These screws run from the inside backing plate through the door and into the outside backing plate and help hold the entire assembly together. This bolt is called a latch bolt (fitting, since its job is to latch a door closed and unlatch a door to enable opening it! The lock was fine. This is extra irritating because if I turn it with the key in the key gets stuck until I return it from the opposite side. Then tighten up the set screw. With the knobs out, now is the time to remove the two screws from the lock’s face. Instagram post 17902311484643486 As time passes, door knobs and locks tend to wear out and have problems. Is your door handle or door knob sticking or stiff to operate? To tighten them, simply hold the outside backing plate so that it doesn’t move, and tighten the screws down individually. Look for the set screw on neck of the knob, between the handle and door. Fix or Reinforce Your Door Cheaply with a Mag Plate! Certified Professional Seattle Locksmith Services – Licensed, Bonded, Insured. Squatters didn't stain it but it ree, Old Corbin mortise lock. The other knob can remain on the spindle, but as you push the spindle through the door, spacer washers may fall out—save these, too. The first thing you'll need to do is determine what type of doorknob you have. There are generally 2 types of doorknobs that most people will encounter in their homes. Squatters didn't stain it but it ree Google doesn’t let you link directly to your reviews anymore! Often they stick or break due to excessive pressure being placed on the door. Once you find the pin, use your flathead screwdriver or the end of a paper clip to depress the pin and remove the handle from the spindle shaft. If either part is damaged it needs to be replaced before the lock will work. I did not know until I saw it this morning. Luckily, repairing it isn't difficult and can be accomplished by following a few simple steps. In order to fix a stuck door knob lock that is not a problem of the latch catching you will need to remove the door knob. Here are the general steps to remove the handle and lock from the door and test the retraction mechanism: Take knob/handle off the door. UPDATE: I made a video illustrating how to fix this problem yourself if your lock is not covered by Baldwin’s lifetime warranty or you don’t care about it. Reinsert the setscrew and test the knob to ensure it is loose enough to work properly. Lubricate knob locks with graphite. Then back it up a little to provide extra space for the handle to spin properly and then tighten the set screw. Screw the screws at the base of the knob back into place tightly and try turning the knob again. Use a flathead screwdriver to slowly pry loose the ring, and be careful not to damage the backing plate as this could detrimental to the entire lockset. My front door deadbolt lock is hard to unlock and open when I put the key in and turn. If there is a thumb turn plate, remove that, too. The knob will not turn to retract the stuck door latch. Door Knob or Door Handle Sticking? We will take you through how to diagnose and fix your issue, step by step. After the handle is fully on the spindle shaft, turn it so that the hole lines up with detent and click it back into place. The only thing left to do is replace the decorative ring by snapping it back into place on the backing plate. to this site, and use it for non-commercial use subject to our terms of use. 2020-->2021 If your door key doesn’t work right, the first and most obvious step is to be sure you’re using the right key. Inspect the spindle and the interior of the door knob for signs of wear or damage. If you are handy with a screwdriver, take your broken thumblatch off the door and take it to a Baldwin dealer.  They can supply you with a replacement part free of charge due to the lifetime guarantee from Baldwin.  If you live somewhere more rural or don’t want to deal with it all call 800-566-1986 and describe the problem.  Baldwin will mail the parts out to you.  You can then hire somebody like me to swap the broken parts. Instagram post 17863160966284150 When a door latch won’t catch, it’s because the latch doesn’t align with the hole in the strike plate. There are a few reasons why a door latch won’t retract, and there are a few ways to fix the problem. Typically, the screws have a Phillips head, so a Phillips head screwdriver should do the trick. Once you have successfully removed the decorative ring without damaging the backing plate, you should be able to locate a set of screws. All rights reserved. Exterior door knob, schlage, wood-core steel door, probalby 20-30 years old or more. Gaijin. This decorative ring conceals the screws that hold the entire assembly together, which are the main reason why the doorknob has become loose. On older doors you will need to remove the screws in the door knob near the plate. The set screw helps keep the handle in place when you rotate it to open the door. You should check the door latch with the door open, turn the door knob to see if it retracts or not. Look for a little slot on the door-end of the knob, then find a small, matching button on the side or underside of the spindle. I can unlock the door if I try a few times but the key has a difficult time turning as the deadbolt is sticky. Copyright© One problem you may notice is that you door latch won’t retract. To fix the door knob figure out where the connections have gone awry: Take the handles/knobs off of the door. im on the side of the door with the lock thing and the door knob won't turn and im stuck in a room there are no screws on the door knob nor do i have access to any tools. Additionally, try not to use an electric drill as it might put too much pressure on the screws and damage them. Use a tool (a flathead screwdriver will work) to twist within the gap the thru spindle inserts into. Once this is done, you can put the door handle back into place over the spindle shaft.  Sweet carpet. For other types of problems with door knobs and locks, please see Repairing Door Knobs & Hardware. The most common issue with sticking door handles is a problem with the tubular latch. ). When the door or drawer is not thick enough for the screw to tighten the knob flush against it, grasping that perpetually wobbly knob each day can be an enduring pain. Answer Save. UPDATE: I made a video illustrating how to fix this problem yourself if your lock is not covered by Baldwin’s lifetime warranty or you don’t care about it. The important thing to know about these Baldwin parts that frequently fail is that they are covered under a lifetime warranty.  