How to adjust the door and what to do if the lock is jammed

Always unpleasant, if the lock is jammed. It so happens that he is stuck in the worst possible moment, and then left with two options:

• try to solve the problem itself;
• refer to a specialized company for emergency opening of doors.

Step by step guide action in case of failure of the castle

Step 1. Determine what type of lock. What happens next depends on what type of lock is used. He can be:

• curtain;
• Mortise interchangeable larva (cylinder lock), or without;
• lever;
• overhead.

Step 2. Determine the cause of jamming. lock failure can occur for a variety of reasons:

• mechanical wear of the lock mechanism;
• in the lock key broken off;
• foreign body or mechanical damage in the keyhole (when trying to open the door to intruders);
• contamination of the castle;
• deformation of the door frame, for example, due to shrinkage of the house.

Step 3. We define a repair. At first it is necessary to see if there was mechanical damage to the keyhole. If yes, then we try to open the lock, and you need to immediately replace the larva (secret) of the castle or the entire lock assembly, if there are no larvae or larvae to be found. If there is no mechanical damage, it is possible to suspect contamination or wear a lock mechanism key.

One and the same key from the constant use of wear and is no longer open the lock properly. If you have a spare key, you have to try to open them. If the lock is opened all the keys except yours, you have to throw it out and order a duplicate.

If the lock does not open any of the keys, it is necessary to lubricate the fluid WD40, kerosene or engine oil. If grease has given nothing, we inspect the door carefully. Sometimes it happens that the door is deformed, for example, in the habit of opening her with his feet, or shrinkage of the house.
In this case it is better to address to experts, because no skill can izlomat whole door with the box.

If the door is seemingly not skewed, hinges on the spot, most likely faulty mechanism. In this case, the whole castle or lock cylinder (if any) must be replaced. Independently there is a case where the key broke off in the lock. This can be either due to breakage of the key, and because of the broken lock. Remains key often manages to pull thin pliers or tweezers, then you should try to open the lock with another key.

Replacing the larvae and replacement lock

Not all locks have larva. For example, most mounted, overhead and lever locks are not replaceable elements, so they must be replaced entirely. Suspended Castle will have to be cut down, overhead if there can be removed to plumbing skills, lever also without the help of specialists lock is not removed.

Normally, the larvae can be changed in mortice locks (but not all).

How to change the larva on the mortise lock

You will need a screwdriver. Most often, the larva of the screw is fixed to the front side of the door. Prepare that the locking screw is not easily give up: sometimes it is screwed firmly, and it can be unscrewed only with powerful screwdriver handle or special devices. Take a screwdriver exactly suitable to the screw - if Phillips, the Phillips - and be sure of the appropriate size.

Small screwdriver is not recommended, as they roll slots.

If the door has a decorative cover, it should be dismantled and its. After that larva is easy to remove, or at least tapping. Then you go to the store with this larva and buy a new similar, and then put it to replace the old.

All this algorithm is suitable for the case where the lock jammed in the open state of the door. If the door is stuck in the closed position, the striker is not so easy to replace and is better seek the services of specialized firms.

In some cases it is necessary to engage in the doorway. It so happens that the door settles, and the lock is opened or tightly jammed at all. In this case, the lock bolt does not fall into the hole in the door jamb or experiences a lot of friction. Usually, it is immediately obvious by external examination and the problem is easy to solve, simply sawed inlet bolt.