DIY do-it-yourself door handle repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of door handles for interior doors 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.

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 (bolt) 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 the 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:

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).
Use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws or bolts to which the mechanism is attached.
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.
Insert the circlip and the entire mechanism into place.
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:

Purchase a longer square on the market. If the length is longer than necessary, you can shorten it with a grinder.
Unscrew one of the handles and take out the structure.
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.

Read also: Do-it-yourself pump repair

All parts must be lubricated before assembly. If after all the procedures the lock does not work properly, it must be completely replaced.

Many interior doors are made of wood. Since this material is largely exposed to the external environment, it is not uncommon for the web to dry out and crack. The simplest solution in this case is to install metal corners. However, such measures can significantly spoil the appearance of the structure.

In case of dryness, the repair of interior doors can be carried out by processing the canvas with a special adhesive solution. To do this, the door must be removed from the hinges and the entire surface must be treated. Cracks are lubricated more intensively. To achieve the desired effect, the glued door is slightly squeezed with clamps or a press and left in this form until completely dry. After that, the blade can be reinstalled in its original place.

If cracks and chips are found on the glass, it must be replaced. For this, the method of its installation is determined. The glass can be fixed with glazing beads or installed inside the curtain.

To remove glass with glazing beads, you need to lift them with a thin screwdriver or knife near each nail. After that, all the strips and the glass itself are removed. The installation of a new glass is carried out in the reverse order.

In the case of an internal type of glass installation, the procedure for replacing it is more laborious. For this, the door is removed from the hinges. There are plugs on the canvas with self-tapping screws under them. These fasteners secure a special cover that holds the glass in place. By unscrewing the screws, the cover can be removed and then remove the damaged glass.It is important to take into account that in the grooves there is a special seal that protects the glass from damage during the opening and closing of the doors. In order not to damage it, the edges of the glass are coated with soapy water before installation and dismantling. The installation procedure is carried out upside-down. Image - DIY repair of door handles of interior doors

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;

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;

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

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.

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.

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:

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.

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

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.

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 by placing a travel stop at the 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:

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

Otherwise, you will have to change the handle completely.

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.

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.

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

The short rod flew out of the core, as it moved towards the counter handle;
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.

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 widen 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 simply split.

Now you know how to repair a doorknob. To see this again, watch the video in this article. If it turns out that in your case repair is impossible, you can easily install a new mechanism.

On the front door, the vulnerable spot is the lock. If the installation of the entrance metal door is done correctly and during operation it was not subjected to abnormal loads, then the canvas itself will work for many years. But a lock with a handle is designed for a certain number of opening-closing cycles, and over time, this bunch of mechanisms fails. Most often, the cause of the malfunction lies in the fact that the handle is broken. If you look at its structure, then repairing the door handles of the entrance doors will seem like a trifling matter.

Of all types of door handles, push and stationary models are installed on the entrance doors. Rotary mechanisms are installed only on interior doors.

Push type

With the help of the lever handle, the person controls the opening of the canvas and simultaneously acts on the lock tongue, and with the help of the stationary handle he only performs the opening and closing.

The stationary handle breaks down from mechanical damage (from impact) or from a loose mount. If the stationary handle is broken, it can be seen with the naked eye. In this case, it will have to be replaced. If the fasteners are loose, then they need to be tightened.

The lever handle, like any mechanism with moving parts, has weak points, the breakage of which leads to characteristic problems:

The handle is connected to the fastening bar by a movable mechanism. Poor quality steel, poor riveting, or excessive mechanical stress will cause the handle to fall out of the seat in the mounting bar.In such cases, it will not be possible to repair the mechanism, and you will have to buy a new one.
A square rod is inserted into the socket at the base of the handle, hidden under the fastening strip, which transfers rotation to the lock and moves the tongue. If, when you press the lever, the mechanism works normally, but the lock tongue does not hide, then there is a problem with the metal rod. There can be two reasons: during installation, the rod was cut incorrectly and it became short (in a one-sided design). Over time, he could jump out of the hole in the lock case. The second reason is a broken rod due to poor quality steel from which it is made.

Important! It is extremely rare that the seat at the end of the handle can wear out, and the rod can turn.

