A customer in Feltham called because the uPVC kitchen-to-garden door was locked shut and could no longer be opened.
The customer had noticed that the door was becoming harder and harder to close but had not expected the locking system to fail completely.
The key would still lock and unlock the mechanism, but operating the handles would not retract the hooks from the keeps.
As soon as I removed the handle, the reason became obvious. Only a small piece of the spindle remained visible — roughly 20% of what should have been there — with the rest broken somewhere inside the gearbox.
I released the mechanism and opened the door, then researched the original system and found that it was no longer manufactured.
I fitted an overnight lock so the door could be secured while I sourced a replacement.
A new British Standard replacement mechanism was ordered and fitted the following day.
Before finishing, I also made the hinge adjustments the door had needed for some time so the new mechanism would not be forced against poor alignment.
The door was then opening, closing and locking properly again.
If a multipoint door needs a lot of force on the handles before the key will turn, that is a warning that the door needs attention before the strain becomes a broken gearbox or spindle.
