Hinges Ripped from UPVC Conservatory Doors: Repairable?

[Sarrusophone]

Hi all,

One of our conservatory doors got caught by a gust of wind yesterday which seems to have generated enough force to rip the middle hinge out of the door and the top hinge most of the way out. See photographs! The bottom hinge also has some damage: a bit of cracking but nothing as extensive as the other two.

Can I have some thoughts about the following?

Forgive the basic questions: I’ve never worked with UPVC before. I’m not even sure if this damage might be repairable.

a) I presume the first thing to do is to use some sort of adhesive to glue the parts back together. I’ve seen quite a few different products suggested online. Many seem to suggest using a Super Glue (cyanoacrylate). Is that the thing to try?

b) The breaks are moderately clean to me but if there is any material missing, is there a filler that anyone would recommend for this sort of job?

c) Should I try moving the hinges up or down so that they are in fresh material or is glued UPVC likely to be strong enough on its own? The problem with damage to all three hinges is that there is going to have to be a lot of moving to find fresh material for all of them. I did wonder if I should try to reinforce but I can’t see much suggestion of this online.

I fully accept that getting a really good finish on a UPVC requires a lot of skill which I do not have but I am not too bothered about that since we are thinking of replacing the conservatory with a proper extension within the next few years: it’s a bit dilapidated. Also, I am not too worried about security since we usually keep the door to the house locked & leave the conservatory unlocked.

Any other thoughts or repair suggestions gratefully received!

Thanks!

Jacob

 

[Mottie]

Doesn’t look repairable to me. Can you claim on your house insurance?

 

[Sarrusophone]

Doesn’t look repairable to me. Can you claim on your house insurance?

Possibly, although we have a massive excess so I’d probably try to find something to patch it together until we sort out getting the conservatory replaced which is our current plan.

 

[Swwils]

Yes repairable, especially if you are planning to replace soon. Would be advised to add a section of metal into the profile to reinforce the area.

If you don't care for looks then a compatible epoxy will work rather than the more specialist 2 part hard plastics putty.

 

[Sarrusophone]

Yes repairable, especially if you are planning to replace soon. Would be advised to add a section of metal into the profile to reinforce the area.

If you don't care for looks then a compatible epoxy will work rather than the more specialist 2 part hard plastics putty.

Thanks. That’s helpful. My first instinct was that this was an epoxy job but I was rather put off by the fact that I couldn’t see any purpose-made ones (except for this tiny kit by ED Supplies which looked to me like something being re-packaged for small-scale DIY use: https://www.ed-supplies.co.uk/product-page/upvc-hard-plastic-epoxy-repair-putty-kit).

Metal is a good idea: I wonder if I can get something to run the whole length of the door.

 

[Swwils]

Surface preparation and compatibility are the key.

You could get something the full length but inserting it might be issue.

Effort might outweigh the cost though.

 

[lostinthelight]

Thanks. That’s helpful. My first instinct was that this was an epoxy job but I was rather put off by the fact that I couldn’t see any purpose-made ones (except for this tiny kit by ED Supplies which looked to me like something being re-packaged for small-scale DIY use: https://www.ed-supplies.co.uk/product-page/upvc-hard-plastic-epoxy-repair-putty-kit).

Metal is a good idea: I wonder if I can get something to run the whole length of the door.

That product looks more like cosmetic filler rather than a glue capable of structural repairs

 

[ronniecabers]

Anything is repairable but it all depends on how good you want it to look and how long you want it to last!
In my opinion any repair on that door is not going to last, all the weight is on that top hinge and it will just keep pulling off. If you add anything to the edge of the frame , such as a metal strip, it will push the sash further over, possibly causing issues with weather tightness. I don't see how you are going to get metal reinforcing inside the door sash, without more damage but I suppose if you can fix a metal piece inside the sash and keep it there to fix hinge to , then it may work but as I said earlier I can't see it lasting . Depends how long you want it to last

@crank39 will probably be able to tell you definitively whether it is doable

Swwils I am generally very intrigued as to how it all stays together, I'm just concerned about the weight of the glass and the constant use

 

[Sarrusophone]

That product looks more like cosmetic filler rather than a glue capable of structural repairs

Yes. That makes sense. I was just surprised that when I was looking for UPVC-compatible epoxies that was all that appeared.

Anything is repairable but it all depends on how good you want it to look and how long you want it to last!

Looks = unimportant. How long to last = I’m hopeful we will have sorted out the conservatory-replacement by next Spring.

In my opinion any repair on that door is not going to last, all the weight is on that top hinge and it will just keep pulling off. If you add anything to the edge of the frame , such as a metal strip, it will push the sash further over, possibly causing issues with weather tightness. I don't see how you are going to get metal reinforcing inside the door sash, without more damage but I suppose if you can fix a metal piece inside the sash and keep it there to fix hinge to , then it may work but as I said earlier I can't see it lasting . Depends how long you want it to last

@crank39 will probably be able to tell you definitively whether it is doable

Swwils I am generally very intrigued as to how it all stays together, I'm just concerned about the weight of the glass and the constant use

Thanks. A lot of things to think about.

 

[Swwils]

Did not see top hinge damage - might not be a goer as Ronnie said.

 

[crank39]

In terms of the PVC damage yeah thats repairable, but I would also ditch those butt hinges and replace them with flag hinges to shift the point loading onto the face not the edge, I would also slide in some flat steel or aluminium into the chamber to reinforce it and for something substantial for the hinge screws to bite into not just the PVC

 

[Sarrusophone]

Thanks very much, everyone.

I had a go at a repair last night.

The middle hinge, which had pulled free from the door seemed to glue on quite well: there was a huge surface area and essentially no material loss. I used high viscosity superglue. It sees pretty solid but I guess only time will tell how effective it is.

Somewhat to my surprise, the top hinge proved to be irreparable: the damage to the edge under the hinge was really quite extensive and quickly disintegrated. I therefore repositioned it into new material below.

Unfortunately, I also noticed some hairline cracking around the bottom hinge too.

I’m going to give it a week and see how much movement there is and take a view as to whether to swap the hinges for flag ones as crank39 suggests.

We are also prioritising getting the conservatory replaced!

 

[crank39]

Conservatories are modular and made up of frames screwed together so the french doors/frame splits from and windows surrounding it so no need to replace the complete conservatory but just the french doors

 

[Sarrusophone]

Conservatories are modular and made up of frames screwed together so the french doors/frame splits from and windows surrounding it so no need to replace the complete conservatory but just the french doors

Yes: absolutely. But the plan has been to replace it for some time for various reasons unrelated to the door. A couple of our neighbours have had the classic one-story extension put on and it really helps open up the ground floor and create useful extra space (we’re in a tall-but-narrow townhouse).

The other factor is that the conservatory is pretty old & quite cheap quality so it could do with some substantial refurbishing in any event (e.g. the floor has warped, one window has had water ingress between the double-glazing, all of the fitted blinds have broken, and it’s got a traditional polycarbonate roof which means it bakes in the summer and freezes in the winter). I guess we might decide to keep it instead but then a full-on professional refurbishment, including the door, is probably the order of the day!