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| Thread ID: 81316 | 2007-07-23 23:13:00 | Anyone with locksmith experience? | Greg (193) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 571912 | 2007-07-23 23:13:00 | My stupid front door lock has stopped functioning and I can't open the damn door. The bolt/latch thing won't retract. I'm wondering if anyone has a clue, because the only option I can see is to forceably rip the handles off and bore through the wood to remove the mechanism. It would ruin the door methinks and be quite expensive! What would a locksmith do? |
Greg (193) | ||
| 571913 | 2007-07-23 23:23:00 | What would a locksmith do? Charge you for looking at it... less than a plumber but more than a mechanic :) But seriously, there is always a way in depending how determined you are. My 1st thought being winter is that something has seized up. If there are no visible screws on the handle/lock mechanism it's possible that you would have to undo the screws on the 'tongue plate', then there would be internal screws to release the plates/handles on each side of the door. If this is the case it causes a problem because the door is jammed and you can't get at the screws. If it was me I'd be hitting the door/lock with a hammer to try and free it, then curse and as a last resort phone a lock smith. :( |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
| 571914 | 2007-07-23 23:23:00 | If the tongue is truely stuck, remove the hinges first | rob_on_guitar (4196) | ||
| 571915 | 2007-07-24 00:45:00 | Do you have any photos of said lock? | somebody (208) | ||
| 571916 | 2007-07-24 02:02:00 | I Killa da Bull!!! All fixed. After about 6 hours of messing with it I finally managed to insert a tool (read the cheese knife my sister gifted to me a few years ago) between the door frame metal and the lock, and after playing endlessly with it and a paring knife, and lots of pain and suffering and yelling etc, it suddenly opened! Whew, it was real frustrating! The idea of calling in a tradesman expert really goes against the grain, so all's well that ends well. Thanks folks. Now all I have to do is either try and reassemble the loose parts that popped out when I opened the door, and refit them, or buy a new mechanism. Fortunately the door also has a deadlock, so it isn't too insecure and windy, blowey-open from the outside world. |
Greg (193) | ||
| 571917 | 2007-07-24 02:14:00 | If you decide to attempt a repair - And if I understand the problem correctly, it was simply seized-up metal? One of my relatives swears by his aerosol can of CRC for so many such jobs that it's become a family joke. But as he fixed a similar lock problem for me once with CRC, I can recommend it's worth a try. |
Laura (43) | ||
| 571918 | 2007-07-24 02:20:00 | Laura, that should have been the first thing to do, our dead-bolt does the same thing every winter and CRC always does the trick. Often thought about squirting some into the back of a clapped out old PC ! Lurking |
Lurking (218) | ||
| 571919 | 2007-07-24 02:22:00 | An axe works even better. | Graham L (2) | ||
| 571920 | 2007-07-24 02:26:00 | Now all I have to do is either try and reassemble the loose parts that popped out when I opened the door, and refit them, or buy a new mechanism. I think I would be a bit wary of trusting it again myself. What if you were on the other side of the door next time it happened? Or had to get out in a hurry? Go buy a new one. ;) |
FoxyMX (5) | ||
| 571921 | 2007-07-24 04:04:00 | putting a dead bolt in is a fairly simple affair | rob_on_guitar (4196) | ||
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