After a long day of work, you return home and find you can’t open your front door. A stuck deadbolt lock can be a frustrating discovery. This is a common problem between seasons because extreme weather changes can cause the house foundation to shift and doors to misalign. The door shifting may cause the deadbolt to be caught under the door’s weight.
Try the following methods to free the deadbolt:
- To free the deadbolt from the doors weight, try putting your body’s weight against the door while turning the lock knob. You may need to lift or pull the door to figure out how the pressure is distributed.
- Try spraying a household lubricant in between the door and the latch plate. Wait for three minutes to let the solution dissolve any interfering debris before attempting to open the door.
- If the door does not loosen, slip a credit card or screwdriver between the door and latch plate. Wiggle it around to push the bolt out of the latch plate.
If the door is still stuck, you will have to use a mallet to remove the hinges and take down the door. Once the door is removed, you can check to see if the problem is a broken deadbolt or unaligned door. If you’ve freed the door, you take the following steps to prevent a pressure problem in the future.
Preventing a Stuck Deadbolt Due to Pressure
- Use charcoal or a type of marking medium to cover the deadbolt.
- Close the door.
- Turn the lock knob until the deadbolt hits the latch plate.
- Open the door to see where the charcoal has marked in the latch plate. The marked area will need to be adjusted to accommodate the misalignment. You can move the latch plate or cut out interfering material.
This should prevent the door from becoming stuck in the future. You should also check for rusting on the latch plate because the rough parts may catch the bolt. If you need to have your lock replaced, a locksmith is just a phone call away with TalkLocal. Go to the TalkLocal website to fill out a short request form and get connected with a local locksmith in 90 seconds!
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Oh, I remember having an issue with a stuck deadbolt. My wife even helped me out by giving several objects to pry it open. We ended up using a knife, a credit card, and even chisel. Our entire morning was spent like that until we ended up getting a locksmith to help us open the stuck deadbolt.