Multi-point Locks -To Repair ot Not to Repair?

[crusaderman]

I recently undertook 2 jobs on UPVC doors which involved possible failures in the locking case mechanism. These are the type which operate Hooks, Rollers or Shoot bolts The 2 locking cases in question had different gearing arrangements inside.

The first was a "FUHR" 6.35. The roller travel was insufficient and therefore prevented the key from fully turning the plug (Euro-Lock).

As there was obviously something amiss, I decided to remove the casing cover to investigate to see if anything might have come loose or had broken inside.

Anyway to cut a long story short, there was no obvious problem. Unfortunately these mechanisms are quite complex, and as there are so many links and cams and springs, I found it quite difficult to understand what all the components did. Worse still, when actually coming to the point of re-assembling, this proved to be a very tricky task. Needless to say after about 1/2 hour of "humming" and "arring" I put the locking case back together and was none the wiser.

The second lock I think was a ABT Gibbons locking case. A similar experience came with this job. All too much hassle. There is also a danger of not putting something back as it was and therefore condemning the lock to the scrapyard before finding a replacement.

My thoughts now are "Leave well alone" and just go back to the customer with a replacement! I guess my background as a mechanical engineer foolishly made me think I might be able to understand how these things work! Making it a one visit "quick fix" can turn into a real nightmare.

Thought I'd share this, because I personally will never go down that road again!

[aussielocky]

Just replace the gearbox (ie main unit) or the whole thing. It simply is not worth doing anything else. Any other repair will leave a lock that still has flaws and every time it gives trouble from then on the customer will be on the phone to you expecting it fixed for free. It's just not worth repairing this stuff .......

[billdeserthills]

I find two types of cases for the multi-point repair, case one the lock works when the door is open, but not when closed, due to something blocking one of the latches & this is easily fixed with my die grinder. In the other case I find the client has already gotten mad at the lock & forced it, which has broken a part inside what almost always turns out to be an imported
lockset from overseas. I'm sure that you guys have access to replacement gearboxes & such, here in the states I wouldn't begin to know where to even look for such a part. I can't say how dumb it seems for some fancy architect to specify some weird (to me), expensive hardware from overseas that nobody in this part of the world knows how to adjust or repair, let alone find replacement parts for after the customer gets mad & takes a pliers or hammer to it. The whole thing used to make me feel quite inadequate, when I had to tell the client that his options were to either call a different locksmith & maybe find someone who has the knowledge I did not, or allow me to replace his weird lock with something that doesn't match the rest of their multi-million $$ house...

[billdeserthills]

Actually I have a client with a Hoppe multi-point lock, which has been forced from the inside. I found him a new multi-point lower and I am hoping his upper is in working condition and will mate with the lower I have. The guy has me waiting a couple of weeks before he will let me have at replacing his broken parts.

[billdeserthills]

Actually I have a client with a Hoppe multi-point lock, which has been forced from the inside. I found him a new multi-point lower and I am hoping his upper is in working condition and will mate with the lower I have. The guy has me waiting a couple of weeks before he will let me have at replacing his broken parts.

I finally got the chance to finish this job and I felt it very informative. First off he had a multi-latching Hoppe lock on his door. The handle would not stay in it's correct horizontal position and I could tell that something inside was stripped. I looked at several places online for parts and found that Builder's Hardware was by far the best deal at $100 for the lower locking bar and mechanism. You need to follow a long list of measurements in order to be sure you get the correct part, as there exist many different part numbers. Once I had the part in my hand, unscrewing the 15 or so screws around the outside of the door was easy, then the mechanism is mated with the upper latching mechanism and held in place with a machine screw. All the screws were returned to the door after a small piece was cut from the bottom rail, which was an inch too long. Everything works fine and the customer was happy to get the chance to break the newly repaired door with another one of his angry lock-breaking fits, in the future.

Just for fun I took apart the old Hoppe gearbox and I did notice that there was obvious gear stripping going on inside. Unfortunately what could be a few dollar part is not available for replacement, as far as I can tell. Too bad, as I always thought it the actual work of a locksmith to be able to dissasemble a complex mechanism and return it to working order. Apparently this is no longer the case as the Hoppe company has reduced the locksmith to a mere parts changer.

[billdeserthills]

I found a new name in the multi-point hardware game the other day, Trilennium. First job was getting the door open,
fortunately this lock wasn't deadlocked, so it was just the three latches to loid, then I was in. The outer lever had disconnected
(broken) inside the lock casing, and other than a plastic covered inspection port that didn't allow disassembly or even sight of the
broken part this was gonna need to be replaced. I knew when I saw the shape of the latches that this came from Peachtree, one
of the first made in US multipoint hardware companies I can remember seeing & this Trilennium hardware is indeed an offshoot
of Peachtree hardware, but much easier to work on, as all the screws are mounted in the face of the door (apart from the face plate screws)

Incredibly (to me) this hardware is actually said to be Made in the USA, perhaps that's why it costs almost 3 times more than a Hoppe multi-point lock replacement?

The main thing I find that causes most of these multi-point devices to fail is the large amount doors (wood in general) in Arizona shrink and then expand. This causes the locks to only line up correctly with their strikes part of the year, during the summer the doors shrink & in the monsoon season, the doors swell--Owners don't realize that forcing the 3 bolts into place to lock the door & then forcing those bolts back out, when unlocking the doors has a cumulative effect on the gearbox and I haven't seen any brand yet that can withstand this abuse for long. I like to grind out the strikes with a die grinder, until the door will latch and unlatch as easily while open as closed--That makes the lock work well longest

Anyhow the Repair or not to Repair is still a moot point as the only repairing to be done is replacing the whole lock unless you can gewt there before it is totally ruined & open up the strike holes with your file (ha ha) or die grinder

[rphillips52]

And the moral of this is ... don't use multipoint locks with eurocylinders if it is possible to use any other lock!
For wooden doors, one (or if multipoint locking is needed, two) mortice deadlocks could be used. I would suggest lever locks, but in USA they are presumably difficult to obtain. Another type of mpl which is more robust is an Italian-style lever mpl, (eg Mottura, etc.). In these, the other bolts shoot vertically up and down. There are rim and mortice versions made, with and without a latch. US customers might quibble at a lever lock key about as long as a modern car key - but hey, do you want a secure lock that works?