Door Latch Sticking

The solutions and severity of this issue will differ depending on what type of lock it is.

Door latch sticking.

With your door lock stuck in unlocked the position your home can be made vulnerable. One of the problems that causes this is that the hinges are loose or the house has settled from the freezing and thawing of the ground. Inspect the strike plate on the edge of the door frame. If it s a matter of friction on the strike plate try to tighten both the plate and the lock on your door.

Sticking door latches. You can fix this problem relocating the hinges or using longer screws. Follow along as tom fixes a swelled door in his own home with just a few simple tools. Expert advice on how to repair common problems with door knob locks and deadbolts such as stuck or frozen door locks latches that don t latch and keys broken off in door locks.

A sticking door latch might require some lubrication or it might be jamming against the strike plate on the door jamb. Ironically by cleaning and oiling them you can fix most locks in a matter of minutes. This is because the issue is not with the door and not even with the control the knob has over the stuck latch. First clean the keyhole with a penetrating lubricant like wd 40.

Tom s rule of thumb for keeping a door from sticking in the jamb is that the reveal the space between the door and jamb should be 1 8 to 3 16 inch wide or about the thickness of a nickel. Many door knob and lockset problems can be corrected before they become so serious that the lockset does not work at all. Often turning these four screws slightly clockwise is enough to eliminate the scuffing. A latch bolt that sticks in the strike often leave tell tale marks or scrapes on the strike plate.

Many people put up with the aggravation of a sticking door lock for years. Watch joe as he shows you how to unstick a sticking door latch. The issue a door latch stuck due to a jamming latch will have no real variation between how the latch moves when it is pressed in or when the handle is turned both when the door is open and when it is shut. Another problem with many door knobs latches and even hinges is that the door itself will get stuck and close or open hard.

Most times you ll find that the door sticks along the top because the door is sagging. Door lock stuck in open position. Equip a rotary tool with a carbide tip. The most pressing will be when your deadbolt door lock is stuck in the open position because your deadbolt provides the real security.

You can even see where the door has scraped against the frame. Step 1 close shave photo by craig raine.