Front Door Lock Jammed Shut

Pull the spindle from the center of the latch if applicable.

Front door lock jammed shut.

Remove the cover or faceplate of your mortise lock or surface mounted rim lock to repair it. To fix the door knob figure out where the connections have gone awry. Use a tool a flathead screwdriver will work to twist within the gap the thru spindle inserts into. If it is you will have to remove the doorknob assembly remove the hinges and wiggle the entire door out of its frame.

Troubleshooting a stuck door latch try to open the door while it is shut. If the door lock gets jammed first you should use graphite based lubricant rather than using wet lubricant. Tighten the hinge screws and then try adjusting the strike plate by loosening its screws and shifting it slightly. First off you re going to have to take the door handle off.

Check the alignment of the deadbolt against the strike on the jamb if the lock is difficult to turn when the door is closed or the door doesn t lock at all. Wet lubricant tends to gum up the locks. In this video i attempt to open a patio door that has got stuck locked. Make sure the lock is unlocked before you do this.

Repairs range from making minor latch adjustments to repositioning the door. Use the screwdriver to push the opposite side of the doorknob from the door and latch. See if this retracts the handle. Make sure that the lock is not frozen shut.

Door lock doesn t latch properly when a door latch doesn t click into position it usually means the latch and the strike plate are out of alignment. You can do this by using the phillips head screw driver to unscrew both screws on the door handle. The latch will not retract even when the knob is turned. If the latch assembly is working just fine but the door is still stuck try squirting a little bit of all purpose lubricant between the door and the frame.

Soak your door lock in kerosene for 24 hours if it isn t attached to a door and has been rusted shut. You can slide the key into the lock lightly so that the lubricant can get inside the lock properly. The latch will not retract even when the knob is turned. Take the handles knobs off of the door.

Take note of the type of resistance. Use a file to widen the hole on the strike or remove the strike with a screwdriver and reposition it on the jamb. Remove the handles including the thru spindle. You should start by spraying the lubricant simply on the door key.