zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 (edited) Chaps, Ive been noticing my WC door's latch ( moves sideways when handle turned downward, to open or close door) has recently been catching in it's corresponding door frame metal recess plate. Meaning the door once closed, has been getting increacingly difficult to open. The latch section, with handle in fully down position, has been noticeably protruding more & more out the side of the door, a mm a week or so. Now.. the wind having closed the door today sometime, I can't get in at all. Not only that, but it seems the sideways section isn't even moving L to R at all. Door handle feels the same 'spring' tension to it though. Sod's law is Im on the wrong side to try the credit card idea. The slanted side, is the WC side. My only WC.. so imperative I get this sorted asap. Any ideas? I'll do a pic tmrw. Thanks for reading, Zoot Edited December 7, 2022 by zoothorn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Remove the handle, and turn square bar with a spanner or pliers. This gives you more movement than the handle. Once open you can work out where the problem lies. Quite possibly it’s the handle mechanism 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 3 hours ago, markc said: Remove the handle, and turn square bar with a spanner or pliers. This gives you more movement than the handle. Once open you can work out where the problem lies. Quite possibly it’s the handle mechanism Hi markc hoping you're keeping well, thanks for the reply. Yup I can see a small grub allen head underneath the handle.. but removing this, the handle won't come off. I'm the other side of this photo, & handle is similar ( no lock section with mine). Zoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpmiller Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 generally the handle lever alone doesn't come off, you need to take to rose on the door off to access the handle screws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 6 minutes ago, dpmiller said: generally the handle lever alone doesn't come off, you need to take to rose on the door off to access the handle screws. Ah yes now I recall/ unscrewing this bit around it reveals 4 screws.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 Problem remains: I turn the square bolt with pliers.. & still see latch section -not- moving in/ out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpmiller Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 pry door stop off a bit and try the credit card trick through the gap. Else you're breaking it out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 4 hours ago, dpmiller said: pry door stop off a bit and try the credit card trick through the gap. Else you're breaking it out... Hi dpm, but Im on the wrong side to try this idea. In the photo eg above, I'd be on the far side. So the latch 'slope' can't be accessed. Im in a real bind here. You don't realise how neccessary a WC is 4x a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbeard Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 If you are on the wrong side to get to the 'slopey bit' of the latch then that suggests the door opens out towards you. Yes? If so why can you not get a thin wheel in an angle grinder and grind the latch off? Your 'explorations' seem to suggest that the latch mechanism is dead, so no net loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roundtuit Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 How much room have you got to play with? Can you thread a bit of fishing line or similar around the back of the latch then pull both ends towards you to release it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaCurandera Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 If you're the wrong side of the latch for the credit card trick, there might still be clearance to: Get as thin wire as you can, in a semi circle Attach some thin thread Loop the circle around the latch from your side, so you'll have the thread touching the sloping side If you can, use the thread to pull through wider/stronger string When you can't get any stronger thread through, pull the thread towards you, so it's riding "up" the slope of the latch. It sometimes works if you use a tourniquet approach rather than pulling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Can you knock the pins out of the hinges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 42 minutes ago, LaCurandera said: If you're the wrong side of the latch for the credit card trick, there might still be clearance to: Get as thin wire as you can, in a semi circle Attach some thin thread Loop the circle around the latch from your side, so you'll have the thread touching the sloping side If you can, use the thread to pull through wider/stronger string When you can't get any stronger thread through, pull the thread towards you, so it's riding "up" the slope of the latch. It sometimes works if you use a tourniquet approach rather than pulling Hi there LaCurandera, grateful for this idea- I've gone through your reply, adapted your thinking, & DONE IT! Well, I "walked" the latch out mm by mm with huge force inwards.. finally.. getting a sliver of a knife under the end of the latch. Rammed knife through. The latch was still under strong spring tension, so I was battling this mainly. Minor damage to frame, bracket thing, & door whacking in wedges to give me every mm. JesusH. Huge effort. So now door open. And handles do not move the latch, as expected. So gotta strip the thing down to figure out why latch & the square bar have become disconnected. This was my lowest bar of dignity today. Suffice to say I tried to 'hold it in & drive to town', but no way. Oh ffs. Then lowest bar of all. Yes....... I shat meself. Then on Im not fkn telling you- no way. A very poor day for me. Zoot. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 No 1 TAKE THE LATCH OUT OF THE DOOR so it can't shut and latch itself again. Unless an obvious fault, probably easier to get a new latch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 16 minutes ago, zoothorn said: Looks like an A-Team or McGuiver booby trap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 13 minutes ago, ProDave said: No 1 TAKE THE LATCH OUT OF THE DOOR so it can't shut and latch itself again. Unless an obvious fault, probably easier to get a new latch. Yup wedged door open/ removed whole shebang: can you get just this latch section? are they generic as a rule.. or differ with each 'set' including the handles? Thanks Zoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 4 minutes ago, markc said: Looks like an A-Team or McGuiver booby trap -Booty- trap markc. Ithankyou. Z 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 18 minutes ago, ProDave said: probably easier to get a new latch. And a good quality one, I have had cheap ones fail before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 Problem clear now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 6 minutes ago, joe90 said: And a good quality one, I have had cheap ones fail before. Tbh the handles feel good quality, seems there's just too much spring tension, or I yanked down too hard when door jams (another facet of the weird wet climate thing: all the new doors swell & shrink like there's no tmrw/ never known any place like it in my life before). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Those simple latches are cheap as chips. Never known one to fail like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 12 hours ago, markc said: Quite possibly it’s the handle mechanism 1 hour ago, ProDave said: Never known one to fail like that. I had a load fail, through wear internally. They were cheap multipacks from one of the sheds. The problem was the interface in the picture where the hard spindle wore out the softer latch. I bought a stack of replacements from Ironmongery Direct, which have been fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 Chaps, do I just buy a "replacement latch" / is this something that usually has generic dims one mfr to next? Or do I have to search for a perfect match, or closest to it.. I don't know you see. Or maybe each handle 'set' are made only for their specific 3 individual parts to marry together (handle, latch section, handle). I know the central square profile rod, is likely generically similar door to door. But is the latch section too I wonder.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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