I've had a new Everest Composite Door installed

Th1985

Hello,

I had an Everest Composite door installed yesterday.

Price was OK, looks fantastic and the quality is excellent... But when you open the door it catches and it's hard to lock (have to force the door / yank the handle).

I said I wasn't happy with it catching and how it locked and that I wouldn't sign the paperwork. They said I had to sign or they wouldn't leave (after a long phone call they agreed to come back and take a look and that I don't have to sign the paperwork today).

The supervisor said that it's totally normal for the door to catch and that it would stop doing it after around 6 months and that the lock would be easier after time... From the look of the installers face I guessed this to be BS. Is that the case?

He said that all composite Everest doors from the essentials range catch (this helps stop the draft blah blah). At our last property (new build) we had a composite door and it didn't catch at all (locked smoothly). Urgh.

Any ideas on what I should say to them?

societys_child

From the look of the installers face I guessed this to be BS.

Think you've got it in one . . .

Furts

Think it through - your last composite door worked perfectly, and so should this one!

If the door is poor quality, or defective, that is not your fault. However, you have made a mistake by entering into business with Everest, but the clock cannot be turned back here. So go forward with all guns blazing.

Then think it through again and strike an analogy with another consumer product with closing and locking doors, namely a car. If you purchased a new Ford Focus would you be happy waiting six months for the door to work properly? Of course not! You would also be worried about what damage was being caused to the door and the locking mechanism during this period.

Go back to the supervisor, get their name, their exact title, their business card then give them an ultimatum. Either they do the job they are employed to do, or their contact details will be submitted to the MD of Everest as part of a formal complaint and also a request for disciplinary procedures to be invoked.

Hope this helps.

TheCyclingProgrammer

The supervisor said that it's totally normal for the door to catch and that it would stop doing it after around 6 months and that the lock would be easier after time... From the look of the installers face I guessed this to be BS. Is that the case?

Of course its BS. It needs adjusting correctly. Where exactly is it catching when you open the door? What exactly is the problem when you try and lock it?

If the door is fitted correctly then:

1. The door should have an even gap (or as even as possible) between it and the frame. It should be the correct distance away from the frame on the latch side so that when the door closes the latch pushes in smoothly and doesn't jam on the strike plate.

2. The latch keep should be adjusted correctly so the latch clicks into place easily without being too loose. You should be able to push the door closed slowly with one finger without it getting stuck.

3. The keeps for the locking hooks should be aligned so the hooks engage smoothly without fouling on the frame.

4. The latch and hooks should all be lubricated to ensure smooth operation.

5. The position of the keeps and the compression on the hinges should all be adjusted correctly so that there is even and sufficient compression between the door and the frame gasket when the hooks are engaged. There should be no movement of the door within the frame and no gaps between the door slab and gasket for security and air tightness.

I had two composite doors (Door Stop) fitted by a local installer last year.

The back one was a bit difficult to lock for the first few weeks due to thermal movement - it was noticeably bowing inwards at the top and the bottom under sunlight. I was told by the manufacturer this was due to the change of environment - from a climate controlled factory to hot/cold on the outside and central heating on the inside. However the door slab did settle down and after a month it closed and locked perfectly and we've had no problems with it since.

The front door we had loads of problems with. I won't go into detail but the errors were a mix of manufacturing defects and fitting errors. We're currently on our third door slab and second frame and we still had the installer out a couple of weeks ago to fix some problems with the door not locking and closing smoothly. Its been a complete nightmare but for all their faults, the installer has rectified every issue. I wouldn't be surprised if they've ended up making a loss on their time after all the times they've had to come back and fix stuff. But my point is - they sorted it out without any dispute. Yours should do the same.

Clive_Woody

Th1985 wrote: »

The supervisor said that it's totally normal for the door to catch and that it would stop doing it after around 6 months and that the lock would be easier after time... From the look of the installers face I guessed this to be BS. Is that the case?

Tell him you will pay for it in 6 months when (if) it starts working properly....or he can sort it out now.

Th1985

The installer tried to adjust it but said there wasn’t any more room (and nothing he could do).

The outer edge of the door catches against the inner frame when it’s closing. Then when you lift the handle up it doesn’t go all the way, so you need to push the door and lift the handle to lock it.

They phoned earlier, apologised for what has happened and now they’re sending a surveyor. It’ll be very interesting to see what he says (and if he continues the “it’s perfectly normal pitch”).

TheCyclingProgrammer

From your further description the door is completely misaligned. It needs to be moved away from the frame on the latch side, possibly moved up a few mm and the keeps might also need an adjustment.

If there isn't room for this level of adjustment then the only conclusion I can draw is that the opening was measured incorrectly and a new frame and slab will be required.

Do not accept or pay any money until this has been resolved to your satisfaction. It's not normal at all. A bit of thermal movement in the first few weeks while the door settles is normal but that doesn't sound like the issue here. It should close and lock perfectly.

docmatt

If it catches now, next summer when temps hit around 70degreesF, it won't even lock.

Get them back out. Good luck.