Can’t lock your door? Help is around the corner…

Door locks are essential for maintaining the security, safety, and privacy of any location, including your house or business. Therefore, selecting the best locks for your house or place of business is critical to preventing theft and property damage. A door’s failure to lock is frequently caused by the door latch rather than the lock itself. Typically, this occurs as a result of the latch not being in line with the strike plate’s hole. Even though this is simple to fix, it is always recommended to call a reputable locksmith rather than trying to do it yourself.

Nothing is worse than discovering that your door won’t lock. If you can’t lock the door, it’s at best inconvenient and at worst could endanger your property. We’ll go over the five most typical door lock issues, potential solutions, and how to get your door working properly again. Your door lock’s malfunction is more than simply an inconvenience. Door lock troubles on garage or exterior doors might prevent you from entering your home and can lead to security problems that endanger the safety of your family. Therefore, you shouldn’t leave a broken lock unattended for too long. Here at Lemon Locksmith we can attend your property within 20 minutes of your calls for all leeds residents.

Here are a few popular ones along with their most likely causes:

Wooden Doors

Wooden Doors Warping – The door or frame may occasionally warp as a result of really bad weather. This could prevent the locking points from contacting the keepers and prohibit the door from locking! Most of the time, this is an easy and quick issue to resolve.

Tip – If the door is open and the lock functions flawlessly, it is generally just a matter of adjusting the strike or keep plate.

Broken key: When keys are forced into locks with too much force, they typically break.

Key Stuck in Lock – It is important to call me as soon as you can if your key becomes stuck in the lock. Your key may fracture or break inside the lock if you exert too much force while attempting to remove it on your own. If you must, make sure to pull the key out straight rather than twisting it since I do not advise forcing the key out of the lock because it could snap. It could crack if you twist it.

It’s hard to turn the key or it won’t fit in the lock – Don’t push the key in! If you try too hard, you might break the key in the lock. There might be something wrong with the Lock. The lock might be broken because of dirt or ice from the cold weather, or you might be using the wrong key.

Lock that doesn’t work: The mechanism inside could be broken or worn. I have the replacement parts I need to fix most locks. To meet insurance requirements, all locks can be changed or added to meet the British Standard.

Warping: If the door won’t lock because the frame or door is warped, you might be able to fix it by adjusting the strike plate instead of getting a new lock.

The Key Doesn’t Work – If you just got a new key or a spare key cut, the problem could be a badly cut key.

Has a new cylinder been put in? It’s possible that the spindle was cut too short.

Does your nightlatch have a way to lock itself? If so, you may have to turn the key more than once to open the door. If the key won’t turn at all, you may be using the wrong key or the interior snib may have been accidentally engaged. If the snib has been turned from the inside, the key will not work.

The key itself may be old, worn out, or fractured, or the cylinder may be defective or simply worn out from use. Never shove a key into a lock because it can snap inside. I might be able to create a totally functional duplicate key if you have both halves of a broken key, saving you the expense of a new cylinder.

Can’t lock your door? Composite/UPVC  

Dropped Door: UPVC doors frequently drop, which causes the locking points and keepers to become out of alignment. If it can, it usually makes opening the door challenging. Modern UPVC doors are fully adjustable, so fixing this is typically simple.

Tip: If the door locks perfectly when it is in the open position, there is a problem with the adjustment. However, if it is still difficult to lock while in the open position, there is certainly a mechanical problem and replacement parts are required.

Faulty Euro Cylinder: Our locksmiths can quickly replace the key cylinder, giving you fresh keys without having to repair the entire system. This will reduce the price as much as possible.

Mechanism Issues: UPVC door locking mechanism issues are fairly frequent. In some cases, it may be possible to only replace the “Gearbox” if the full-length mechanism is defective. The expense of the job is reduced as a result. Full mechanisms must occasionally be replaced, even if doing so can be expensive.

In general, composite doors are very long-lasting and almost never have problems. But if they do break down, it’s usually because of one of the following.

Warped Door: It’s not often that composite doors warp, but it can happen. This can make it hard to close the door and let cold air in. If this happened to your door and it’s still under warranty, talk to the company that sold it to you about how to get it fixed or replaced. A 10-year guarantee is common for composite doors on the market.

