A customer in Staines phoned because the front door would no longer open. They had just returned home and the key would turn, but the multipoint mechanism would not release.
At first it sounded familiar, but this one put up more of a fight than expected. I spent around 30 minutes trying the normal ways of relieving pressure on the hooks and lifting the door, but nothing would release the mechanism.
At that point it was clear the gearbox had failed. I tried forcing the handles to get movement from the mechanism, but the spindle inside the gearbox gave way as well and the handles were left spinning freely.
The door had a high-security cylinder and good handles, so there was no sense destroying working components just to gain access. I went directly through the already-failed multipoint mechanism instead. After cutting into the failed section, the door could be opened without adding unnecessary replacement costs elsewhere.
I did not have the complete replacement mechanism in stock, so I fitted temporary overnight security and returned once the new system arrived.
The failed mechanism was then replaced and the door restored to normal operation.
