believe me. they got it in, you can take it out. it is very very unlikely it was built into the door. if it really has you stymied, take the door off and take that with you.
take what you have to a locksmith. they can probably fix it for much less than any replacement.
randy
I have an exterior metal door and the lock is broken. I took the lock apart and I cannot tell if this lock set is a special one or a standard one, standard meaning I can find another one to replace what I have and I don't need to drill new holes for it.
Once I took it apart, the door has five holes.
In the middle where the key entry is, the door has an elongated hole, of about 1-1/2 inch in height. Below that about 3/4" further down, is another round shape small hole of 1/2" in diameter, below this hole, about 1 inch further down, is another round hole of 1/2" in diameter. The pattern is symmetrical on top, two round holes. So to recap, from the top, a round hole of 1/2" diameter, below that around around hole same diameter, and below that the elongated elliptical hole, below that, another round hole and one more round hole at the bottom. Altogether 5 holes, four of them are identical diameter about 1/2". The door is about 2" thick, but with a "lip" at the end, I think the effective thickness is may be 1-7/8". The top round hole is where the key entry is. The forth hole from top is where the dead bolt is, the "set back" from the edge of the door to the center of the elongated hole is about 1-1/4".
I don't know if I am making sense. But I need to get a replacement lock and I am not sure how to go to the store to find a matching replacement. The measurements are approximate. I cannot just take the whole lock there, because the middle piece that is supposed to be embedded inside the door I cannot take out completely. It is loose, and I can slide it in and out almost, but something is stucked, looks like there are another two small screws for the dead bolt that is inside the assembly that may be in the way, looked like tiny tiny allen screws.
Any advise? What measurements are important to take to the store to find something to replace it?
Thanks in advance,
O
It sounds like you have an "entry lockset" but you description doesn't ring any bells with me. The simplist course of action is to identify the brand you have and buy the same lockset.
If your door has a handle (as opposed to a knob or lever) these usually must be removed before the inside the door portion of the lock can be removed. There is a lever that moves when the button is depressed and this is why the handle must be removed.
If I were in your place, I would take pictures of the lock in place and with as much of it removed as possible. I would visit a real locksmith with my keys and those pictures. Here you most likely will achieve identification.
What part of the lock is not working?
Colbyt
another consideration is to install a deadbolt in this door. it wasnt clear if the thing didnt work at all or if it just wouldnt lock...
randy
Part of the bolt broke off, leaving a stem sticking out.
I finally was able to remove the whole assembly. Looking at it inside and out there is no brand name on it. I took it to HD and tried to match their lockset and the positions of the bolts and levers are all at different locations.
I then took it to a locksmith and had it looked at. First one told me he has never seen one like it and I need to replace it completely, but he does not know who makes it and has nothing that will fit.
The second locksmith looked at it and said "yeah I have seen these". But then he told me this lockset came with the door when it was originally purchased and he had in previous occasions tried to find the manufacturer when he had others with similar problems. No luck. He told me I have to get a replacement mortisse but he has no idea where to get it. He also said getting something else to replace the entire assembly will not work, the door holes were done to fit that lock only.
He also said I should not get replace the whole thing, since this is an expensive lock. He looked at it and said the cylinder he can replace but just that is a $100 cylinder I have there.
I spent the entire afternoon driving around, and so far the only option seems to be to replace the entire exterior door?
OThere is already a dead bolt above the lock assembly.
The lock assembly I am trying to fix has a hinged bolt and a dead bolt. The hinged bolt part broke off.
Thanks,
Omanufacturer
On a metal door, as sad as it sounds, replacement of the entire door may be the lesser of the evils. Go with a standard type of lockset this time around and if there is a next time the replacement will be simpler.
Only other option to consider is to use one of those brass "door repair" things and a new standard lockset. Even then it may not cover the existing holes.
Colbyt
O,
There are books in the library on home repair that will have door lock information. There may be lock books as well. A phone call to a local locksmith should give you an idea about what information you'll need to bring down to get a replacement lock set. Most hardware store will have common locksets so if you find one that matches your holes and seems to match your lock set then it may be a good choice and the assembly instructions should help you to dissassemble the old set.
Dave M
clipped
Go to the oldest locksmith around, with the messiest workroom. He's probably got the part "around here somewhere" :o)
Perhaps one option is to see if anyone here knows of any online lock sources that may have pictures I can try to find a match.
Another option is to post some pics of the lock and see if anyone can recognize them? I have posted all the images to alt.binaries.images with the title "Replacement Lock Search". I have images of the door, the lock, the handle, the mortisse etc...if you recognize that please let me know. Thanks,
O"orangetrader" wrote in news:i snipped-for-privacy@dsli.com:
Last summer I played around with the lock on my walk thru door on the back of the garage. I didn't know what I was even looking at. It turned out to be a mortise lock. The locksmith wanted $35 to come out and look at it. I worked with the lock even more and was able to remove it and got the thing lubricated. Installed it back inside the door and now the lock works great.
