Creaking of plastic doors: causes and remedies

Plastic doors provide good thermal insulation, and they are also quite reliable and easy to care for — that's why they are chosen for installation in residential or public buildings. Even with daily intensive operation, such a door is easy to open and close. Moreover, the only care consists in periodic — two or three times a year - lubrication of the hinges and locking mechanism.

But sometimes the owners of the premises are hindered by the sudden creaking of the plastic door. The door starts to creak softly at first, but then its intensity increases. In addition to the obvious discomfort, the creaking indicates that friction increases inside the mechanism — which means that the probability of parts breaking due to severe wear increases. So even a quiet door creak should not be ignored.

Possible causes

The first thing to keep in mind is that normally a plastic door should not creak. If a wooden structure swells in humid air, deforms and creaks because of this, then this behavior is uncharacteristic for plastic. If the door starts to creak, there is always an external reason that needs to be found and eliminated if possible.

So, why does the plastic door start to creak?

• As a result of changing the shape of the sash. The cause of deformation may be a weight load or excessively intensive operation — in any case, the sash will be deformed. The result is that the edge of the sash touches the frame or threshold, a creak occurs at the point of contact. If the problem is not fixed in time, then the sash will have to be lifted, otherwise it will not be possible to close it.
• Malfunction of the fittings. The reason is the same deformation, but now the creaking occurs not when plastic rubs against plastic, but when metal rubs against metal. Parts that normally did not come into contact with each other begin to come into contact, and an unpleasant sound occurs when they move.

Pay attention! The situation is aggravated if a large amount of dust gets into the fittings. The mixture of dust and grease quickly becomes dense and provokes creaking.

• Pin wear or other handle malfunctions. If the squeak is clearly localized, then there is a possibility that the problem is in the handle. This is usually accompanied by difficulty in turning — to turn the handle and close or open the door, you need to make extra efforts.
• Violation of the geometry of the loops. Window and door hinges are the parts that the manufacturer protects best from friction. And yet, due to the load, the loop may deform, which will lead to its distortion and creaking. Sometimes there is a situation when the lubricant disappears almost completely in the loop — in this case, the creaking will also be aggravated by the wear of the material.

However, the root cause lies even deeper — in the wrong configuration of the door, improper installation or neglect of regular maintenance. Reliable fittings and a high-quality profile are less susceptible to deformations, proper installation also eliminates the possibility of deformation of the shutters. In addition, it is necessary to periodically adjust, clean and lubricate the fittings — then even a heavy sash with an installed double-glazed window will not creak!

The sliding door creaks

Sliding structures differ from swing ones by the principle of opening — the sash does not turn on hinges, but moves along the guides. At the same time, they can also creak — and this creaking also occurs in certain places.

First of all, you need to pay attention to:

• Guides — their contamination or deformation causes squeaking in 3/4 of all cases.
• Carriages with rollers — usually individual rollers start to creak, but over time the whole mechanism makes extraneous sounds.
• A latch or other locking mechanism.

It should be borne in mind here that friction is especially dangerous for sliding structures — due to the large length of the rubbing areas. If the problem is ignored, the wear of the mechanism will increase many times, up to the complete inoperable sliding structure.

How to get rid of the squeak

The sooner you find the source of the squeak, and the sooner you fix the problem, the better. We have already noted that creaking is dangerous not only by discomfort, but also by an increased level of wear. Therefore:

• Even at the stage of picking up the equipment, we take into account the risk of deformation of the structure — and take measures. The profile should be sufficiently rigid, and the fittings should be designed for a heavy load. It is also important that the installation and initial adjustment are carried out by highly qualified craftsmen.
• Adjusting door fittings is one of the main ways to eliminate friction and creaking. In case of deformation of the sash, its misalignment or similar problems, it is necessary to correct the position with the help of adjusting screws. The adjustment must be carried out carefully, because incorrect adjustment of the sash position can only aggravate the problem.
• Cleaning and lubrication of fittings are carried out with any adjustment — but they can also help by themselves. Applying grease to the hardware mechanism, as well as removing dust and debris, prevent contact of metal parts and reduce the intensity of friction.

Advice! It is necessary to clean and lubricate the fittings, as well as the hinges of metal-plastic doors or windows regularly, without waiting for the creak to appear. At least twice a year, but you can do it more often.

• A creak in the handle of a metal—plastic door, which is not eliminated by adjusting the door leaf, is a reason to replace the part. Usually the problem is fixed after installing the handle with a new pin without signs of wear. But sometimes it is enough to tighten the mounting screws — therefore, before buying a new handle, it is worth trying this method.

Alas, none of these methods guarantees that the creaking will disappear completely or will not return after a while. If the problem is not solved on its own, it is worth contacting a master for the repair and adjustment of PVC structures. Such a specialist will examine the door, determine the reason why it creaks, and eliminate it. With sufficient professionalism, the smooth and silent operation of the mechanism will continue for a long time.

You can order a high-quality professional installation of metal-plastic windows by following the link