How do I adjust my door lock?

More joiners are using innovative multi point door locks as there is now adjustment in the keeps. Traditionally, with a sash lock or a deadlock you would have had to rehouse the keep to adjust your compression, but a multipoint door lock now offers more flexibility. The functionality of locking throughout the full length of the door also keeps your door straighter in the frame.

AutoLock range from Winkhaus (AV2, AV3 and AV4)

Adjustment on a slam shut door is one of the most important to get right. We like to see compression nice and tight on the door, so when you lift the handle or turn the key you see the door pull tight against the gasket.

With a slam shut door you need less compression so the door lock can work to its best. This doesn’t mean the weather sealing is compromised. By using the Deventer gasket, it’s like a washing machine or fridge; you’ve got the gasket running round the door, and with the door shut you can still feel some give in the gasket when you push the door.

The Deventer works in the same way around a slam shut door – you can ease the compression off so the door is working to its optimum performance but it’s easy to turn the key.

When adjusting the keeps, remember the centre keep sets your compression point, while the top and bottom keeps are for security.

To adjust the compression on your centre keep, use a T15 torx bit (or a standard torx bit out of a screwdriver set).

You have two screw holes; undo them slightly then move your latch forward or backward depending whether you want to increase or decrease the compression.

Moving the latch out from the rebate will give you less compression and moving it in will give you more. With the surface adjustable keeps, you have the cams here which have a T15 head on them.

The number stamped into the cam tells you what size head you need. To adjust these, simply put the T15 head into the cam, apply pressure and turn.

One way will bring it back to the rebate, the other will move it away. Do that top and bottom to adjust your keep accordingly.

MK9-FTB Adjustable Keeps

Once again, take a T15 to turn the T15 heads. Put the head into the drive, put pressure on and turn slightly one way or the other to get more or less compression.

Moving on to the flush adjustable keep, which here is the MK7-FLU.

This has an allen key drive but cleverly you can still use the T15 head just as effectively. Use the T15 to adjust compression one way or the other.

You have adjustment both top and bottom of the keep so you can adjust it to be perfect.

As always with multipoint locks, your centre keep is the one that defines your compression (unless you’re using a lever handle operated lock, when you can also use these to increase compression).

Winkhaus FAB Lock

This double door system with only one operating handle is known as a Solo. Double doors always have a ‘master’ and a ‘slave’ door. The master is the main active door and the slave is the one that is often fixed in place.

The locking system here has a full length keep in the slave door, which incorporates the locking system into the head and the sill.

To adjust the compression on this lock, you have two screws which use a Phillips screwdriver.

Undo both slightly then move the latch back to the gasket to give you tighter compression or back out to give you less.

Then tighten them back up and test the door.

With our French door systems we have two different keep systems to go into the head and the sill.

The one shown here is the MS28, known as a thimble keep.

To adjust this one, you need to open the door. Here you see the keep with four settings on it to give you adjustment.

The square is offset so to adjust your compression, you pull out the centre keep, turn it 90 degrees and pop it back in.

This changes how tight it is to the gasket. You can try all four positions to give the compression you require.

Winkhaus FTGE Multipoint Lock

This is the double handle double door, also known as the klone. The adjustment on this is very simple and follows the same method as our surface adjustable keeps, such as the MK9.

Once again, use the trusty T15 Winkhaus screwdriver to turn the drives.

Simply put the pressure on, turn the cam and adjust the compression in and out to your requirements.

For more information on Door Locks, please contact us on sales@coastal-group.com or call 01726 871 025.