My guess would be to Google on mortise lock and try and locate a replacement. Marina
The picture helps a lot.
That is a mortise style lock.
How old is this door?
I thought you said it was a metal door. It looks like wood.
If it is wood I can tell you how to fix it and have it look good.
If it is metal I can tell you how to fix it and it look okay.
Colbyt
Here is a source for almost all locks.
By description, I have no idea what lockset your are describing. There are basically 2 different lock types. Mortise and cylinder. Mortise locks have cases that are buried in the edge of the door. Cylinder locks go through a (usually) round hole through the face of the door. What type of lock do you have? You did say that the latch bolt looks hinged. That line sounds a bit like an Adams Wright - you might begin your search there. I cannot imagine a hardware supplier (not a hardware store) that would not recognize the brand or be able to supply an alternate lock. I assume this is an entry door, not a screen door.
(top posted for your convenience) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) snipped-for-privacy@7cox.net
Hi Colbyt:
Thanks. It is a hollow metal door. Any advice will be appreciated.
OHi Colbyt:
I have posted two more pictures to the same post in alt.binaries.images with the title "Replacement Lock Search". One picture showed the original problem. The mortise at the top has a hinged bolt (not sure of the right term) and it either came off or broke off and now there is a stem there. I tried to find where the part that fell off, unable to locate it. More than likely it fell into the strike plate, so laying inside the bottom of that opposing door. I tried using magnets along the bottom of the opposing door and was not able to get anything. I don't know if there is some sort of generic piece that can be glued on to this "stem". I circled the stem in a red circle with the image I attached now.
Also, as I was trying to remove the mortise from the door, it will not come out. Where the dead bolt is, there are two metal pins that stucked out, making it impossible to remove the mortise. I jiggled and pulled and tabbed and eventually removed it, but one pin fell out, into the bottom of the metal door. Now the deadbolt after putting it back, is not too solid. Looked like it's a bit out of alignment.
On the top of the mortise lock, there is a standard Schlage cylinder lock. That one works and I can replace it any time.
Thanks,
O
DanG:
It is a mortise lock for a hollow metal exterior door. I have posted some images of what I am talking about, since I don't know the proper terms to describe it. The images are at alt.binaries.images with the title "Replacement Lock Search". The doors and locks were there since I bought the house in 1998, and I think the previosu owner had it. House was built in 1980 so I would guess it was installed in 1980. The locksmith told me the lock came with the door, but no brand name anywhere on door or lock.
O
Those are a little more difficult than wood.
You may be able to skip the hole filling part and just use the repair set below if the door feels solid. I am going to include all the steps.
What you will need to do is measure the hole in the edge of the door that the mortise lock was removed from and cut a wood plug that can be tapped into the hole with gentle hammer blows. Apply a liberal amount of wood glue to the inside of the hole and the block of wood. Clamp this and allow to dry per directions on your glue container.
Once dry you will need to drill the new holes in the door for the deadbolt and handle. Use the repair item below to determine where to drill those holes so as to best cover the holes in the door skin. Your new locks will also come with templates to show you where to drill the holes but you have to modify that to fit the repair kit. What I mean is the vertical measures are set by the repair kit. In a normal install you set the vertical measurements as you want them. You can buy an installation kit that includes the hole saw and drill bit. Cutting a metal door skin you may need 2 blades for the hole saw. Run the hole saw until the bit exits the door on the other side and then switch to that side to prevent splintering or in this case bowing the metal.
The picture below is for a single lockset. They make the same item with two holes. One for a deadbolt and the other for a standard knob lock. These are made to fit doors 1 3/8" and 1 3/4". You may have to shop around to find the double one in the 1 3/4". My Lowes stocks them but I can't find them on the Lowes web site.
You can usually enlarge the picture by clicking on it or the description.
If all of this scares you silly you can most likely find a locksmith that will do the job (minus the hole filling part) as long as he knows what parts to bring to the site.
Feel free to ask for clarification on anything I failed to make clear.
Colbyt
Okay maybe you just need the single repair kit.
They actually come in several different sizes. Normally you can't find them all in one place.
Get back to me if I can help.
Colbyt
Might be able to use a wrap around plate. Mag, or Install A Lock comes to mind. And then use new Kwikset or ot her brand of door knob and deadbolt.
I've got about 20 years in the locksmith field. Or is that one year's experience 20 times?
Don't recognize this hole pattern. Like a couple others have suggested, I'd go to the yellow pages under Locksmiths, and make a few calls.
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