How to fix door handle sliding down?

[dnadj]

My door handle keep sliding/dropping down at the backplate even with a new handle - happened in 4 doors in the house already. House is about 10 yrs old now.

The way the handle is held together on the door is by pressing against the door and i wonder if the door surface has wear leading to this. Any advice please on how to fix this dropping

[JacobZ]

Hi @dnadj,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

This often happens when there is one large hole behind the cover plate for the screws and tap mechanism to slip through, which, I suspect, is how your door handle is installed. 

When this is the case, the tap relies on the clamping force created by the through bolts going from one side of the door handle and connecting to the opposite side of the door. As the screws tighten, the handles pull on each other and clamp onto the door. The sagging comes when the clamping force is not strong enough to stop the handle from slipping down.

You could try unscrewing the door handles, setting it back where it should be and tightening up the through bolts so the clamping force on the door is greater.

Give this a try and let me know how it goes. 

Jacob

[AlanM52]

Hi @dnadj,

I am thinking this.

Remove the collar.

(Allen screw on the side)

Back off the screws.

Align the handle.

Tighten the screws.

Check operation.

Replace the collar.

Cheers

[dnadj]

Thanks a lot for sharing this advice. You are spot on that the hole is really big. I will try what you have said. By bolts, you mean the pair that came with leverset? Or need to buy a new pair?

 

[dnadj]

Thank you very much for suggestion. I will try and see how it is.

[JacobZ]

Hi @dnadj,

Yes, just use the bolts that came with the lever set; there's no need to change them.

Hopefully it works well.

Jacob

[dnadj]

It worked. Thanks a lot. If it loosens after couple of months or so, i can tighten it regularly but if it is more frequent than that, is there a permanent fix?

also by regularly tightening it, could it cause more wear on the door which cause quicker loosening and we keep going like that.

[JacobZ]

Hi @dnadj,

I'm glad to hear it worked for you.

If it persists and you are getting a bit over-tightening it up, you should consider replacing the door handle as the rubber backings or through bolts may be wearing out.

The only other option, which would fix the sagging for good, is to replace the door, and instead of having one big hole, have a central hole for the spindle and two smaller holes for the through bolts. Most higher-end and commercial style door locks have this kind of set-up as having the three holes sets the parts in their location relative to the other parts. If the door were to sag a bit, the through bolts would only be able to move as far as the small hole they go through would allow, which isn't very much.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob