Anderson patio door locking problems

5 years ago

We just had a new Anderson 400 series hinged patio door installed. It looks OK but when you go to lock it, you have to really pull up hard on the handle to get the top and bottom latches to engage, and until you do that, the dead bolt can’t be engaged at all. It seems to me that this means that the door jamb and door are not aligned properly. what’s the fix for this? The ”contractor” who installed it is almost done with some other work here and I’ll be glad to see the back of him, so I’m hesitating to involve him in any more work than is necessary. photos of the door lock and top latch attached. thanks.

Featured Answer

millworkman

5 years ago

"I would imagine that fixing this would require removing the trim and repositioning the door correctly."

Essentially you would need to basically uninstall and reinstall properly. I would have Andersen service look at the lock once the door is properly set in the opening, and not the contractor even if you were on good terms with him. The contractor needs to fix the installation in my mind regardless whether you want him their or not. You paid him for a proper install.

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Comments (8)

LH On the Move
5 years ago
Ours needs to have the handle pulled up to engage the lock. When we bought the house, they said something it preventing their kids from locking themselves out on the patios.
Joanne thanked LH On the Move
lwfromny
5 years ago
I would call Anderson. I have a door that is almost twenty years old and they just came and fixed the lock for free.
Joanne thanked lwfromny
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Joanne
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks. the door locks, but the amount of force needed to engage the hooks at the top and bottom seems excessive. I’ve also discovered that the door will not stay in the fully open position, but swings halfway shut by itself. I put a level vertically on the stationary panel, and it’s not plumb. the top of the door leans inward a bit more than the bottom. I would imagine that fixing this would require removing the trim and repositioning the door correctly.
ILoveRed
5 years ago
DefDefinitely call andersen. we had a door like this in our last house with problems. two or three service calls and they couldnt seem to get it fixed. last guy easily fixed it without issue.

cant remember exactly what he did to resolve the problem.
Joanne thanked ILoveRed
strategery
5 years ago
Agree with the others. Call Anderson support. Send them a video.
LH On the Move
5 years ago
We just replaced the hinges on an ocean-facing Anderson door -- 16 years of rust and they finally gave out. Part of the replacement involves adjusting the tilt and height of the door with screws in the hinge assembly. It was a bit tricky, but doable.
Joanne
Original Author
4 years ago
Update: the dealer rep came out and found that the actual door was bowed, they ordered a new one and will replace it. The service guy said he does about 1 of these bowed doors per week because the unavailability of the usual wood Andersen used for their doors meant they substituted an inferior product to keep production going.