If your handle set and deadbolt move freely when the door is open the deadbolt may be hitting the edge of the strike plate.
Security door won t lock.
Faulty lock the internal mechanism could be broken.
Slide the latch in and out to see if it moves smoothly and if not the door knob may be too tight.
Instead you ll have to jam the door knob or handle with a security bar or a similar object that goes beyond both sides of the door.
How to fix a door that will not lock things you will need.
Key is hard to turn or won t go in the lock don t force the key.
Slide the key in the lock and tap lightly on the.
Spray the door key with a graphite based lubricant.
Forcing it could break the key in the lock.
Pushing the handle down retracts the main bolt and when the door closes and the auxiliary bolts hit the strike plate the main bolt extends.
Simply adjust the strike plate to allow the deadbolt to move freely.
When a door won t lock it s usually the door latch causing the issue.
If your doorknob mechanism fails internally you can t repair it.
If it latches securely the problem is solved.
If your door is badly warped it may not seal properly even when you move the door jamb.
The striker doesn t penetrate into the door jamb and so the door won t lock.
If not there is more to look for.
Repairs range from making minor latch adjustments to repositioning the door.
Check the draft.
Tighten any that might be loose and then check the door again.
I cannot flip the snib or lock with a key.
The complete lockset including the doorknob.
Debris or ice from cold weather may be causing problems with the cylinder or you might simply be using the wrong key.
Now i don t know what s happened but the one on the back door won t let me lock it and the main bolt isn t extending.
So that the handle prevents the door from being pulled from the outside.
Door lock doesn t latch properly when a door latch doesn t click into position it usually means the latch and the strike plate are out of alignment.
Flick the snib and it locks.
To determine in which direction and how much to move it apply some lipstick to the edge of the deadbolt.
When the door is properly locking the striker should slip past the striker plate into the receiving hole s in the jamb.
Any time this doesn t happen the door won t lock properly.
Tighten the hinge screws and then try adjusting the strike plate by loosening its screws and shifting it slightly.
Loosen the knobs a little to relieve some of the pressure on the door and to free up the latch a little.