.
Signs of poor installation may be difficult for a layman to identify. Gradually doors will become stiff and difficult to lock. After a few months or years the door mechanism can break completely. Eventually you’ll find yourself with a door that doesn’t lock, or one that won’t open. There are entire estates in Lydney and Coleford where the doors were poorly installed and we’ve replaced half of the mechanisms on the same street.
With older buildings the signs of settling / subsidence which cause misalignment can be more easily seen. Take a look around the frame or nearby to see if there are cracks. These cracks can indicate settling of the building and may be the reason your door is difficult to lock. If the settling is minor adjustments can probably be made to the door to get it back into correct alignment.
We keep the most common multipoint mechanisms in stock. Very rarely in the Forest of Dean you’ll come across a building subsiding so badly there’s nothing we can do. If we can’t fix your door – there is no charge for coming out to look at it.
A broken door mechanism (multipoint) is likely to also require door realigning, or at least checking. Putting a new mechanism in a badly adjusted door will cause the new parts to fail prematurely. We always check door alignment when we fit new replacement parts.