Upvc door hinge tweak-how?

[zoothorn]

1 minute ago, dpmiller said:

how does the door look like it's fitting into the frame as it closes- are any of the latchy bits rubbing anywhere?

Hi there dpm,

 

no nasty catching on latch bits thankfully. Only at the door plastic at the bottom, clashing on the steel rim of the cill. I understand this -does suggest innitially- that the door's simply gone out of kilter & drooped a tad on the lockside.

 

But you see the house's upvc door & windows, along with 2 extensions, are clearly not a pro job. A decent-effort amateur job, yes. But an awful lot of sub par (even to my amateur stds). Eg WC timber doorframe badly not vertical so the door just closes irritatingly whenever you open it/ EG white silcone to fit the last window trim bits looks like a child's done it!

 

So my hunch is, the chaps's just not hung the upvc front door very well ~20 yrs ago.

 

Thanks Zoot.

 

 

 

 

[markocosic]

Just fix it.

 

Shimming little double glazed units is easy. Buy yourself the plastic wedge/lever so you don't bugger the glass and get on with it as per below:

 

 

I've just done my 2100 x 900 mm full glass / triple glazed units - heavy swines - much the same way. Used birch ply spacers (on top of the channel spacer) rather than plastic as the plastic has a tendency to deform over time where the birch does not. That, and I had the birch ply and a chopsaw to cut it to size, but no plastic. Timber cut end grain also works.

[zoothorn]

On 25/08/2025 at 22:41, markocosic said:

Just fix it.

 

Shimming little double glazed units is easy. Buy yourself the plastic wedge/lever so you don't bugger the glass and get on with it as per below:

 

 

I've just done my 2100 x 900 mm full glass / triple glazed units - heavy swines - much the same way. Used birch ply spacers (on top of the channel spacer) rather than plastic as the plastic has a tendency to deform over time where the birch does not. That, and I had the birch ply and a chopsaw to cut it to size, but no plastic. Timber cut end grain also works.

Hi marko..

 

thanks for that- the best clip of this I've seen. I am a bit reticent about cracking the glass, & the cost of spacers/ 3x tools.. is a £chunk for me.

 

I just want to rule out if there's any way I can adjust the hinges, first, before I resort to this toe & heel job.

On the inside hinge I have 2x small allen screws I can access, & one central bigger screw I cannot access.
 

Does anyone know what these 2x small allen bolts are for?? Surely they have a purpose.

 

Thanks, zh

[dpmiller]

just put a spanner on the "nut" in the middle of the hinge, to try and jack it L-R?

[zoothorn]

13 hours ago, dpmiller said:

just put a spanner on the "nut" in the middle of the hinge, to try and jack it L-R?

Hi dpm..

 

I just can't get a spanner in here, so I don't -believe- it's meant to be a 'functional diy tweak bolt'.

 

Anyway, if the only way is to take whole glass out & pack it, levering up etc.. then I've got the help on here. I really need 2 people to be safe doing that that you see & no-one here at all to help.

 

Thanks chaps.

 

 

 

 

[-rick-]

Again, not got knowledge of the specifc hinge. But just because a normal spanner doesn't fit doesn't mean its not there for adjustment. Slim tools exist and wouldn't be a surprising requirement:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-map-Galvanizing-Automotive-Furniture/dp/B0DRP7YZF9?sr=8-8

 

The above are cheapo ones as I know you are on a budget. Its possible they are too weak for your needs (but amazon has easy returns).

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, -rick- said:

Again, not got knowledge of the specifc hinge. But just because a normal spanner doesn't fit doesn't mean its not there for adjustment. Slim tools exist and wouldn't be a surprising requirement:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcing-map-Galvanizing-Automotive-Furniture/dp/B0DRP7YZF9?sr=8-8

 

The above are cheapo ones as I know you are on a budget. Its possible they are too weak for your needs (but amazon has easy returns).

Thanks for that rick. But none of those could possibly fit. The gap just isn't sufficient to get any in & around the nut bit enough, to get any traction on it. They'll get on say 2mm but slip off.

 

I've gone back to the idea of toe & heel, very tentatively.. but I just cannot get the bead out. No way on god's earth. I did so before on my windows (how tho I can't recall) but the beading in flush with frame edge. So once something pushed in the gap, you can lever &/ or tap the bead away.

 

But my door beading is set in by 2mm. Meaning I don't have anything to lever the bead against. Been trying for an hour & absolutely no way. I'm not risking a tool that levers against the glass: no. I'm not risking a £100 new door pane, no security & rain into my door for a week just to shift the door up a few mm's.

[zoothorn]

You can see here, nicely highlighted in a bright white vertical line, how my door beading is set in by 2-3mm, unlike a typical window beading I have here, you can see in the background (top of my blue marker) which is flush. 

 

 

[markc]

Paper scraper or thin wide chisel will get the bead started in the middle. Once you get a small gap opened it will come out easily

[Gone West]

3 hours ago, zoothorn said:

Meaning I don't have anything to lever the bead against.

I have a curved bead lifter but if this is the only time you're likely to need one, try to find something with a similar edge.

 

[MPH243]

I think your door has been fitted the wrong way round, are the beads outside? (i might be wrong but the handle screws are outside).

