More and more we receive calls for faulty composite doors and bi fold doors – this can include issues like doors that are hard to close and lock, being unable to unlock or issues with locking mechanisms – being relativity new to market most people’s composite doors or Bifold doors may well be under 10 years old and as such should be covered by some sort of a guarantee or warranty that is if the installer was part of a standards and regulatory group like FENSA.

So What is FENSA?

FENSA stands for Fenestration Self Assessment Scheme. Originally established by the door and window replacement industry to comply with regulations for double glazed door and windows meeting certain thermal performance standards for building regulations that was introduced in April 2002.

What is a FENSA Certificate?

In simple terms it means installers are competent to carry out installations of double glazed windows and doors (including composite doors) that comply with building regulations and quality standards.

FENSA installers will issue a FENSA certificate to the property owner and will also register the installation with local authorities. The certificate is for however long the new double glazed windows and doors including composite doors last.

The FENSA certificate also serves as evidence of guarantee – FENSA installers provide up to 10-year insurance backed warranty.

Can I Get a Copy of a FENSA Certificate?

If you didn’t get a FENSA certificate when the windows or doors were installed or previous owners did not save or it’s been lost as long as the installers were FENSA members a copy can be obtained from the FENSA website for a fee of £20 – www.fensa.org.uk/fensa-certificatewww.fensa.org.uk/fensa-certificate – You can also check for FREE if any property you’re buying or selling has FENSA certificates just by giving the postcode and house number on the same website.

But what happens if your installer is not part of FENSA?

Well the good news is here at LS Locksmiths we are able to assist, we carry out all types of repairs to Upvc double glazed windows and doors, bifold and composite doors. We carry a huge amount of replacement parts to be able to carry out repairs in one visit so if you have a issue that need fixing and you have no FENSA guarantee or warranty then call our team today. Call 0115 8320195

LS Locksmiths Nottingham is not a franchise, we do not sub contract to national locksmith companies. We never charge a call out fee and prices quoted are fixed totals no VAT. LS Locksmiths is local family run locksmiths based in the heart of Nottingham we offer a incredibly fast same day service, thats affordable while only using high quality branded products. Our business counts numerous letting agencies, landlords and returning customers who use and recommend our low cost, fast and service. Call 0115 8320195 or use message system below this post.

LS Locksmiths
72 Noel Street
Nottingham
NG7 6AU
0115 8320195

Composite door repairs Nottingham

Genuine locksmiths have had to under go years of training to become qualified tradespeople who are able to carry out extremely highly specialised work like opening locks with out damage and keeping your home or business secure. There are many traders and DIY enthusiasts who can turn their hand to most general maintenance tasks but when it comes to your locks and the security of your home or business, you will always be better off leaving this to a local expert locksmith.

But with so many different businesses offering locksmith services in Nottingham how do you choose the right locksmith, and how do you know they are reputable, trustworthy and qualified to take care of your request?

Here are a few handy tips…

Ask friends or family if they can vouch for a local locksmith

Because LS Locksmiths has operated in Nottingham for over 60 years we have served 1000’s of happy customers and word of mouth is the biggest reason we gain more new customers every week. We have always strived to give our customers the highest quality service at a cost that is the most reasonable all done with a warm friendly manner.

Make sure the locksmith is fully qualified and insured.

Unfortunately the locksmith industry is not regulated (yet) and anyone who has completed a one, two or three day locksmith training course or even watched a few YouTube videos can advertise themselves as “locksmiths” – because of inexperience or lack of knowledge there is a high chance that they will in fact cause damage and with it more cost to you.

Our locksmiths at LS Locksmiths have all undergone a full apprenticeship or years of training in all aspects of the locksmith and security industry and continue to train as new products and tools are brought to market, everyone of our locksmiths are fully skilled in Non Destructive Entry and have been tested and approved by LockSmart.

Skip the ads and get a real local company

Online advertising especially on search engines is mainly done by National Locksmith Companies who pass on the high cost of advertising to you the customer through often outrageous fees for services and products.

