Replacing a door handle spring?

[Terry Pinnell]

Apart from electrics/electronics, my DIY skills are poor, so I'd much appreciate advice please.

The spring of the door handle on the downstairs loo has been getting progressively weaker for a year or so. As you see from the illustration, it can't even keep the handle horizontal. In fact it barely keeps the door closed.

The obvious solution would be to buy a new unit, but I can't find an identical replacement for these 26 year old handles. And all downstairs door have matching ones. But perhaps someone here knows of specialist sources I could try please?

Failing that, how would I set about fixing it myself please? I have visions of bits springing out and proving impossible to restore correctly, but maybe I'm making heavy weather of it?

[JimK]

Could be a sprung latch that's weakened -are both handles drooping?

Whichever, it's time to take a handle or two off & investigate.....

Jim K

[Brian Gaff]

Yes, if its a lock spring you might be lucky and find its a lock held together by real screws and the spring is pretty bodgable. If it is the handle set, these can be like a spiral of spring wire just wound around and clipped unde a notch on the handle plate. Wear goggles if attempting replacement as its very easy to launch bits of spring into the eyeball while poking about!

Brian

[Andrew Gabriel]

Do you actually know the spring is broken?

That does happen, but the other thing that commonly happens is that the handle mechanism wears and gets gunked up with the powdered metal which has worn off, which overpowers the spring. I would start by taking the handles off to cleam out all the metal dust. Put a sheet of newspaper on the floor underneath, because as you unscrew the handles, often a load of black dust drops out which stains whatever surface it lands on (particularly carpets). When you have the handles off, it will be obvious if one or both have broken springs. The latch should also have a return spring on the handle bar which you can check when handles are disengaged.

The spring is usually like a 1-2 turn clock spring, and it normally snaps at one end where it's bent to engage with the mechanism. I have repaired them by bending the next 1/4" and engaging it back in to the mechanism. Another option is to measure it, and go and buy a sacrificial handle of any design with the view of destroying it to get the new spring out. When repaired, you should lightly grease the mechanism to reduce wear. Also, swap some of the handles around in the house - e.g. swap those with whichever are the least used ones, so the wear is evened out (taking the opportunity to clean and grease the other ones too, before they fail).

I have a very vague recollection someone pointed out a company which supplies replacement springs, probably 10+ years ago, so a google search might be worth a try too.

[Terry Pinnell]

Yes, as I think I said, a weak spring!

Did you look at my photos?

I'm seeking help on exactly how to do that.

[Terry Pinnell]

Thanks Brian. I bet it would turn out to be the second type you described and I'd end up with bits over the carpet! That's why I'm nervous about attempting it.

[Mike Barnes]

I would think just taking the handle off the door wouldn't risk anything. The springs on our handles (which suffered from the opposite problem: too strong) are held in place by circlips, and proper circlip pliers were an essential (and cheap) item of equipment.

[nemo]

Assuming it is just the handle springs that have broken, you'll need replacement springs (one each side) and circlip pliers to effect a diy repair: Not too difficult to work out how to do it, no problem with flying springs. It helps if you can hold the handle fitting in a vise. Lubricate with grease before refitting.

[Terry Pinnell]

Excellent! Many thanks, Andrew, much appreciate that fast and detailed reply. I'll get stuck in later today and report back. However, I tried dismantling about a year ago and recall I gave up because I couldn't get access to the 'working parts'. Or maybe I just wimped out through nervousness.

[Andy Burns]

Too strong ... sounds like handles designed for unsprung latches used on sprung latches.

[Terry Pinnell]

Thanks Nemo.

[JimK]

???

seeking or demanding?

yellow pages - locksmith?

this is uk-D-I-Y, be brave and take it all off and play with it?

what's the "worst case" scenario? keep whistling whilst your having a dump until the locksmith arrives?

above all have fun

Jim K

[MattyF]

A friend had exactly the same problem. He bought a new handle. Nothing was available that fitted. It took us hours to fit to the door and paint the door. It would have been only a few minutes to fit a spring (which of course could not be bought in an ordinary hardware shop). Next time I will look around for a spring from my junkbox.

[Mike Barnes]

Stronger than that, I'd say. I've always assumed it was springs for handles, used on knobs.

[Terry Pinnell]

Progress report:

The circlip pliers I ordered yesterday were delivered today while I was out. But for some reason my other Amazon order, for these door handle springs

led to a 'failed delivery' message from the DHL driver. Can't believe the packet wouldn't have gone through the letter box, like the pliers!

Anyway, I went ahead and dismantled. Took the precautions with goggles and newspaper as recommended. (No serious black dust.) First removed the outside handle and its circlip. The spring was broken as expected.

The inside handle on its own then seemed to be working reasonably well, getting close to horizontal. But I removed it to learn how an intact assembly works. However, on removing its circlip, that too had a broken spring. About 2 cm before the inner 'U' at the end of the coil, just like the other. Maybe it was sort of hanging on until I disturbed it?

Took those photos to help me re-assemble. Frustrated that I can't do it today. Hopefully the new springs, due for re-delivery tomorrow, will fit, although I measured these old ones as 28 mm diameter, not the 25 mm specified. Presumably tolerances aren't that tight?

During my web research, in parallel with seeking help here, I read someone saying he'd 'repaired' the existing spring by forming a new loop. But I can't see how that can be possible with these springs. For a start I can't cut them with the snippers I tried. And even if I could I'm sure I'd never be able to bend the new end into a loop.

[GB]

More likely, I think, that the springs were broken on both the handles, but there's also a spring inside the lock. That's sufficient to support the weight of one handle but not both.

[Lee]

Cheers for that link, I was looking for some replacement springs :)

[Terry Pinnell]

Thanks, that makes sense, hadn't realised there was a third spring.

[PeterC]

In a few cases I've removed one spring as the handle was a bit strong for the person using it. If both (handle) springs are OK, this gives a spare for if (when) the other one snaps. The springs are, IIRC, handed.

[Terry Pinnell]

Sorted!

Happy to report that the springs from Amazon proved to be of the right size. So both inside and outside handles duly fixed yesterday.

Thanks for all the help.

BTW, the photos I took directly after removing the handles proved to be very helpful when re-assembling.