 

Also to adjust the door the middle white bit will leaver off when shut with a flat screwdriver it is very flexible plastic, the screw with the hex on has a allen head on the end to adjust.

 

The two tiny allen screws are needed to be loosened to adjust the up/down screws that are coved by round caps top and bottom, these also are the hinge pins.

 

Hopefully this makes sense, i don't fancy going out and taking pictures as its dark and raining. But i can tomorrow if you need me too.

[zoothorn]

16 hours ago, MPH243 said:

I think your door has been fitted the wrong way round, are the beads outside? (i might be wrong but the handle screws are outside).

 

Also to adjust the door the middle white bit will leaver off when shut with a flat screwdriver it is very flexible plastic, the screw with the hex on has a allen head on the end to adjust.

 

The two tiny allen screws are needed to be loosened to adjust the up/down screws that are coved by round caps top and bottom, these also are the hinge pins.

 

Hopefully this makes sense, i don't fancy going out and taking pictures as its dark and raining. But i can tomorrow if you need me too.

Aha thanks MPH..

 

Right I'll have a go at whipping off that white whole section- as I had a feeling the centre screw nut thingy wasn't designed to be tweaked, there.

 

My pics are actually taken from inside, so the beads & handle screws are correct. If I can't get the placcy section off, then I'll get one of those blade whatnots, in case I get brave & fiddle the beads out.. one day.

 

Great help chaps as always on BH. Zoothorn 

[zoothorn]

@MPH243 alas not: The large outer wrap around section of the hinge, cannot be levered off.
 

It's metal for one thing, & seems to be fixed in place by 4x screws too (on the peskiest angle, so could only be accessed by removing the door).
 

Bloody thing!! Driven me stark raving bonkers this. I conclude I'm defeated for now.

 

Thanks anyway. Zh

[zoothorn]

Ok last go..

 

Here is the inside of my hinge.

 

Photo 1 taken from the outside to see general orientation.
 

Photo 2 is a close up from same angle, to show 4x screws (blue pointed markers just aiming at each pair of them). These 4x screws seems to hold the large wrap around section in place, on the rearside the door. 
 

Even if I could access these 4x screws, the wrap around section wouldn't lift away, as there are two bar things within it preventing it, these two are either side of the nut section thing, that's bang centre of the hinge (which no spanner can make use of).

 

 

 

 

[craig]

This is the type of hinge you have, it's known as an SFS hinge.


An adjustment video can be seen here 

 

 

It might not be the exact same, but remove the covers.

Is toe and healing the glass in this door, going to make a huge difference? Highly unlikely, the glass isn't a full panel of glass, it is 50% (approx) glass, 50% panel, with a transom midway. From what I'm seeing, the likely cause is a sash drop and the top 2 hinges need adjusted to move the door laterally.

Edited Friday at 15:34 by craig

[zoothorn]

@craig

That's terrific help thanks, so the centre nut thingy -is- the right thing to do, & -can- be adjusted via a small spanner despite the room constraints here. Ok great, will buy one of these. I'd given up hope tbh!

 

Gratefully, Zoot 

 

 

[MPH243]

@craig is the best help with doors. I can see the door is the right way round now.

 

You also can't get to the screw I was on about because of the reveal. (It was late)

 

Hopefully you will get it sorted.

[zoothorn]

@craig I don't suppose you'd know what the spanner size tends to be with these?

 

Is that a question too far.. mine I've put a brass measuring caliper thing on, seems to be 9mm but I can't get be 100% certain. This seems a bit of an odd figure, & 9mm isn't in the typical spanner set someone kindly linked to.

 

Thanks, ZH

[craig]

It’s either 8mm or 10mm, can’t recall from top of my head to be honest.

Edited Friday at 18:52 by craig

[craig]

Just checked, it is 9mm.

Edited Friday at 18:53 by craig

[zoothorn]

3 minutes ago, craig said:

Just checked, it is 9mm.

Fantastic, thanks so much.

 

Useful to know about the toe & heel process though: I guess it just needs determining, first off, if the door has indeed dropped on the lock side, or is still square: mine -seems- to be still square. Although without a huge builders L shaped set square, must admit I can't be certain.

 

zoot

[craig]

Tape measure/string, corner to corner diagonally on door sash and you’ll have your answer.

Edited Friday at 19:03 by craig

[ProDave]

2 hours ago, craig said:

Tape measure/string, corner to corner diagonally on door sash and you’ll have your answer.

AND check both diagonals of the door FRAME as well.

[zoothorn]

17 hours ago, craig said:

Tape measure/string, corner to corner diagonally on door sash and you’ll have your answer.

Hi craig,

 

ok then doing this as suggested earlier in thread, I get 79-1/8" on the door corner to corner.

 

So the solution is thankfully, to tweak the hinges. So I've got spanners bought, as access restricted.

 

Now I have 4 hinges: so how do I go about this pulling the door 'in' at the top-? Is it to loosen off the two middle ones.. & tighten/ pull the door in at the top one/ get the other two back tensioned-up? Maybe wedge door 1st?

 

Thanks, Zoot

 

[craig]

Trial and error to be honest, an experienced eye would be able to judge but it definitely looks like you need to pull in the too hinges and possibly release the bottom a little.