front door doesn't shut properly, what to do???

hite58 · Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:41 am

:?: the front door on my mother's mobile home is jamming. i don't mean with music either. it is getting worse gradually. the door swings outside. my husband seems to think it needs leveling.
any suggestions how to fix this as she has to use the dead bolt to shut the door now. we are do it yourselfers and might be able to help her with your advice. many thanks

Harry · Tue Jan 01, 2008 11:19 am

Hi

I would suspect the home needs releveling.

Harry

Yanita · Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:45 pm

Hi,

Welcome to the site.

By jamming are you saying that the door no longer locks properly, that the striker plates are not aligning? This would be an easy fix if this is the case.

We have no info on your home or more importantly the area that you reside. What are your winter conditions right now. Are you in the warm south or in the winter wonder lands. If in the cold your home has probably shifted with the changing weather conditions.

What type of foundation is the home currently sitting on? This will have alot to do with how much shifting the home will receive from season to season. Every MH even those of us in the warm south experience this shifting.

Could you please give a little more detailed info on what you are seeing, the fix (temporary) s to realign the striker plate, unless the door frame itself is twisting.

Yanita

garrett_reukauf · Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:28 am

My front door was doing the same thing when I moved in. I crawled underneath my MH (new 2007) and luckily for me when the were setting up the MH they just didnt properly adjust the outriggers under the front door. So I just did a little turn here, and a twist there, and WAHLAH!!! The opens and close just beauitfully now. I've checked the door a few times with a tape measure and square and it seems to be staying where i put it. Was just lil time consuming for me, cuz when I did this there was no one else at home with me and I had to keep going back and forth, inside and then back under trailer and then inside again to check my progress.
Good luck with yours, hopefully nothing to hard to get figured out.

Demolition · Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:08 pm

Unless the home is really unlevel, you can try this...
On each side of an exterior door, there should be a stack on concrete blocks. The blocks should have a 2x8 piece of pressure treated hardwood and maybe a wooden wedge or two.
These Piers support the weight because the door is heavy and lots of human traffic go in and out the door.
If you look at the top of the door, there may be a gap bigger on one side than the other. In theory, the house is straight but the door frame is crooked.
So you just take them blocks and wiggle the door frame till it is even. Do it on a warm day when you ain't in a hurry. Don't let people be coming in and out of the door while you are working on it.