If you are going to use a search engine select from the organic listings because search engines are very good at what they do so they will know who are really a local business and how long they’ve provided a great service and will place them high in the search results. We always strongly suggest you contact at least 3/4 different businesses for a quote – you can contact LS Locksmiths by calling 0115 8320195 and speak directly to a locksmith for a no obligation quote.

LS Locksmiths is local family run locksmiths based in the heart of Nottingham we offer a incredibly fast same day service, thats affordable while only using high quality branded products. Our business counts numerous letting agencies, landlords and returning customers who use and recommend our low cost, fast and service. Call 0115 8320195 or use message system below this post.

LS Locksmiths Nottingham is not a franchise, we do not sub contract to national locksmith companies. We never charge a call out fee and prices quoted are fixed totals no VAT.

LS Locksmiths
72 Noel Street
Nottingham
NG7 6AU

Local Nottingham locksmiths

Below are a few images of damage caused and outrageous fees from so called “locksmiths” be warned this could well happen to you if you don’t call a genuine local lock expert.

LS Locksmith will always endeavour to gain entry using NDE (non destructive entry) for a set fee – your quote is based on the time of day and how far we have to travel to get to you – we do not charge a call out fee and because no damage is done to gain entry as long as you have access to a spare key no locks will need to be changed.

Multipoint lock mechanisms are fitted to all Upvc, composite and some timber doors in all cases they use a series of locking points to create a strong secure locked door that excludes the elements and sound in most cases by lifting the handle – composite doors can have auto locking systems and some timber doors just turning the key activates multiple locking elements – some very old aluminium and Upvc doors used a key wind system and required multiple turns of the key to activate locking elements.

In all types of multipoint locking systems the heart of the system is a central gearbox and this is the part that if not locked after will eventually fail/break.

All modern multipoint locking systems nowadays undergo testing so that you know when you have one fitted it’s will last a certain amount of years trouble free but if we want a multipoint to last we have to add a little bit of maintenance and look out for issues that will greatly reduce its working life.

Lubrication – to lube or not to lube…

Taking a few minutes once a year to add a bit of lubrication will stop your locking system turning into the tin man in fact most manufactures even used to etch a old oil can symbol on the strip so why don’t you give it a try – first off use the correct lubrication inside the gearbox grease is used at the point of manufacture but we are not saying you should take the whole system apart and re grease no a little squirt of 3-1 oil (bicycle oil) will do the job.

To get the oil to where it’s needed first open the door and locate the latch ( in most cases it’s in the centre in line with the handles) pull the handle down to retract the latch and squirt a little out in you are aiming to get enough oil in to go about 2” this will then gradually flow down and coat all the moving parts inside the gearbox make sure you have a small container placed at the bottom of the door to catch and drips at the bottom – if you have multiple doors move onto them now and give time for the oil to drip down if it’s your only door leave for 5mins and then wipe any excess oil from the strip and the bottom of the door one you’ve closed the door lift the handle up and down a few time to work the oil in to every part.

Even if your multipoint locking system is new this will greatly add to the systems working life so make this maintenance a annual job.

Spotting issues and fixing before needing a new replacement.

90% of all failed multipoint we get called out to fix the customer gives the same answer to the question
“Has it been harder to lift the handle and lock the door?”

the answer – YES!

Having to exert more pressure to lift the handle so that you can lock the door puts a strain on the multipoint gearbox and it’s it’s already a few years old and not been properly maintained it’s only going to end one way and that’s with it breaking.

It should take almost the same amount of effort to lift the handle when the door is open as it should when it’s shut so if you feel more effort is needed you problem have a issue with the doors alignment and need to get it fixed.

Door alignment

In a perfect world your door should be aligned just like the day it came out of the factory and each locking point is thrown into its keep correctly but after years of usage and the weight of the door doors have a habit of dropping slowly but dropping non the less and this miss alignment effects how the door works in most cases a adjustment to the doors hinges will correct any drop – if your a confident DIYer you can look at our blog post on how to adjust a Upvc door hinge.

If you would like any advice or would like to talk to us about multipoint maintenance and door alignment please contact our experienced locksmith team on 0115 8320195

LS Locksmiths is local family run locksmiths based in the heart of Nottingham we offer a incredibly fast same day service, thats affordable while only using high quality branded products. Our business counts numerous letting agencies, landlords and returning customers who use and recommend our low cost, fast and service.