Tip: If you use the “hooks” every time you close the door, it can help keep the door straight and stop it from warping.

Faulty Euro Cylinder: Since the door hardware and furnishings on a composite door are nearly comparable to those on a UPVC door, if the key cylinder fails, our locksmiths can quickly replace it, creating new keys without having to replace the entire mechanism.

Broken Mechanism: The mechanisms in composite doors are almost the same as those in UPVC doors. In some cases, you can only replace the “Gearbox” if the full-length mechanism is broken. This keeps job costs as low as possible. Full mechanisms can be expensive to replace, but sometimes it can’t be helped.

uPVC door problems are caused by changes in weather and temperature

Both hot and cold weather can make your doors act up. When it gets warmer or colder, I get more and more calls about door problems, like doors that won’t lock or unlock, doors that stick, doors that are hard to open or close, and locks where the key won’t turn or is hard to get out.

UPVC doors can get bigger when it’s hot. This is why we have more problems with them in the summer. Doors that are stiff and hard to open or close are a common problem caused by the expansion and swelling.

UPVC doors get smaller and bigger: Your UPVC doors can shrink, contract, and expand because of changes in temperature, hot weather, and warm air. Because uPVC doors can shrink and grow, this can make it hard to lock your conservatory doors. You might think you need to use force to open and close your doors.

Sometimes, waiting it out until the heat has passed will be all that is necessary to resolve this. Your door should ultimately revert to its original condition without any damage thanks to the colder air. But there are times when door problems like this could put your security at risk. If you can’t lock, open, or close your door, for example, you should call a locksmith who can use their skills and knowledge to make your home safe.

Tip: When the weather is warmer, you can help your uPVC doors get back into shape by spraying them with cold water. In the winter, you can get the same benefits by using warm water.

The 5 most common problems with door locks and how to fix them

Here are the most likely reasons why your door won’t close:

Doorway
Debris
Strike Pate
Door Latch
Hinges
Doorway Tolerances

Check the apertures along the top, bottom, and sides of the door if it won’t close completely. Both hollow core and solid core doors’ gaps can close as a result of the wood’s ability to expand, dragging on the doorway. Because they use so little wood, interior doors with hollow cores are less likely to be damaged by this kind of weathering. But a home’s foundation can raise and change how wide a doorway can be. And because of this change, you shouldn’t make any changes to the hinges or strike.

You may need to adjust the door itself if the foundation moves, if roots push up the ground, or if the wood in the door jam grows. Look around the door’s edges to find the spots where the gaps are the smallest. Make a mark on the door to show how much needs to be cut off. Since these problems are likely to get worse over time, you need to keep doing whatever you are doing to fix them. If you want to make your home safer, you should deal with the problem at its source instead of just focusing on the doorway tolerance.

the door won’t shut Tip #2 Tight doorway tolerances can prevent doors from closing and can keep them closed even when you want them to be open. A door that is challenging to open and close is one whose door tolerance is excessively tight. You might require a new lock, though, if there are no indications of tolerance problems.

Debris

The catch of the strike plate can get filled with all kinds of things. Wood or other parts of the door jam can come loose and fall into the catch hole, partially blocking it. Look at the hole in the door jam where the latch should go when the door is open. Strike plates can be blocked on purpose with trash in both commercial and industrial settings. This is a trick burglars use to keep a door from shutting properly so they can get back in after normal business hours. This is something that prisoners often say to prison locks.

Also, make sure nothing is leaning against the door or getting stuck between the door and the jam. Fabric from jackets on coat racks behind a door can sometimes keep it from shutting all the way. If you are trying to fix the locks on a sliding door, you should also check for things on the tracks. If there is too much on the track of a sliding door, it can pull back. So even if you can close the sliding door, it won’t stay shut. There is no set time between reopening.

The door can’t close. Tip #1

Once you find the trash, you can get rid of it. If a piece of the door or jam has broken off or come loose, you may need to cut or chisel the sticking out piece. You should also use soap and water to clean up gunky or sticky substances.

