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edit to add: your key issue is one of the clues the slide bolt is near failure
No, silly, the key was worn! ..and binding.
Quickset = cheap POS
Homeowner Schlage better
Baldwin... more money but better.
Al
I turn, therefore I am!
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that is a huge amount of wear
Let us not seek the Republican Answer , or the Democratic answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future John F. Kennedy
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(07-23-2017, 06:55 PM)JGrout Wrote: 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
Joe
I was trying to figure out what one could use to see where the deadbolt was rubbing. Lipstick - but of course. I've learned another great tip. Thanks.
John
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(07-23-2017, 09:19 PM)JGrout Wrote: that is a huge amount of wear
If it was a cheap replacement type key, then not surprised, especially if he has to use it twice to unlock and once to lock. Could be bent too??? Happens when you have to force a dead bolt open every day.
Al
I turn, therefore I am!
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Has the margin changed from one season to another? If your door is sagging the latch and dead bolt will be to low.
Remove top screw on both the jamb and hinge side . Re-install a long screw with the same size head. Then repeat on the next screw down. Two should be enough to keep the door from sagging. The latch and bolt may fit the strike plate now.
If the problem is the door itself , swelling wider in the humidity then a new door is an option. I did fix one door that swelled at the mid rail only. I found that I could pull the joint tight with a bar clamp. I talked to the owner and gave her a couple of options. First was to peg the door stiles to the rail mortise. Second was to bore a hole for a threaded rod thru the stiles and rail horizontally. I told her no guarantee as this was more difficult then the first option.
The door was a custom made door that cost her $2100.00 installed. She had contacted the installer first , no help from him. The shop that made the door had changed hands and the new owner claimed no liability.
She went for the threaded rod as one hole was concealed by the mortise lock and the other I plugged on the hinge side. Took me about 2-1/2 hours total . About 2 hours boring the hole and installing a 3/8" acme threaded rod.
I happened to have an acme rod left over from other work. Been 6 years now and the door is still intact ,no swelling. If you go this route , PM me and I'll explain how to bore thru the door without blowing thru the face. Takes a exact set up and the correct drills and extension.
mike
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I made a custom striker plate for our door for this reason. I made it with a 2" oblong hole so when the door goes up and down with the rain, it always opens.
