More door lock questions/issues

[doobes]

I've got a Quikset lockset which is about ten years old installed in my front door. It's a separate knob and deadbolt thing with a fancy outside handle.

Last summer, I replaced the door and frame and put this lock in the door.

It's my experience that the house "moves" a lot from season to season. In the winter some doors fit fine, where in the summer they stick and some the other way around. I've stopped fighting it, but just live with it from season to season. I've managed to get all the doors to the point where they open and close in all 4 seasons :|

The one exception is I'm struggling getting this lock on the front door working smoothly consistently. When I installed it, I was able to massage it so it worked very smoothly. When the heat commenced this summer, the thing got so tight that I could hardly be opened. I was able to tweak it again to get it working smoothly.

That was a month or so ago, and the thing is getting tight again. I've dusted the inside with dry graphite so I know it's lubricated.

Any advice on keeping this thing working smoothly?

thanks,

[woodhead]

Fiberglass door?



What is hanging up, the lockset or when it is closed...hard to move handle?




Al

[doobes]

Yep. Fiberglass door. The deadbolt is culprit when the door is locked. Not so much when it's open.

[Herb G]

I've got the same problem only Schlage locks & a steel skin door.
The humidity is the culprit.

I don't know the solution, but I'm sure interested in one.

[jteneyck]

Have you tried pushing the door in or pulling on the handle when you try turning the deadbolt to see where it's hanging up?  If neither has any effect, then it must be hitting top or bottom in the stick plate.  Figure out where it's rubbing and move or filie the strike plate so the deadbolt closes and opens w/o rubbing.  The latch is what holds the door shut and tight.  The deadbolt is there only to stop unwanted entry. 

John

[woodhead]

So, Fiberglass.  They expand and contract with temperature more than any other type of door. In a proper setup, the latch should hold the door closed and sealed to the weather stripping. If you slam the door, the anti-pick function on the latch can engage the strike plate, holding the door too close to the frame. The dead bolt strike plate hole can be enlarged with no detriment to security or holding the door to the weather stripping issue.

So when its hot, the deadbolt is binding?  


Al



did not read the post above mine before the reply...same answer

[doobes]

Have you tried pushing the door in or pulling on the handle when you try turning the deadbolt to see where it's hanging up?  If neither has any effect, then it must be hitting top or bottom in the stick plate.  Figure out where it's rubbing and move or file the strike plate so the deadbolt closes and opens w/o rubbing.  The latch is what holds the door shut and tight.  The deadbolt is there only to stop unwanted entry. 

John

So, Fiberglass.  They expand and contract with temperature more than any other type of door. In a proper setup, the latch should hold the door closed and sealed to the weather stripping. If you slam the door, the anti-pick function on the latch can engage the strike plate, holding the door too close to the frame. The dead bolt strike plate hole can be enlarged with no detriment to security or holding the door to the weather stripping issue.

So when its hot, the deadbolt is binding?  

Al

did not read the post above mine before the reply...same answer

Interesting about the expansion of the fiberglass door. That's why I didn't have an issue with the wood door previously installed. I've filed the strike plate, but it sounds like I need to open it up further.

Thanks.

[Roly]

Does the deadbolt operate freely with the door open ?  or is it still binding up inside the door itself ?    If free try putting crayon on tip of deadbolt and see where it is hitting.  Roly

[doobes]

Tweaked it again and what became obvious was the deadbolt was dragging on the striker. Took great pains to make certain nothing was binding and it works much better.

I did realize that the key we were using for the door had issues. So I threw it away and I'll get some duplicates made from the original key.

Thanks all for the help.

[JGrout]

Interesting about the expansion of the fiberglass door. That's why I didn't have an issue with the wood door previously installed. I've filed the strike plate, but it sounds like I need to open it up further.

Thanks.

do you know which way the lock is sticking? forward/aft or top/bottom  a coating of lipstick on the slide should give you some clues fairly fast 

Sometimes replacing the slide in the deadbolt is the answer when they get balky Quikset is one of the ones prone to issues 

edit to add: your key issue is one of the clues the slide bolt is near failure

Joe