Return to the starting position after pressing occurs due to a spiral spring, which is fixed at one end on the fastening bar, the other at the end of the handle. If the spring breaks off or pops out of the mountings, the spring-loaded effect will disappear. Repair of the door handle of an entrance metal or wooden door in this case is possible if the spring remains intact.

As you can see, there is nothing special to break in such a structure, and any master himself will be able to establish the cause of the breakdown and determine the way how to repair the mechanism. To do this, remove it and look under the mounting bar.

Consider how a double-sided door push handle with a long fastening strip is removed:

There are two fastening screws at the top and bottom of each bracket. Each screw on one side is connected to the screw on the opposite side of the door through a threaded sleeve (tie). To unscrew the fastening screws, it is necessary to fix the screw on one side of the door with one screwdriver, and turn the screw on the other side of the door leaf with the second screwdriver. So unscrew all four screws.
We remove the handles with fastening strips from the square pin and inspect the rotary-return mechanism. We will repair the fallen spring, check the mechanism for operability and fix it in place in the reverse order.

Double-sided design

In this case, you will have to tinker to get the screws into the coupling.

The order of twisting the mechanism with a decorative strip:

In this system, the handle is additionally fixed to the square bar with a small screw screwed flush in the lower part of it, near the decorative strip itself. Use a thin hex wrench to loosen this screw. It is enough to make a few turns for the screw to come out of the engagement with the pin. It is not necessary to unscrew it completely.

Important! This screw is the reason why it is not possible to remove the handle with the decorative strip.

Removing the locking screw

Twist the decorative overlay counterclockwise with our hands.
Now the fastening screws will open, with which the strip is attached to the door leaf (or screws for the tie connecting two strips on opposite sides of the door leaf). Unscrew these screws and remove the handle from the square bar.

Unscrewing the bracket fixing screws

After that, we inspect the pivot mechanism and determine whether it is possible to fix the breakdown or whether the door handle will need to be replaced.

Replacing the handle on an entrance metal and wooden door is the same. The only difference is that when buying a new mechanism for a metal door leaf, its dimensions must exactly repeat the parameters of the old one. Its fastening holes, location on the keyhole fastening strip must completely coincide with the holes in the metal sheet.

On your own, you can perform the following handle repair:

Video on how to remove and repair the lever handle:

To remove the handle, check the integrity of its parts and determine the possibility of repair, you will need a screwdriver and no more than five minutes of time.Broken door handle, including on the entrance structure, is a common problem that can be easily dealt with on your own. There are several ways to fix a broken front door handle with your own hands, but first you need to establish the cause of the breakdown.On the entrance structures, such variants of handles are installed as stationary (they simply serve as a handle), push (represent a lever that opens the lock when pressed) and rotary. Image - DIY repair of door handles of interior doors

Stationary ones break due to weak fasteners or too much load, as well as due to mechanical damage.

If the handle on the front door, which belongs to the push or rotary model, is broken, then the cause of the breakdown is most often a malfunction of the mechanism. Since the causes and remedies for breakdowns are directly related, it is necessary to deal with the types of breakdowns. There are several options here:

When pressing (turning), resistance is felt, the handle is difficult to move. The cause of the malfunction in this case is most often a lack of lubrication in the lock or loosening of the fastening bolts.
After pressing (turning) the handle does not return to its original position. Such a breakdown occurs due to a malfunction of the return spring (it can fly off or burst).
The mount remains in the blade and the handle breaks off. This is due to deformation or misalignment of the retaining ring.
The tongue wedges, stays in place when pressed (turned). This phenomenon is associated with a malfunction of the square pin (square).

The latter problem can also be caused by several reasons.

If the tongue does not move, then the problem may be in the overly short square. Due to the unsuitable length, the pin moves freely in the mechanism and presses the latch, preventing it from working correctly.

Also the square can be broken. This phenomenon is not very frequent, and it is associated with the poor quality of the material from which the door handle is made. In such a situation, you will most likely have to change the mechanism completely.

Before you start repairing the front door handle, you must remove its mechanism. However, if the handle breaks off, then you do not have to remove it, it will only be enough to disassemble it.

To change the push model, no special tools are needed - just one screwdriver is enough. First you need to remove the decorative rosette, which can be screwed on from below with a small screw. The socket is removed through the handle. Then you need to unscrew all the other screws and screw ties on which the mechanism is attached. Now all that remains is to remove the handle and remove the mechanism.