How to Adjust a uPVC Door: Hinges, Keeps and Compression

Most uPVC doors can be adjusted. The hinges let the door move sideways, up and down, and in and out against the seals, and the keeps on the frame can usually be moved to suit. Small adjustments can cure a door that catches, drags, lets in a draught or needs a hard lift to lock. This guide explains what each adjustment does in plain terms, how to approach it safely, and the signs that the problem is something adjustment can't fix.

Before you start

Work out what the door is actually doing. Close it slowly and watch where it touches the frame. Look at the gaps around the edges: they should be roughly even. Note whether the handle lifts easily when the door is shut, and whether the key turns smoothly. Writing this down helps, because each symptom points to a different adjustment, and changing the wrong one can make things worse.

You will usually need a hex key (Allen key) or a Torx bit, and sometimes a flat screwdriver to prise off hinge covers. Many hinges have plastic caps that clip over the adjustment screws. Take a photo of each hinge before you change anything, and make only small turns at a time, testing the door after each one. If the door is heavy, have someone support it while you work on the hinges.

Lateral adjustment: side to side

Lateral adjustment moves the door towards the hinge side or towards the lock side. Use it when the door rubs the frame on the lock side, or when the gap on one side is much wider than the other. On flag hinges the lateral screw is often on the face of the hinge barrel or under a cap on the frame side.

Adjust all the hinges by a similar amount, or adjust the top hinge more than the bottom if the door is catching only at the top corner. Turning the top hinge to pull the door towards the hinge side lifts the lock side slightly, which is often how a dropped door is brought back into line.

Height adjustment: up and down

Height adjustment raises or lowers the whole door. Use it when the door scrapes the threshold or there's a gap at the top. The height screw is usually at the top or bottom of the hinge barrel. On many doors it is easiest to take a little of the door's weight while turning it.

Height and lateral settings work together. A door that has dropped at the lock corner may need both a small lateral change at the top hinge and a slight lift on all hinges. Go a quarter turn at a time and check after each change.

Compression adjustment: in and out

Compression adjustment pulls the door tighter into the seals or eases it away. Too little compression lets draughts and rain in; too much makes the door hard to lock because the handle has to pull the door into the seals. On some doors compression is set at the hinges, and on others at the keeps on the frame.

If you can feel a draught round the closed door, or see daylight past the seal, a little more compression helps. If the handle is stiff to lift but the door hangs straight, try reducing compression slightly.

Keep adjustment

The keeps are the metal plates on the frame that the hooks, rollers and bolts of the multipoint lock engage with. Many have a small screw or cam that moves them in or out. Look for shiny wear marks on the keeps and on the lock strip: they show where the parts are rubbing. Moving a keep slightly can make the lock engage cleanly without moving the door at all.

Signs it needs a glazier

Adjustment only works if the parts are sound. Stop and get the door looked at if the adjustment screws have run out of travel, a hinge is cracked or the barrel has worn oval, the screws spin without gripping, the frame is cracked near a hinge, or the handle turns freely without moving the locks. That last sign usually means the gearbox inside the lock has failed, and forcing the handle can leave the door locked shut.

Mark adjusts and replaces hinges on uPVC and composite doors, with a fixed price confirmed before any work starts. See uPVC door hinge repairs for the hinge work, or our main uPVC door repairs page for every other door fault. If you're still working out what is wrong, our guide to a uPVC door that has dropped or is sticking covers the symptoms.

Call Mark on 07535 916982 or request a callback.