The other important thing to know about them is that you must alleviate the issue that caused them to fail in the first place.  After the part is replaced, make sure that it is really easy to use the thumblatch.  If it is difficult to use, there will be too much pressure on the gears in the lock.  This may be because the strike is installed too close to weatherstripping so that the latch binds against the strike, or it may be because the lock was installed slightly off center so that there is undue pressure on the latch.  Baldwin hardware runs on the heavy side, and if you screw it in where it hangs it will be pulling the latch down from where it should rest.  That translates to premature failure. Below we'll walk through the most common type of failure and how you can fix it rather than buy new knobs. Questions of a Do It Yourself nature should be These 2 kinds of doorknob incorporate a different method to keep the knob snug against the door, so different steps need to be followed depending on the type of doorknob. With the door open, turn the knob in a clockwise direction while holding the knob on the other side of the door firmly. If neither part is damaged, make sure the door knob was properly secured to the door. We have been going through our garage door to get in the house because of this. Remove the thru spindle. If it's an unthreaded shaft, then simply place the knob back onto the shaft and up to the face of the door before tightening down the set screw. The detent is similar in function to a set screw, and is simply a spring-activated pin that sticks out of a small hole in the doorknob, which prevents it from rotating. Website operating Key Is Broken Off in Lock. Squirt a small amount of graphite into the seam around the lock. Slip the knob back onto the spindle, aligning the slot with the button. To fix a doorknob that won’t turn, you might try things such as jiggling it to loosen up the stuck part, using recommended lubricants, or checking the doorknob assembly. You can take the piece apart that the thumblatch interfaces with.  It has a thin piece of metal covering some gears.  The thin piece of metal is held on with either screws or little metal tabs that must be bent back.  Once you have it off you have to turn the gears 180 degrees and then put it all back together correctly.  And then alleviate the issue which caused the problem in the first place. Sweet carpet. The electric socket pops out from the wall..How do I fix it?... how bad is it? I turn the knob and it just sticks unless I turn it back manually. Place flat-head screwdriver in the gap you removed the spindle from. whoeve i'm gonna be stuck for a while so how do i open it? Typical door knob with key on outside, little turn dial in the center of the knob on the inside that locks/unlocks. Thankfully, these are things you can comfortably fix without spending money to hire a maintenance specialist. Tighten the screw, using the … All information is provided "AS IS." For the other type of doorknob, hold the collar around the knob securely with one hand while you turn the knob counterclockwise one full turn with the other hand. This weekend three separate  customers called about their Baldwin locks not working from the outside (though in two of the cases, they worked from the inside).  In two of these cases it was because of stripped gears made of cheap die-cast metal.  The replacement part is 5399-003-G for many of these, which are usually from Baldwin’s “Image” line.  Baldwin made some of these parts kind of weak so they released a conversion kit to replace these parts that are known to fail. These types of doorknobs utilize an outer face plate to conceal the screws holding the doorknob against the door. The new door ... Help identifying this locking doorknob for tightening purposes. It may be on the underside of the knob. Ten-cent Fix for a Loose Knob. These 2 kinds of doorknob incorporate a different method to keep the knob snug against the door, so different steps need to be f… If not, do the “lipstick test.” Smear lipstick on the latch and stick masking tape to the strike plate. If the latch doesn’t move, you need to take the whole thing apart to see if something is broken inside. 5 Answers. (function(html){html.className = html.className.replace(/\bno-js\b/,'js')})(document.documentElement); Seattle's Maple Leaf Locksmith LLC – (206)335-4559. Look under the stem of the door knob for a small hole. If the latch is retracted and the door knob will not turn, the latch may be misaligned and caught on something. Old Corbin mortise lock. We welcome your comments and Using pliers, try to grip and pull the key straight out. To depress the detent, use the end of a metal paper clip or the point of an awl, inserting it into the hole and pressing the detent down while twisting and removing the door handle shaft off the spindle. whoeve, I'm proud of my birdhouse. my door knob won't turn and im stuck? Follow on Instagram. Step 0 (aka the problem) - Your knob spins or falls off in your hand. 1995-2018 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Whether the doorknob jiggles a little too much or pulls away from the door when trying to open, it doesn't take very long for a loose doorknob to get beyond a simple annoyance. I am the Seattle locksmith you've been looking for. Remove the handles, including the thru spindle. Doorknobs that incorporate the use of hidden screws are a little more complicated to fix. If so, here’s how you can fix it. We all know that when we turn a door handle and close a door, we’re actually making a little bolt about the size of our thumb move into a slightly larger hole that’s been bored out in the door jamb. In a nutshell, I am replacing a doorknob that is decades old. Do you have a door that won’t open because the lock latch won’t retract enough to open the door? The handle or knob must be jiggled to unstick the latch. If your door knob turns, but the door doesn’t open. DoItYourself.com®, founded in 1995, is the leading independent A lock that does not work can be a big problem, so you will want to fix this immediately. Place a flathead screwdriver just above the latch, and tap it with a hammer. I'm proud of my birdhouse. If the problem doorknob has exposed screws, then you will need to locate the set screw, which is typically on the inside of the door. There are generally 2 types of doorknobs that most people will encounter in their homes. 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