How To Fix My Front Door Lock

If the weather is very cold don t discount the possibility that the lock might have frozen.

How to fix my front door lock.

1 loosen the setscrew on the knob s shank. Don t call the locksmith just yet. Using gloves dry the key and insert it slowly into the lock. You can heat your key or use a blow dryer to thaw the door lock.

If it is loose or has slipped out of the mortise place it back in the mortise and tighten the screws with a phillips screwdriver. A latch bolt that sticks in the strike often leave tell tale marks or scrapes on the. The best way to thaw out a lock is to insert a heated key into it. In some cases you will have to use a de icer on your locks to resolve the problem.

Warm the key by placing it on top of a radiator or in a bowl of hot water. 2 hold the knob on the other side of the door and turn the loose knob clockwise until it fits snugly. Inspect the strike plate on the edge of the door frame. Open the door wide and put on a pair of safety glasses to protect your eyes.

You can tighten a simple interior mortise lockset like the one shown at left as follows. 3 if this does not help remove the knob. The basics of how to fix a door lock that is jammed in this way comes down to heat. Equip a rotary tool with a carbide tip bit.