If you were to call the distributor who sold the door, they will gladly give you a whole new three point lock. which is not at all that hard to install. I have had to replace a few of them that were over 4 years old. BOB.

 

Bulet; Your answer is better than what I was about to say LOL I was gonna say call Andersen

 

In case you do have any trouble contacting the dealer, this is Andersen Corp's customer service number. They are usually very helpfull.

888-888-7020

MarkC
__________________
Philadelphia Siding Company, vinyl replacement windows and Siding Company

 

Hey Guys,
I also have a problem with an Anderson Frenchwood door. The handle drops down and won't stay up. I took the whole thing apart to find that there is a small torsion spring inside the lock mechanism that broke. I called Anderson for a replacement spring...which should be like maybe a buck...and they said I have to purchase the entire mechanism for $172.00!! I'm thinking about looking around at hardware stores or even calling a spring company, but does anyone know off hand where I can find one?

Thanks,
Russ

 

Russ, you need to go back where you bought the door and tell them-get the glass date and size of your door and glass viewing area- ask to get hold of your andersen rep from the dealer-usually you get 120 days from the purchase date for free service on initial quality- and you have a 10 year warranty on parts- you could call back to 888-888-7020 and speak to tier two and explain your story-you should be able to get new parts at no charge

 

Hi Russ
How old is the door, I had the same problem and went to my Anderson distributor and told them my problem and They ordered me a new one free of charge, you just need to write down the date of manufacture from the Anderson logo at the corner of the glass. BOB

 

Looks like I'll give them another try.

I gave this lady all of my info...
The number on the glass...CIG-2 3-92

I even went as far as to give her the part number on the part where the spring is located which is 7174A-41

She put me on hold several times and still said that I have to purchase the entire mechanism. I even explained to her that the whole set-up is under a cover that is accessable by removing a few short phillips head screws...which kind of leads me to believe that you should be able to replace certain parts under the cover.

Almost makes me wish she pulls into her local garage with a faulty spark plug, and the mechanic tells her that she has to purchase a new engine!

Thanks for the reply,
Russ

 

Russ, Sorry Buletbob is totally correct 1992 door is out of warranty doesn't matter if it would 've been anyother window MFR- Pella, Marvin, Kolbe Kolbe, Weathershield, Crestline, 10 years on parts and 20 years on glass- Cars do not have warranties that last that long - 10 years Kia - but at least you can still get parts - most would've had to replace the whole door most MFR's would not have parts or would be out of business

 

sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but 16-17 years is beyond any parts warranty for that Anderson part.

 

How does a door bought two years ago have a date 17 years ago?
tconway? What's the story?
Ron

 

How does a door bought two years ago have a date 17 years ago?
tconway? What's the story?
Ron

Ron,
I think you're confusing the original poster of this thread with me. My door is from 1992...the OP's door is two years old.

Well, I just got off the phone with a level two person "Mark" at Anderson and he also said that I have to buy the whole assembly. I don't expect the part to be warranted. I just want to purchase the spring that broke! If anyone can put me in touch with someone that might have this spring, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Russ

 

Cross posts confuse me.
Ron

 

Thanks

Thanks Russ! I'll do some of my own research and if I find anything I'll let you know.

 

If you have a broken spring, why not look for companies that make springs? If I need a bearing for a craftsman shop vac, I go to a bearing company.
Ron

 

Any solutions to this problem?

I know this thread is over four years old, but does anyone know where I can get a spring for the door handle or another solution?

 

Spring for Fruitwood Andersen broken lockset spring

Has anyone been able to find a replacement spring for the 7174A-41 Multipoint lockset? I noticed eBay has numerous vendors seeing various springs compression, but I lost the broken spring and don't have the dimensions of the needed replacement spring. I too have contacted Andersen and the want to sell the entire lockset for $172., which is too rich for my blood, seeing all I need is a one dollar spring.

 

i am having the exact same problem with my torsion spring. it is very accessable to replace but can't get the spring from andersen. spring $1.00 vs door lock mechanism $181.00. any help on locating a spring would be very helpful

 

Posting a photo of the spring would help.
I had an issue with the screen latch for the double screen doors on the French doors and just bought a bag of springs from Amazon to replace the broken one.

 

I just had new Anderson exterior french doors installed. One of the doors will not remain open. If you open the door 90 degrees and release your hand from touching the door, the door starts to slowly close. The other side will remains open. Is there any adjustment I can make to resolve this?

Thanks in advance

 

You may get more response if you start a new thread, this one is old.

If your door will not stay open chances are the wall is out of plumb. You can make the door stay in one spot if you take the hinge pins out and bend them slightly. If it still doesn't stay open bend the pins a little more.

 

OK DIYs. My name's Ted and I'm new here, but had this experience and want to share. The mechanism can be repaired and you can save yourself about $200. My torsion spring in my Frenchwood door broke and I had an early enough model (1995) that still had an access cover on the lock box. I also had the bolt spring break 2 months later and was able to repair it also.

I located the handle torsion spring from a guy who posted on this site over 20 years ago and was able to contact him and he has torsion springs available. Turned out he lives only 30 minutes from me and I was able to go meet him and get a spring.

A word of caution: The handle torsion spring MUST be preloaded when you install it. It is very easy but it MUST be done. If you don’t preload it, when you shut the door and activate the latch lock the first time, you will not be able to unlatch it and the door mechanism will not be accessible because the screws will be covered. Ask me, I know from experience. The only way to get the door open was to carefully saw off the top and bottom latch hooks – not easy. I was so excited when I had the new spring in I didn’t think to try the door BEFORE closing it. All is well though and it is now working –the door pulls in and seals nicely without the latch hooks. If someone really wanted to break in, they’d just break the glass anyway.

The bolt spring is different and about 3/4” breaks off where it wears on the lever inside the mechanism box. It is made of appx 18 gauge spring wire. To fix it I had a 3/8” long stainless steel ferrule from my fishing tackle that was appx 17 gauge ID. Stainless is not solderable so I mixed a bit of JB Weld and forced it into the ferrule, slid it onto the spring and put the broken piece in the other end and let it dry for 24 hours and voila! If you lose your 3/4” of broken spring then use a 3/4” wire brad with the head ground off. This spring goes on easy and the preload is obvious.

If you can do the repairs it is well worth it in just the fact a new Andersen mechanism will not have an access cover, making repairs near impossible, unless you want the challenge of rivet removal, etc.

Contact information for Charles Baker who can supply you with a spring is: budscarp@aol.com or you can contact him by cell at: 231-631-4143. He is readily available and helpful. $25 but worth it, considering the alternative.