I have attached photos of the problem. How do I fix this problem? Do I shave down the frame or the door? Thanks for your help!








Thanks

 

First, remove the inboard top screw of the hinge on the jamb. Then drive a 3" screw into the hole. It will alleviate the crack you see at the top of the door and should allow the door to close more easily. If not, let us know where the scrub points are on the door.

 

The problem with driving a 3" screw through the hinge is that it may come out the jamb of the sidelight that is next to the door. (or hit the glass, breaking it!) Doors between sidelights can be a real pain to keep square.

Use the longest screw that you can, without it coming through the sidelight jamb... do some careful measuring- it might be a 2" or a 2 1/2". The idea, like Larry said, is to pull that hinge tighter to the right, which will help raise the door, pulling it to the right. Place the screw in one of the two holes that is closest to the weatherstripping, not one of the two holes that is closest to the hinge pin. You remove the short screws and replace them with a longer screw. 1 screw is good, two screws is better.

If the door has no shims around the perimeter, (a lot of people think you can just nail a door to the rough opening by using the exterior trim like a nailing fin) you could also remove the exterior trim, which would free up the door. Then insert shims around the perimeter of the door, especially behind the hinges. Use a 80" level to keep each side straight and plumb. You could square the door up this way, if the screws in the hinge don't help. It also looks to me like the door may be out of level, and could benefit from placing a thin 1/8" shim underneath the bottom right side of the door, directly under the base of the jamb.

 

The insulation between the latch side jamb and the side light looks tight. It may be pushing the jamb too tight against the edge of the door. Remove some of this insulation and see if that helps.

 

As Xsleeper said, a 3" screw may be too long for the application. Use the longest screw you can without penetrating the glass area of the sidelight.

 

The old (and common) sagging door syndrome. The common fix is a longer screw in the upper hinge, through the jamb and into the framing. As others have noted, you may not be able to do that becasue of the sidelights.

If you can't put a longer screw through the upper hinge an option might to open up the holes in the hinge and put a larger screw in. Just make sure you are into the framing and not just the jamb.

Another possibility is to shim out the jamb side of the bottom hinge. A thin piece of plastic or cardboard will do.

Option 3 is to rehang the door.

 

Using your hinge side sidelite as a reference, it looks like that jamb may have dropped out of plumb. That would explain the door dropping into contact with the strike jamb.
I vote for Waynes 'option 3' in that case.

Like many have mentioned here already, be very aware of your screw lengths. I have replaced many sidelites for those not aware of that.

 

Please don't put a screw into the side-light frame. This will only pull the window apart. What's missing is the jack stud between the door/window. Only some plywood, which acts as a spacer, not a nailer. The door was doomed for failure from the install without framing to nail the hinge jamb to. As said, try to reset the whole thing, even nailing up through the head jamb into solid wood above, on the hinge side. Door and frame appears to have shifted to the lockset side, judging from the gap at jamb/plywood, above the hinge.

You need solid wood (jacks) between the units OR, glue and screw all together securely. The door hinge jamb wants to try to flex against the jack, not the window frame (short window frame life). Last resort--- bend the hinge leaf on the top one, although the reveal there is fine (hinge), you won't get much because there is nothing to secure to---- except the window! Ch--- I see how your post numbers are so high.......lol

Be safe, Gary