Strike Plate Alignment

When a door won’t close completely, look at the gaps along the top, bottom, and sides of the door. Both hollow core and solid core doors’ gaps can close as a result of the wood’s ability to expand, dragging on the doorway. Hollow core interior doors use very little wood, making them less vulnerable to this kind of deterioration. The house’s foundation, however, has the potential to shift and alter any doorway tolerance. And because of that modification, it is not a good idea to modify the hinges or strike.

You might need to modify the door itself due to the earth changing, roots elevating the ground, or the wood of the door jam expanding. Find the tightest tolerances by looking around the door’s edges. What portion of the door has to be trimmed? Mark it.

Whatever you are doing to address the issue, you need to keep doing it periodically because these issues are probably going to get worse over time. Addressing the root of the problem can improve home security more than only concentrating on the doorway tolerance symptom.

The door won’t shut. Tip #3

You need to fix the reason why the strike plate is out of place. If you don’t, the problem will likely come back and get worse. You can only move or expand your door’s strike plate so much before you weaken the door jamb enough that it needs to be fixed completely.

Stuck Door Latch

If a door keeps opening, check that the latch is in the right place. If a door latch is stuck, it might not go all the way into the catch of the strike plate. You might need to fiddle with the handle or push on the latch a few times, but try to get it to open. Most spring-loaded latches can be fixed by putting door lock lubricant on the latch and turning the device on and off a few times. A cycle is when the latch goes all the way in and all the way out. If the lubricant is doing its job, the cycles should get smoother and smoother until they no longer stick.

Not every problem can be fixed with lubricant. The best way to fix a door latch that won’t open will depend on what’s wrong. The link between the handle and the latch could be completely broken, or the latch could sometimes get stuck. When a door won’t stay shut because the latch is stuck, changing the locks will fix the problem. All the other times a door won’t close, this is not the case. It takes time to find a fix. Commercial door lock replacement is easy and quick for places like offices and stores.

The door won’t shut. Tip #4

When you switch out a door knob for a deadbolt, the latch will not get stuck because the bolt is fully thrown. Even when the new deadbolt starts to stick, you will be able to tell that it is not fully locked, so you won’t be surprised if the door keeps opening.

Hinge Alignment 

The first thing you can do to check the alignment of your door hinges is to open the door and move it in different ways. If the door moves, it’s likely because one of the hinges is loose. Tighten the hinge screws with a screwdriver and see if that fixes the problem. When you tighten these screws, they strip out the hole, which makes the hole bigger and lets the hinges sag even more over time. To make up for this risk, you can replace the set screws with 3-inch screws that dig into the stud and make the front door safer.

If the door doesn’t move and the screws on the hinges are tight, but the door still won’t close, you may be able to fix the problem by adjusting the hinges. Small changes can be made with printer paper, cardboard, or other flat sheets that can be cut and pressed.

Take the hinge off. Stack or fold the sheets to get the width you want, then put them between the jam and the hinge as you put the door back together. The door will move more if the sheet is thicker. Use the top hinge to move the door down and the bottom hinge to move it up.

The door won’t shut. Tip #5

As part of your regular lock maintenance, you should check the door hinges. If the metal is badly rusted or bent, you might want to replace the hinges. But replacing or adjusting hinges over and over again can make alignment problems worse.

When Door Lock Problems Require a Professional Locksmith Service

Locks’ moving parts do wear out over time. So, if none of these easy fixes work, your lock may need to be fixed or replaced by a professional. If any of the following things happen to you, you should call a professional locksmith:

When you try to use the lock, the whole cylinder turns.
Lubricating your stuck lock doesn’t make it work.
You can’t get a broken-off key out of your lock.
Turning the key doesn’t make the lock work.
Your lock was broken when someone tried to get in.
You want a deadbolt installed because you are worried about security. The lock is old and needs to be replaced.

Don’t be afraid to call for help if you need it. Professional locksmiths have the right tools and training to get the job done quickly and correctly to keep your home and family safe.

Follow our step-by-step guide on how to fix a door lock that won’t lock to solve your problem. We never know when something like this will happen, so this lifehack is very useful, especially if you can’t call anyone to help you fix the door. It’s better to play it safe than to get hurt. You can share this post with people you know who have trouble locking their doors to help them.