How To Fix A Door Lock That Is Jammed

Coat your door key with powdered graphite or spray.

How to fix a door lock that is jammed.

Remove your key from the lock and poke the tip of your flathead screwdriver in it. You should start by spraying the lubricant simply on the door key. Tighten the hinge screws and then try adjusting the strike plate by loosening its screws and shifting it slightly. Repairs range from making minor latch adjustments to repositioning the door.

In some cases you will have to use a de icer on your locks to resolve the problem. Tap the lock with a small hammer or the end of a screwdriver while you turn the key. Try this method several times until the dead bolt slides back into the lock. This will hopefully force back the latch and the door will open.

Use a file to widen the hole on the strike or remove the strike with a screwdriver and reposition it on the jamb. Spray 4 5 more squirts of lubricant into the lock then try unlocking it with your key again. Then saturate the bolt mechanism with the spray lube and twist it back and forth with a flat blade screwdriver. If the latch does not catch close the door slowly to watch how the latch bolt meets the strike plate.

Wet lubricant tends to gum up the locks. If you cannot get the lock button unstuck with simple jiggling and the door is locked have no fear you should still be able to get the door open. This may free up the parts inside the lock and cause stuck parts to wiggle free. The first thing you can try for opening a jammed latch is to slide a plastic card e g.

A credit card between the door and the frame where the latch is located. You can slide the key into the lock lightly so that the lubricant can get inside the lock properly. Slide in the card forcefully and play with it a bit while shaking the door a bit too at the same time. You can heat your key or use a blow dryer to thaw the door lock.

If lubing the lock cylinder doesn t free it you ll need to lube the bolt mechanism photo 2. If you exhaust the list of quick fixes and repairs to no avail you ll have to call a locksmith or replace a permanently jammed door lock. The basics of how to fix a door lock that is jammed in this way comes down to heat. Reinstall the lock cylinder and you re good to go.

Check the alignment of the deadbolt against the strike on the jamb if the lock is difficult to turn when the door is closed or the door doesn t lock at all. Repeat the process if the lock is still jammed.