Front Door Deadbolt Hard To Open

Deadbolt is stuck the chances are good that the bolt is having a hard time finding the throat in the strike plate.

Front door deadbolt hard to open.

Here are five that shined in our tests and four. Be sure the strike plate is secure and in reasonable alignment with the bolt. Repeat the process if necessary. When spraying the lock.

Sandra beeston recommended for you. It s usually easy to remove the deadbolt from the door. In consumer reports battery of door lock tests we use a 100 pound battering ram at least eight times to see how well a lock resists kick ins. Then lock and unlock the door several times to distribute the oil throughout the lock.

When a deadbolt is hard to turn as you describe and it s not even near the striker plate in the door jamb it s almost always an issue of the two holes that were drilled in the door. Get a screwdriver and remove the screws holding the lock on your door. You can file the edges of the strike plate a little and even slightly round the edges of the deadbolt s end. Use a spatula or putty knife to get a little space between the door and the frame then use a combination of wiggling and brute force to get the door open.

Another common problem with deadbolt locks is that they can stick making them troublesome to lock and unlock. If it operates smoothly this tells you the problem is with the alignment hole in the doorframe. That s what you need to do to diagnose the problem. Leave the lock in the door but only remove the cover and other parts to get in to clean it.

Open the door and try to operate the deadbolt with the key. If it still operates badly with the door. Sticking door locks can be attributed to everything from slight settling of the house to a buildup of dust and dirt within the locking mechanism. Fortunately most front door lock problems can be.

Simply spray some wd 40 into the keyhole and on the locking mechanism on the side of the door. Once taken apart use gum out or a similar type of cleaner to clean the inside of the lock and all moving parts.