Englander 55-pah door handle issue

[SummersHeatNewGuy]

Ok guys, I need some advice. The door handle on my pah is getting real loose when I close the door and lock it in. Only 2 years old. When I bought it, i was able to turn the handle 360 degrees around with the door close and locked. But it was tight enough that I didn't worry to much. Now, it has gotten loose and it worries me. I sent an email to Englander for help. Not sure what to do here. Seems like the door latch bar on the inside doesn't want to catch onto the stop any more because of expansion or wear. I can't bend it without the right equipment. You think I can add something to the bar to beef it up so it will catch the hinge plate to lock? Looking for some advise. I was thinking about wrapping around the bar with a metal coat hanger or some thick wire. Diagram attached.

Thanks.

 

[imacman]

Are you sure the door is really closed tightly enough?? Have you done the dollar bill test lately? It's possible that the door gasket has compressed and now the latch is loose.

 

[SummersHeatNewGuy]

Dollar bill test is good. Holds. My worry if you brush up against the handle, it can turn.

 

[slvrblkk]

Can you post real pictures of the problem? Hard to tell from the diagram. What did Englander say?

 

[imacman]

Dollar bill test is good. Holds. My worry if you brush up against the handle, it can turn.

Well, w/o being able to actually see and turn the handle personally, it would be tough for anyone here to give you an answer, unless they also have the same stove/same problem in the past..

I'd give Englander a call on Monday and ask them.....try asking for Mike H. Or even send him a PM on the forum. You might get an answer over the weekend.

 

[SummersHeatNewGuy]

I just sent Englander an email about an hour ago. So they probably get back to me sometime next week. Those guys have great service. I will post a real picture tomorrow. She's burning now. Need the heat for the 30 degrees we got outside here in CT. I remember seeing someone wrap a metal clothes hanger wire around the inside of the bar handle sometime last year. I think that might do the trick. Can't find the thread yet though. Again, I don't think it was bent enough from the manufacture from the start. I was able to turn the door handle all away around from the beginning.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

let me go look at my handle, i have the same stove installed in my home. gimme a few minutes

ok, was fortunate it was in between cycles, just shut down on stat. anyway, the handle is pretty short so it would be hard to "tweak" with a piece of pipe which is our usual method. thing to check is the door gasket itself, is it flattening out much. usually as a gasket wears it flattens out so it allows the handle to travel further. usually i tell folks that once the gasket has compressed to the point where the handle passes "6-O'clock" its time to replace the gasket. this allows the handle to pull the door tight again at a "more reasonable hour" so to speak. handle when new usually sets between 4 and 5 o'clock.

where was the handle when the stove was new? do you remember? i know it was a couple years ago..

 

[SummersHeatNewGuy]

What it looks like is the inside bar handle that suppose to catch the angle plate inside the burn box, is not long enough to actually utilize the whole catch plate. So when you turn the handle it only catches near the lower end of the triangular plate then completely overcomes it and does the 360 degree turn.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

yeah they are kinda short, should catch the wedge higher though, now as i said above as the gasket compresses it lets the handle go farther around so it would catch lower on the wedge. it can be adjusted but you would need a short length of pipe that the handle would fit into the end of kinda snugly. the rod stock is "cold rolled" so it can be tweaked without actually heating it up. we do it on the line all the time.

 

[SummersHeatNewGuy]

heres a pic when it was first installed. I would say its a little more vertical now. but even though, I was able to turn the whole thing around when new.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

that's pretty close to where it should have been new, maybe a touch farther toward the right but not too far off, you say you could push it past even when it was new?

 

[stoveguy2esw]

i may need to get some measurements from you, check the PM you sent me for info on how to get up with me

 

[SummersHeatNewGuy]

Yes sir. When new, I could turn it full circle.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

okies, will talk to you this week when i get back into the office, i sent you another PM by the way

 

[SummersHeatNewGuy]

Ok, I'm all set. Two minutes on the phone with Mike H. and he got me tweaked. Easy adjustment. Used a piece of pipe to bend door handle tighter. That's it.
Thanks to Mike and Englander again!

 

[SteveB]

Ok, I'm all set. Two minutes on the phone with Mike H. and he got me tweaked. Easy adjustment. Used a piece of pipe to bend door handle tighter. That's it.
Thanks to Mike and Englander again!

Glad Mike got you fixed up, and thanks for letting us know how it turned out!
Sometimes a problem will be fixed by a PM or over the phone and the OP never reposts to let us all know how it turned out