Broken Multi Poiny Lock

Al1234

So I need a little help guys.

The multi lock system in my PVC front door has always been a bit stiff, needing a little shove and lift to get all locks to engage properly.

Just today the lock seems to have ceased to work. At the moment I can still close the door and lock it by the main central lock however when I attempt to lift the handle up to engage the multi locks, nothing happens. The handle is all limp when lifted up and doesn't feel or sound like it's engaging with the rest of the rollers/pins up and down the door.

When I've opened the door and manually pulled the locks/pins out, they go back in fine when handle is pushed down however they don't do anything when the handle is pulled up

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, whether this is something I can repair straight away, whether I need to order a new lock system or whether it's going to have to be a locksmith.

Cheers

windowguru

Hi.
It could be that you just need to replace the lock case. The central lock case is linked to drive rods that transfer the movement from the handle to the upper and lower hook cases. It's unusual (although not impossible) for the lock case and the hook case to break at the same time. It could be that the central lock case has failed and as a result the hook case is receiving no "drive". There are some locks out there where the centre lock case is riveted to the main forend strap (The long bar that has all the screws fixed to hold the lock in place) and these types of locks need to be completely replaced if broken.
If I was you I would probably buy a complete new lock and try to get an exact match so there is no need to chop the frame around or move the striker keeps.

One more thing to consider. Doors will drop in time ... When that happens it can cause the locking points and the keeps to become unaligned and this will be noticeable when you try to lift the handle to engage the locking points. It will feel stiffer or you may even hear a grinding sound as the hooks and dead bolts bind against the keeps.
Any new lock change should be accompanied by a door adjust and lubrication to ensure a long life.