Door handles are the most important part of your daily life. You enter your house or an office, and you just turn the handle, but what if the door handles stop working? It will be frustrating for you. The handle will get stuck and will not go back to its original position. This is called the sagging of the door handle.
There are many reasons behind the sagging of the door handles, all of them are explained briefly in the following paragraphs:
Reasons And Solutions Of A Sagging In Door Handles
There are many problems that cause the door handle to sag. To fix these handles, you must know the right reason for sagging. The following are the reasons for door handle sagging:
Incorrect Door Latch
Most homeowners replace door handles but do not use the compatible latch with them or leave the old latches inside the door frame, which causes door handles to get stuck.
Solution: You can resolve this problem by replacing the compatible latches with the door handles.
Mortice Bar
The standard size of the mortice bar is 8mm, but it can vary according to manufacturers. If the size of the mortice bar is longer than the standard length, it can cause handle sagging. It causes the spring to fix the door handle when it is attached to the surface of the door.
Solution: This problem can be solved by cutting the mortice bar and making it shorter with the help of a hacksaw.
Overly Tight Fitting
While fitting the door handle on the surface of the door, homeowners tighten up the screws. The tightening can cause the sagging of the door.
Solution: Loose the screws a little bit, and you will observe that door handles get back to their original horizontal position.
Dirt/Debris Stuck In The Latch
Most wooden door latches collect wood debris when you shave the door; this debris may get stuck in the latch and cause the spring to be fixed and the door handles to stop moving.
Other types of doors can collect dirt in the latch compartment, which causes the door handle to snag.
Solution: A simple clean-up procedure can prevent your door handles from sagging. Do not open the lock latch if you are not an expert in this; otherwise, you will face a problem when you combine all the components back in the door frame.
Worn Spring In Door Handle
Sometimes, the door handles have worn-out springs that are mostly present in the old door handles. The cause of worning out springs is corrosion or excessive use for many years.
Solution: You can replace the spring. Always buy a spring that is compatible with the door handles.
Spindle Alignment Of Door Handle
Make sure the spindle and the latch follower are aligned. Look at the spindle from the door edge with the handle loosened. If there is any misalignment, you should be able to see it.
Fixing this may be difficult because the screw holes for the handles might be in the wrong place. They may be just slightly off, making it hard to drill a new pilot hole next to an existing one.
Solution: Use back-to-back fixings to secure the handles onto the door, even if the holes are not in the right position.
Door Handle Components
Sometimes, in your old doors, door handles suddenly stop working and start to sag. There may be a failure of any components of the door handle.
Solution: Dismantle the door handle, find out which part has failed or worn out, and replace it.
Check The Door Handle Springs
If the problem is caused by the spring in one of the handles, you may need to get new handles. The following are the reasons for the wrong springs:
- Handles can have different types of springs, which can vary between brands, even if the handles look similar on the outside.
- Manufacturers can change the spring design and mechanism in their handles over time depending on their sources at the time of manufacture.
- Some door handle springs are specific to each handle on either side of the door, and finding the right one might be confusing.
- Replacing the handle may be complicated; the spring can break or weaken, leading to future problems.
- The packing washers may only sometimes fit back properly or may be worn, leading to a stiff or loose spring.
Corrosion of the door handle mechanism
The external door handles sag mainly due to corrosion because these doors face harsh conditions. Corrosion can cause the latch mechanism to stop, and your door handles will stop working. Try to protect your door handles from the harsh conditions by adding a protective layer.
Solution: To fix this, take off the handle and use spray lubricant to try to make it easier to move. When installing external or moisture-exposed door handles, it's a good idea to grease the latch mechanism.
Lubricating The Latch Mechanism
Lubricating the latch mechanism is one of the most important factors to avoid sagging of door handles. Your old door handle gets stuck. Lubricate it with grease and oil to remove the rust inside the latch mechanism. In new door handles, do this procedure from time to time to avoid corrosion in the long run.
Conclusion
From this whole discussion, you have the answer to why door handles sag. The sagging of door handles has various reasons, but I have provided the solution to all these problems. Now, you can easily fix your saggy door handles at your home with little care.