ALUMINIUM DOOR INSTALLATION GUIDE

Welcome to your new door

Thank you for choosing a new energy efficient door from Screwfix. Your new door has been manufactured to the highest quality standards and is guaranteed for 10 years.

Your door will arrive unglazed and it is important that you stack the door in a vertical position - prevent your door being damaged by stacking on flexible material between surfaces, such as wooden blocks.

Your door is delivered fully fabricated and should retain the protective film until all building works are complete.

Your delivery contains:-

1. Door: The door will have corner blocks attached. These are there for protection - remove these prior to installation.
2. Handle: Already attached to the door. This is fitted with handle mesh for protection.
3. Trickle vents: These are taped to the door.
4. Glazing packers, cill and cill end caps: These are in a plastic bag.

Prior to installation please ensure that your new door has been checked for imperfections or any damage.

Please report any issues within 48 hours of delivery.

Fitting the new frame

Please read through all of this instruction guide before starting.

Insert new frame

Offer the frame into the opening and using a spirit level, ensure the frame is level, vertical and not twisted before wedging into position. Centralise it and insert packers underneath to level it and maintain the 5mm expansion gap.

Affix new frame

1. Remove any packaging from the new frame and screw the cill onto the bottom of the frame. Make sure you select a screw that doesn’t penetrate the inner skin of the frame.
2. Seal the ends of the cill and frame to prevent moisture tracking along the cills into the brickwork.
3. Position the frame into the prepared aperture. Centralise it and use packers to ensure that it is level and to maintain a 5mm expansion gap.
4. Once the frame is level, drill fixing holes into the frame sides. These should be drilled 150mm from the top and bottom corners and 600mm in between (a minimum of 2 fixings per side).
5. Fix the side of the frame to the wall. To avoid distortion to the frame and maintain the 5mm expansion gap, use packers (do not overtighten the fixings).
6. On wider frames, ensure you fix the top and bottom of the frames. Ensure that the top and bottom fixings are sealed with silicone to prevent moisture absorbing into the brickwork.
7. When finished, ensure you clean any brick dust from your new frame.
8. For optimum thermal and acoustic performance, it is critical that the gap between the door product and the aperture is fully insulated using a suitable expanding foam or expanding foam tape.

Glazing

Door hinge

• On the main lock, ensure that the latch is catching and the handle throw allows the hooks to move into position and the key turns the cylinder. On the shoot-bolt locks, ensure the handle can be turned freely and the bolts engage smoothly with the frame.
• Check the perimeter gaskets on the sashes are providing an even seal and constant and even gasket line.
• In case the sash-frame or sash-sash clearance is causing interference or is deemed to be too small, the plastic packing strips under each hinge can be removed to increase the closing gaps.
• Compression on the lock can be adjusted by rotating the rollers in the required position.
• Further adjustment is available via keep positions.
• It is recommended to undertake any adjustments after the final glazing.

Lock and Keep adjustment

Diagrams illustrating the adjustment of door locks and keeps. One shows a handle mechanism and latch, the other shows rollers and screws for adjusting the keep position.

Bi-fold door survey and installation

Installing the frame cont...

Diagram showing how to check if a door frame is square by measuring the diagonals from opposite corners, showing lines that should be just touching.

Finally, fix the frame to the cill using 45-50mm self-tapping PVC screws, by pre-drilling the aluminium frame section. Countersink if appropriate and/or place gasket back into position.

Fixing cill

Diagrams showing cross-sections of a door frame and cill installation, detailing sealant application, fixing lugs, and brickwork for both inward and outward opening doors.

With the frame in place, use a suitable fixing method to fix frame jambs and frame head to the brickwork. Fixings should be 200mm from top and bottom corners and no more than 600mm centres in between. Use fixing lugs for cill fixing and outer-frame (jambs and head) fixing. Make sure that in line with each fixing, a shim is placed to avoid any distortion of the frame during tightening the screws. Ensure that the head is fixed level with no bow in either plane.

Final checks and adjustments

Finally, check that the door runs, folds, closes, and locks properly and is secure. The bottom track should be cleared of any debris and mortar prior to operating the door using a builder's vacuum or other suitable cleaning equipment. This is to ensure that no damage is caused to the wheels and track.

On the main lock, ensure that the latch is catching and the handle throw allows the hooks to move into position and the key turns the cylinder. On the shoot-bolt locks, ensure the handle can be turned freely and the bolts engage smoothly with the frame.

Check the perimeter gaskets on the sashes are providing an even seal and constant and even gasket line. In case the sash-frame or sash-sash clearance is causing interference or is deemed to be too small, the plastic packing strips under each hinge can be removed to increase the closing gaps.

Compression on the lock can be adjusted by rotating the rollers in the required position. Further adjustment is available via keep positions. It is recommended to undertake any adjustments after the final glazing.

Lock and keep adjustment

Diagrams illustrating the adjustment of door locks and keeps. One shows a handle mechanism and latch, the other shows rollers and screws for adjusting the keep position.

