Bathroom/Bedroom Door Handle Repair
Can anyone give advice before we attempt a repair. We have a brand new Sterling caravan with a door that leads to the bathroom and bedroom.
We arrived on site last night to find it had failed in the closed position and the door couldn't be opened.
We won't have time to get it back into the dealers before we go away for our main holiday next week. The handle will be just a standard Swift bathroom door handle. Has anyone had this happen and have you managed to repair it?
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Yes it has locked itself. yes it has the little slot but it makes no difference. The door will still not open. In the locked position you can't depress the handle. In the unlocked position the bolt won't draw back into the door.
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Remove the screws securing the handle (usually 2) and pull the handle away from the door.
You will then have access to a square metal bar either protruding from the handle you have removed or still in the lock mechanism.
With this bar in the lock mechanism turn it gently using a pair of Molegrips or similar the bolt should then disengage just as if you had turned the handle.
Please let me know if this works as if not the problem lies not with the locking mechanism but the bolt mechanism.
Good luck!
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Please note that before attempting to turn the square metal bar it must only be inserted far enough to engage with the bolt mechanism and not so far as to engage with the handle remaining on the inaccessible side of the door, as this may be part of the problem.
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Sorry i've been laid low with a stomach virus. The bolt mechanism appears to be shot. I was supposed to call the dealer to see if they had a replacement in stock but as I was ill, didn't manage to.
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Thank you for your reply!!
I am sorry to hear you have not been laid low and hope you keep well from now on.
I thought it might come down to the bolt mechanism which is of course the worst possible fault, as it is completely inaccessible with the door closed.
In case I have missed trick, I am interested to know how you gained access, as I had just the same failure when my van was just a few weeks old and we were miles away from any dealers. After about 5 days of pondering the situation, I eventually resorted to forcing the door and its frame apart, as gently as possible, using two 4inch brick bolsters. This whole episode did cause some aggravation between me and OH, as she was locked in, on the bathroom side. I really can’t understand just why she made just so much fuss, as the weather was poor, so it's not as if she was missing out and she had access to all of the necessary facilities plus I was able to slide the occasional pizza under the door.
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My husband managed to get his Swiss Army into the space between the door and frame, he was able to pull the handle up which was pulling the bolt back enough to be able to use the blade of the knife to get the bolt to push back into the body.
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Re: my post
"Thank you for your reply!!
I am sorry to hear you have not been laid low and hope you keep well from now on."
As it should have read "I am sorry to hear you have been laid low and hope you keep well from now on."
and not, not been, I just can not think how I got into such a knot.
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