Finding yourself locked on a balcony is an absurd situation. But in our houses there are many balcony doors equipped only with an internal handle. Cases when very young children inadvertently lock the door and one of the parents cannot get back into the room are not uncommon. Spontaneous closing under the weight of the handle may also occur if the lock mechanism is sufficiently weakened. Jamming of the lock occurs less often. And especially in cold winter, the door leaf may freeze to the frame. What to do if you get into trouble and how to avoid trouble will be discussed in the article.
Prevention measures
It is much easier to prevent a malfunction than to get into a difficult situation and urgently try to fix it. Preventative measures do not take much time:
- All moving structural elements must be lubricated twice a year.
- Clean the fittings from dust and dirt to prevent foreign objects from getting into the mechanism.
- Turn the door handle smoothly, without jerking.
- Do not open the sash until the handle has been completely turned to the desired position.
- Do not hang bags on the door handle, do not lean your elbows.
- Check the position of the door from time to time and make adjustments if necessary.
If the operating rules are followed and proper care is taken, the plastic balcony door will serve without causing problems.
Procedure for jamming a plastic balcony door
If the plastic balcony door does not open, everyone should know what to do in such a situation.
Outside
There are such unpleasant moments when the door does not open when a person is on the balcony. To fix the problem you need to do the following:
- Look around and find any thin and sharp object. This could be a screwdriver, knife or spatula.
- Inspect the glass unit and hook the glazing bead in the middle. Carry out the same actions above and below. The bead is carefully removed around the entire perimeter and the glass unit is removed.
- Actions must be taken as carefully as possible to avoid damaging materials.
Using this method, you can save the glass unit without damage. After the door is opened, the glass and glazing bead must be returned to their places.
To open the door from the inside, you need to check the operation of the handle
Inside
If the door leaf does not open from the inside, this alleviates the problem. It is necessary to align the canvas in the center using a special metal tongue and a screwdriver. If the problem is in the handle, it can be removed and repaired very quickly.
You should not try to forcefully press on the door. This leads to the fact that the entire structure is deformed and subsequently needs to be replaced.
When opening the door, you must carefully inspect the seal. In some cases, it comes off and gets crushed while the door leaf is closing. In such cases, the door may jam. To solve the problem, the seal is re-glued or replaced with a new one.
If all else fails, you need to seek help from specialists.
Types of locks
To find out the reason for the lock's failure, you need to know its design. Today, manufacturers offer different models of products that differ in design and locking mechanism.
Level
Despite their strength and reliability, these are not the most popular models. The design of the bolt mechanism includes plates. If a lever lock breaks, it must be visually inspected under a light beam. It is possible that small foreign particles have entered the core and are interfering with the operation of the shutter mechanism.
Cylinder
In these devices, the main working mechanism is a cylinder, which, if broken, must be drilled out with a drill, removed and a new core installed. Cylinder locks are most often installed in plastic doors.
Electromagnetic
The PVC door leaf is secured using the magnetic components of the locking device. They are used relatively rarely, but are quite reliable.
The operation of such mechanisms requires electrical power. Therefore, it is not recommended to install or replace them yourself; it is better to entrust this work to specialists.
Electrical
Electric locks do not have handles or keys. A plastic door equipped with such a device is opened using a special key fob or electronic card.
Such bolt mechanisms are almost impossible to hack, so they are considered the most reliable. They require an electrical outlet to function.
Multi-point
The design of multi-locking mechanisms includes several special clamping parts. The quality of pressing of the leaf to the frame of the door block, the service life of the structure, as well as protection against burglary depend on these elements.
Stainless steel is used to make lock parts. The device turns out to be quite durable and reliable, and rarely breaks. But, if any malfunctions occur, most often the product has to be replaced.
What to do if the key is broken
It's another thing to open a door lock with a broken key. First you need to remove the fragment. If its end sticks out, you can get by with pliers, but if it is stuck in the mechanism itself, then it will be even more difficult to cope with the task.
In order to remove a key fragment from the lock, you can use pliers, a drill or a jigsaw blade
A thin jigsaw blade can help; insert it into the keyhole from the bottom side with the teeth facing up, then turn it to engage the key, carefully remove the blade along with the fragment. Then the same methods of how to open a door lock without a key can help. If there is a 2nd key and the mechanism is not damaged, no additional measures will be required at all.
If you cannot get the key, you need to unscrew the lock and remove the fragment. The cylinder lock can be drilled to remove the cylinder. In general, opening the door in this case is quite problematic.
The shutter does not open: it is stuck in ventilation mode
New houses often shrink and, as a result, the window sash may become deformed. Therefore, if a plastic window is jammed, it will be impossible to open it, regardless of the effort applied. As a rule, such processes occur almost imperceptibly to the eye. However, signs of impending breakdown are squeaks, as well as difficulties when opening or closing.
If a plastic window is stuck in the closed position, then first you should try to press the sash as much as possible against the frame, and place the handle as horizontally as possible. If you managed to do this manipulation, then you can smoothly lift and then carefully lower the handle down. There should be a metal plate under the handle with a small spring on it.
You should try to press this spring against the seal and carefully turn the handle. If the expected result does not occur, there is no point in applying force. In this case, it would be better to immediately contact a specialist who can solve the problem and not damage the window mechanism.
Caring for a metal-plastic door
It is quite easy to recognize that something is wrong with your metal-plastic door. Main features:
- extraneous noise, grinding during opening;
- depressurization (water leakage, draft);
- violation of sound insulation;
- handle jamming;
- cracks, chips on plastic.
In general, some metal-plastic problems cannot be solved. This is especially true for the plastic frame, which can quickly deteriorate, especially in the unfavorable northern climate. Protection of locks and curtains can be ensured periodically (once a year or two) by lubricating them with medium-thick oil. Periodic checking, lubrication of the main components, replacement of rubber bands and gaskets will extend the service life and protect you from troubles with sudden jamming of the door.