Glazing

Bridge packers are clipped into position as shown. Additional glazing packers should be used to properly toe and heel all sashes of the door. When toe and heeling, ensure each sash is not pushed out of alignment. Use toe and heeling to align sashes correctly so that they are running freely, provide even gasket compression, clearances, and locking. Packers for final fix are to be placed into top corners where shown. Make sure the final fix packers do not work against the toe & heel packers. To ensure safe working, glass suckers should be used. PVC beads are inserted by using a soft-tipped mallet, and aluminium beads are inserted by pushing in the wedge gaskets provided.

Diagram of a door sash showing the placement of packers for toe & heeling and for final fixing. A legend indicates the different packer types and their optional use.

Perimeter sealing

The purpose of perimeter sealants is to repel water and prevent air leakage in the face of differential movement between the aperture and the doorset. It is important to prevent water entering between the frame and the structure from the outside, but also to seal air gaps on the inside. This is to prevent moist air reaching over the insulation and creating condensation.

Suitable sealants exhibit and retain flexibility and adhesion over this period. The movement class for the sealant will depend on the substrate material, the frame material, and the dimensions of the joint between the frame and the opening.

It is advisable to clean down the frame before sealing the perimeter. The gap between the outer frame and structure must be sealed using a suitable external grade sealant. 5-6mm gaps can be filled with sealant alone; however, larger gaps may require the use of foam backing strips.

In some cases, a small cover trim will be required to produce a neat finish. If access allows, the gap below the cill should be pointed with sealant. If this is not possible, ensure that the cill has been set on a suitable silicone or mortar bed.

Finishing

Clean the external surfaces to remove the dirt and grit. Apply a strip of masking tape to the frame perimeter. Apply a smooth bead of silicone sealant between the frame and brickwork. Before the sealant sets, remove the masking tape to create a neat finish. It is important to remember to seal below the external cill.

Trims and profiles come in lots of different shapes and sizes to cover sealant and fixings. They'll give you a neat, professional finish, inside and out. You can cover wider gaps around the outside of the door with a PVCu scotia trim. Do this by sealing the frame behind the trim with frame sealant. You can then stick the trim in place with more frame sealant.

You have finished!

Once you have installed your new door, open and close it to ensure that it is working correctly.

Top tips looking after your doors

Our top tips to keep your doors in the best condition, we recommend:

• That you carry out routine maintenance on your doors at least twice a year. In areas of high exposure, you may want to do this more frequently.
• All parts of your new doors that are exposed when closed should be washed down with warm soapy water using a soft cloth, then dried thoroughly.
• Any parts that are exposed when the window is open should simply be wiped clean, removing any grime, dirt, insect remains, or old lubricant.
• Avoid any cleaning agents that have ammonia in them or that are abrasive, particularly on handles and other metal fittings.
• Special attention is paid to keep drainage channels clear and free from any blockages.
• That any moving parts and fixings are treated as follows:
  • The application of light oil, to keep the locking mechanism in good working order.
  • A suitable acid and resin free grease should be used on sliding bars, gears, and face plates.
  • Maintenance of friction stays is important, and we recommend that you follow the guidelines for lubrication and adjustment.

Locking

To operate the lock, insert the key into the cylinder. Rotate the handle upwards and turn the key for one complete evolution to activate the deadbolt, which locks the whole mechanism. Release the handle.

Unlocking

Insert the key into the cylinder and disengage the deadbolt by turning one complete revolution. Depress the handle and open the door. Where a split spindle is fitted in addition, after you have depressed the handle, turn the key a further quarter revolution to release the latch.

Guarantee conditions

We take special care to select high-quality materials and use manufacturing techniques that allow us to create products incorporating design and durability. This Screwfix product has a manufacturer's guarantee of 10 years against manufacturing defects, from the date of purchase (if bought in store) or date of delivery (if bought online), at no additional cost for normal (non-professional or commercial) household use.

To make a claim under this guarantee, you must present your proof of purchase (such as a sales receipt, purchase invoice, or other evidence admissible under applicable law). Please keep your proof of purchase in a safe place. For this guarantee to apply, the product you purchased must be new; it will not apply to second-hand or display products. Unless stated otherwise by applicable law, any replacement product issued under this guarantee will only be guaranteed until the expiry of the original period guarantee period.

This guarantee covers product failures and malfunctions provided the product was used for the purpose for which it is intended and subject to installation, cleaning, care, and maintenance in accordance with the information contained in these terms and conditions, in the user manual, and standard practice, provided that standard practice does not conflict with the user manual.

This guarantee does not cover defects and damage caused by normal wear and tear or damage that could be the result of improper use, faulty installation or assembly, neglect, accident, misuse, or modification of the product. Unless stated otherwise by applicable law, this guarantee will not cover, in any case, ancillary costs (shipping, movement, costs of uninstalling and reinstalling, labour etc.), or direct and indirect damage.

If the product is defective, we will, within a reasonable time, repair it or replace it. Rights under this guarantee are enforceable in the country in which you purchased this product. Guarantee-related queries should be addressed to the store you purchased this product from.

The guarantee is in addition to and does not affect your statutory rights.