LS Locksmiths Nottingham is not a franchise, we do not sub contract to national locksmith companies. We never charge a call out fee and prices quoted are fixed totals no VAT.

LS Locksmiths
72 Noel Street
Nottingham
NG7 6AU

For the majority of people the locks they use on a daily basis are the locks on there homes and because most homes now are fitted with modern double glazing the locks in there external doors will be Euro cylinders.

The Euro cylinder is hugely popular type of cylinder but was you aware it’s also available in a thumb turn version? Most homes are fitted with the standard Euro cylinder that uses a key to lock and unlock from inside and out, a thumb turn Euro cylinder still uses a key to lock and unlock from the outside but on the inside instead of a key the cylinder is manufactured with a fixed nob or thumb turn that you just twist to lock and unlock from the inside with out the need for a key.

Not only can this option be convenient but it also has a lot of safety implications also – we have all had to yell to the postman to wait while we track down a key to unlock and open the door but what if we ever needed to exit a property quickly in the case of a emergency and having to find a key to be able to unlock the door could a be a matter of life & death.

Now the last line can come across as over dramatic but in a move to make homes safer laws and safety practices are in place for certain types of propertys like HMO’s (houses of multiple occupancy) and apartments/flats are always now fitted with locks that can be opened from the inside without a key – like Euro thumb turn locks.

In fact Nottingham city council wanted all private landlords to change at least one lock on all of their properties to a lock that can be opened from the inside with out a key inline with all of there own housing that now are or in the process of having thumb turn locks fitted but it was changed in court when they set up the Landlord licensing scheme – we can only think it was about cost to individual landlords especially those with a lot of properties who were already unhappy with having to be forced to pay to be able to rent homes in the Nottingham city.

Away from the obvious safety use of a thumb turn lock being fitted it also has a very practical use in homes.

If a door is locked and the key is left in on the inside it can prevent someone with a key gaining entry and that is not ideal, it could be a unwanted early wake up call to open the door when a shift worker arrives home or a slightly drunk young person who’s arrived home after a night in Rock City.

Attempting to unlock a door with a key left in inside can result in damage to the lock in some cases called a slipped cam this results in the cam being out of alignment so when you try to lock or unlock the door afterwards you are unable to remove the key and you will need to replace the cylinder.

The very worse case of leaving a key on the inside after locking the door is when someone inside requires assistance and are unable to remove the key inside and are the only people in, even when they can call friends or relatives who have a key to come and help because the key is inside it can block entry – in these instances a locksmith should be called but if it’s a time sensitive call 999 who will make entry destructively.

Because a thumb turn lock leaves no option of a key being left accidentally inside when locked this will never be a problem.

So fitting a thumb turn lock or replacing my lock for a thumb turn option must be a no brainier and there are no downsides?

We would love to say yes but like all aspects security especially locks clever people like locksmiths will always find exploits especially locksmiths as we need to be able to unlock all types of locks without a key and these knowledge always finds a way to filter down and can be used by criminals.

Because of the design differences on how the lock operates some thumb turns are able to be opened using a bypass method that is not available to a lock that requires a key to be used on both sides so it’s important to only fit a Euro thumb turn that is not vulnerable to this bypass method, unfortunately this venerability is not visible so getting advice from a qualified locksmith is always strongly advisable.

If you would like more information on adding thumb turn locks to your property then give our team a call today and speak to a experienced locksmith who can advise you on the most suitable type and at a budget you require call 0115 8320195

LS Locksmiths is local family run locksmiths based in the heart of Nottingham we offer a incredibly fast same day service, thats affordable while only using high quality branded products. Our business counts numerous letting agencies, landlords and returning customers who use and recommend our low cost, fast and service.

LS Locksmiths Nottingham is not a franchise, we do not sub contract to national locksmith companies. We never charge a call out fee and prices quoted are fixed totals no VAT.

LS Locksmiths
72 Noel Street
Nottingham
NG7 6AU