Many people wonder if they need to go to the expense of calling a locksmith out or just wait until the lock, mechanism or hinges on the door pack up completely, this is never more so than on PVC doors.

PVC doors are possibly the most common type of job that locksmiths get called out to, this is both due to the fact that they are the most common fitted doors in the UK and the fact they get old. The number of reasons they start failing though are mostly similar.

What we have to remember is that these doors are made of plastic and have pieces of metal that strengthen them internally. Then we tend to put glass in the apertures that weigh anything up to about 50kg. This door then operates for a number of years going from hot to cold with the seasons. Also the odd few slams, a good few kicking's and wind knocking on it. Industry standard reckon that if looked after a PVC door should last 35 years. However manufacturers often only offer a 10 year guarantee. In my opinion this is for a reason. If they believed doors would last for 35 years, then they should be able to guarantee them for nearly that length of time too.

1.The door has dropped. This is usually noticeable if you look across the top of the door. On the hinge side there is a smaller gap to the frame than on the opening side. This can also occur in reverse if the hinges are old and not holding the door correctly. Although this does not happen as often.

When the door dropping becomes an issue is when you are trying to close and lock the door and it becomes harder over time. Thoughtlessly we tend to exert more pressure when closing it until we end up using two hands to hold the handle up at the same time as trying to turn the key. Obviously you need to wind back a few months and call a locksmith at this point. Otherwise you are asking for a broken mechanism on the door. A much more expensive repair. A locksmith should be able to come and adjust the door for an inexpensive fix. This can be done in most cases by either adjusting the hinges or toe and heeling the door. Of course this is not a guarantee but in most cases this works and gives a PVC door a new leash of life for a few years.

2. The mechanism has broken. This is becoming more of an issue for locksmiths in the last decade or so as for as many doors being produced with 'multipoint' locking systems, manufacturers were vying to make affordable mechanisms to fit in these doors whilst at the same time trying to make them more secure. A lot of manufacturers recommend that you should use oil or other (a bit of spray) on these mechanisms every 18-24 months. Believe it or not if you look at the strip on the front of your door, where the bolts come out you might even see it. Some manufacturers decide to tell you that way, others do not. Mechanisms are robust on the whole and tend to last the life of the door, however there are exceptions and many do fail before they are are of any age. I moved into a new build and mine lasted for 14 months because we were shoving the handle up too hard as we locked it, because on installation a hook keep wasn't aligned correctly. Jargon to most people but, it does highlight how easy it is to put unnecessary strain on the mechanism. Just as a warning, a mechanism can stop working at will it seems, sometimes they can be delicate creatures. Although, mostly they break because of the strain mentioned above in the part. To keep a mechanism and its centre part also known as the gearbox healthy, if you feel that something isn't quite right with it when you shut the door, that is the time to call a locksmith.

3. The hinges need replacing. This is possibly the lesser problem that we come across as locksmiths. Hinges have gotten considerably better over the years but a lot of the early ones were in my opinion not fit for purpose, many of them are now not even available and replacement hinges have to be used if possible. There are commonly 3 types of hinges fitted to UPVC doors, butt hinges, rebated hinges and flag hinges. From experience hinges do not all go or break at the same time. Although it is good practice to replace all once one has gone. A tell tale sign of a failing hinge is the hinge pin rising or an increase in the torque needed to open a door from shut. Go check you door now, commonly you see a piece of metal rising or dropping out of the hinge. Catch it early enough and you can just knock it back to where it belongs. If you are operating a door with a failed hinge chances are you are breaking the others too. I have been to a property where the top hinge failed and the customer thought its not that bad I have two more. The final broke hinge off and took a big chunk of the door frame with it, unfortunately it was a case of you need a new door mate.

4. Anomalies and bits of stone. Always check the thresholds of your doors particularly if you have a gravel drive, stones and even bits of broken dog bone have regularly got a customer to call me because they were having issues with either closing or opening their doors. A tiny piece of gravel if left long enough can interfere and even warp a PVC door over time, 5-6mm diameter and they can cause a restless night for the householder who cannot close or lock their door correctly.

Anomaly, I drove 60 miles to a person who was having a bad day. He had had to wait in for a delivery that never came, he then had to book another 1/2 day off work as they brought his new white goods mid afternoon. When he called a locksmith I was helping. the client was at his wits end as he could not lock his door. Upon arrival it was obvious that as the delivery guys had delivered his fridge or whatever it was they had knocked the weather strip out of position and the door would not shut correctly due to the weather strip. Needless to say he was fully intent in charging the delivery company what it had cost him for me to shove the weather strip over 10mm.

5. Frames not secured and subsidence. Most UPVC doors are hung on frames that are fixed using frame fixes ,these can come lose and give the same problems of a dropped door, a lazy builder might even have drilled out the holes for a frame fix just in the mortar as its easier to drill than brick. They may even come loose because of traffic vibration nearby. This one is the least common problems in my experience apart from when doors are fitted within conservatory's. Over time the weight of the conservatory settles and takes everything that was plumb and level with it, door frames included.

6. It needs a new door mate. uPVC doors will not last forever. https://pip-lockout.co.uk/andover-locksmith/