Do-it-yourself door handles

In detail: do-it-yourself door handles repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

During the operation of the door, the handle and the locking mechanism associated with it take the greatest load, so it is not surprising that these elements often break. In most cases, the door handle can be repaired by yourself using a screwdriver and a wrench. Sometimes it is necessary to replace some parts of the mechanism or the entire set as a whole.

Removing the door handle fasteners

There are three main types of door handles:

  • Round swivel. They are an integral part of a mortise lock, which is activated by turning the handle clockwise or counterclockwise.
  • Press. The difference from the first point is in the presence of a convenient lever handle, which opens the lock when pressed and closes when returning to its original position. This option is the most convenient for both interior and entrance doors.
  • Stationary (usually in the form of a ball or staple). These handles are not associated with the lock, they perform a decorative function and serve as a handle when opening the door leaf. Doorknob repair of this type is either tightening loose bolts or replacing it with a new product.

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Round rotary handle secured by a lock

When the question arises of how to fix a doorknob, the first step is to familiarize yourself with its device. For those who have come across the installation of a lock on a wooden door, this will not be difficult. Lever and rotary handles consist of the following elements:

  • Lever.
  • Locking mechanism with bolt. Its principle of operation is simple - when the handle is turned, the tongue (deadbolt) goes into the mating hole on the door frame and blocks the door.
  • Square (square pin). Connects the handle and the lock.
  • A decorative strip that masks the fasteners.
  • Recoil spring. Responsible for returning the handle to its original position.
  • Handle travel stop.
  • Retaining ring.
  • Plastic ring.
Video (click to play).

Elements that make up the door handle

If the door handle is found to be broken, you must first determine the cause. The experience of using door handles allows us to distinguish 5 types of breakdowns that are most common:

  • The handle is sticking, resistance is observed when turning.
  • The handle falls off, while its fastening remains in place.
  • The four-sided pin (square) inside the lock breaks.
  • When the handle is turned, the tongue does not move.
  • The handle does not return to its original position after turning.

Now let's look at how to repair a doorknob in each of these cases.

Metal parts of the mechanism under constant use are subject to abrasion, especially if dust particles get there. To avoid this, you need to monitor the presence of grease in the lock. Put a little oil on the bolt and twist the handle so that it is evenly distributed over all parts.

Sometimes the reason lies in loose structural elements. It is necessary to correct their position and tighten the fastening bolts.

How to properly lubricate the door mechanism

The culprit of the breakdown in this case is the retaining ring, which is either deformed, or displaced, and may even burst completely. Repair will take time, but it will not be difficult to do it:

  1. Remove the decorative rosette by turning it several times (sometimes it is fastened with a small screw from the bottom, then it must first be unscrewed).
  2. Use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws or bolts to which the mechanism is attached.
  3. Remove the structure and check the condition of the retaining ring. If it is bent or broken (as is the case in most cases), you need to purchase a new part.
  4. Insert the circlip and the entire mechanism into place.
  5. Install the handle and secure it.

Removing the decorative strip and unscrewing the fastening elements of the handle

This is possible only when using cheap low-quality products that are made of a fragile material - silumin. In this situation, you will have to change the mechanism completely. To avoid such breakdowns, it is better to purchase steel structures from trusted manufacturers. Replacing the handle is as follows:

    The fasteners at the base of the handle are unscrewed, then it is removed by itself.

Unscrewing the screw at the base of the handle

If the latch does not work when the door is opened, the cause of the malfunction is a too short square. It gradually moves towards the latch and presses it down. As a result, it cannot function normally. In this case, you need to act like this:

  1. Purchase a longer square on the market. If the length is longer than necessary, you can shorten it with a grinder.
  2. Unscrew one of the handles and take out the structure.
  3. Replace the square and put the handle back in place.

If the handle does not spring back to the horizontal position, this does not mean that it has broken - it may just that the return spring has come off. You can put it in place in the same way as the retaining ring. But sometimes the spring bursts, and this already becomes a problem: it is very difficult to acquire this part on the market. Often in such cases, the entire mechanism is changed.

Spring responsible for returning the door handle to its original position

Sometimes it is required to repair the outer door handle made of metal, or rather to replace it, since Chinese fittings made of silumin often break down. This is easier to do than installing a lock on a metal door. The algorithm of actions is not very different from replacing the handle of an interior door:

  • The fasteners are removed.
  • The square is extracted. If it is of a suitable length, you can leave it.
  • Attach the pads and spacers and place the handle on the square.
  • They put the bar in place, the deadbolt must snap into place.
  • Screw on the fasteners.

In most cases, repairing a doorknob is not difficult, the main thing is to correctly determine the cause. If the structure cannot be repaired, you should think about purchasing high-quality fittings from well-known manufacturers. To get a better idea of ​​how to disassemble a doorknob, watch the following video.

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If the doorknob stops working, don't rush to the store to have it replaced. In most cases, this lock assembly can be repaired. Let's find out how to fix the front door handle, and you will be convinced that there is nothing complicated about it - you just need to have a screwdriver and a few minutes of free time.

Before we repair the doorknob, let's get acquainted with its mechanism and how it works. Let's say right away that we are talking about a lever handle, since it is it that is usually used on entrance doors.

So, the mechanism has the following details:

  • Handle - this is exactly the element that we grasp with our hands and press to open the door;
  • Socket - is a round platform in which the movable mechanism and the handle stopper are located. Also, the socket provides fastening of the entire unit to the door;

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  • Decorative overlay - is a ring or square that is screwed onto a socket;
  • Travel stop - the name of this part speaks for itself;
  • Retaining ring - fixes the handle in the socket;

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  • Square - this is a square axis that transmits the rotary movement to the lock and the counter handle.

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Note! In some models of handles, instead of a round rosette, there is a long plate-overlay, which also serves as a frame for a mask or a place for attaching the lock handle. But, regardless of the platform, the principle of its mechanism is always the same.

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Thus, when we press the lever, the axis rotates, which sets the lock mechanism in motion.As a result, the latch is pulled out of the strike plate, and the door is unlocked.

Typically, people are faced with the following pen malfunctions:

Jamming is a breakdown that is usually not associated with a handle. The reason usually lies in the lock or in the incorrectly configured door. To pinpoint the cause, open the door and press the handle.

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If the door does not jam when the door is open, then the latch is stuck in the strike plate.

To fix the problem, you need to do the following:

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  • Tighten the self-tapping screws that secure the striker to the door frame;
  • Tighten the self-tapping screws that attach the lock itself to the door leaf.

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  • Lubricate the section of the striker plate that comes into contact with the latch with machine oil;
  • Lubricate the lock latch.

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  • If the reason for the jam is that the door is loose, inspect the perimeter of the door. Pay particular attention to the sealant. Replace it with a new one if necessary;
  • If the door has adjustable hinges, adjust its position.

Nuance: it is advisable to lubricate the latch only as a last resort, since sooner or later it will surely stain your clothes.

If it turns out that the handle is sticking even when the door is open, i.e. the problem is not in the coincidence of the latch with the striker, most likely the lock mechanism itself is faulty.

In this case, the troubleshooting instructions are as follows:

  • Lubricate the latch without disassembling the lock with machine oil or WD-40;
  • Check the functionality of the mechanism. If this action did not bring any results, follow the further recommendations.
  • Unscrew the decorative trim ring;
  • Unscrew the screws that hold the socket;
  • Loosen the locking screw located on the back of the handle that secures the rod;
  • Remove the plastic cover located inside the socket, if any;
  • Lubricate the swivel mechanism, pay particular attention to the spring and the space between the handle and the socket;
  • Check the functionality of the mechanism.

In the same way, you need to lubricate the counter handle, since the cause of the malfunction may lie in it.

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  • Dismantle the lock;
  • Unscrew the lock cover (side);
  • Lubricate the latch mechanism.

After completing all these steps, the problem will definitely be fixed.

If the handle stops springing, then there can be only one reason - the return element does not work.

In this case, you need to dismantle the handle according to the described scheme, and then perform the following steps:

  • Insert a slotted screwdriver into the space between the socket and the stopper;
  • Pry the stopper with a screwdriver and remove it as shown in the photo.
  • Insert the spring into the grooves of the handle core;
  • Secure the spring with a travel stop on top.

A similar repair to the door handle mechanism can be performed if the spring simply flew off the core.

If it has burst, then it is quite difficult to find it on sale, but you can take a different path:

  1. Remove the spring from the broken handle, if any;
  2. Make a spring yourself, for example, from a key ring from a key ring.

Otherwise, you will have to change the handle completely.

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A similar situation is possible only if the retaining ring has fallen off the handle core. To solve the problem, you need to dismantle the socket, then insert the handle into it and install the locking ring, as well as other parts, i.e. spring and travel stop.

If the ring bursts, it is not necessary to replace the entire handle. You can choose a suitable counter washer and install it in place of the ring. If necessary, the washer can be tightened with your own hands using pliers so that it tightly squeezes the core.

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Note! There are situations when the handle falls out because it simply breaks off the core. This situation can only happen for two reasons - the handle is of poor quality, i.e.made of silumin, or a short rod is used in the door, which did not fully enter the core. If the reason is in a short core, then before installing a new handle, it must be changed to a longer one.

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If you press the handle, but the latch does not work, there can be two reasons for the malfunction:

  1. The short rod flew out of the core, as it moved towards the counter handle;
  2. The square milling of the core has “cut off”.

In the first case, you will have to change the square axis to a longer one. Of course, you can temporarily solve the problem by centering the position of the square and fixing it in the handles with locking screws.

Do not forget, however, that this could damage the handle. As we said, the axis must go deep into the core.

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As for the second case, the repair of the front door handle made of silumin does not make any sense at all. No matter how you repair it, it will soon break completely and irrevocably.

The only way to temporarily fix the problem is to try to seal the joint, for example, by winding electrical tape around the rod. Another option is to make a cut along the bar and slightly expand it, if initially there is none. You can even insert a small wedge.

But, the result will still not be long. Also, keep in mind that if the rod fits too tightly into the silumin core, the handle may just split.