re: With the electronic deadbolt, your doorknob hand has no feedback.
But I think your eyes and ears do.
Granted, I've only played with the in-store sample, but the deadbolt motor makes a distinctive sound as it throws the deadbolt. In addition when I was mashing buttons the sample went into some kind of "error mode", flashing it's lights and beeping its beeper.
I am assuming that it is designed such that it will give a visible and audible indication if the deadbolt does not engage properly. I'll agree that it would be different than keeping turning-pressure on the key as you jiggle the door until the key turns, so that could be an issue.
This is bad practice. The bolt it there to provide secondary locking. The latch is there to keep the door shut.
What happens with a zero clearance deadbolt installation is that the slightest bit of door swell or whatever causes the internal components of the deadbolt to flex back and forth as the lock is actuated. This causes premature failure.
Not good in you are on the outside trying to get in and something snaps.
As a locksmith since 77, I recommend about 1/32" clearance horizontally for a deadbolt. Vertically I like to center the bolt in the strike hole.
snipped-for-privacy@neo.rr.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
why couldn't the deadbolt be in the doorframe and then it could be powered from the house AC,perhaps with a Li-ion battery backup?
you could still have the keypad on the door,it would just send a signal(coded RF?) to the lock mechanism in the doorframe.That would only require a longlasting lithium coin cell like many auto keyfobs use. Heck,you could even use one of those to unlock your door. Having the bolt go into the door might allow for a stronger door,less likely to be kicked in.
Some things do not benefit from automation. Even if you have a keypad to eliminate lost keys, you are still standing at the door anyway to go through it. Pushing down a lever to retract the now-unlocked bolt is hardly a show-stopper. There is a reason cylinder locks have been around for hundreds of years- for 99% of applications, they are reliable enough and cheap enough, and secure enough.
re: "why couldn't the deadbolt be in the doorframe and then it could be powered from the house AC, perhaps with a Li-ion battery backup?"
Doable, but highly impracticable, at least as I picture it. Maybe you are envisioning something different.
As they are built today, they are a direct replacement for a cylinder deadbolt. As long as the door and frame is bored for a deadbolt, you can swap one for the other all day long. You can also replace a non- working unit with ease since everything is out in the open. The main difference between the automated ones and a cylinder deadbolt is the motor/electronics mechanism that mounts on the inside face of the door slab. If memory serves me correctly, the housing for the mechanism is approximately 3" x 6" x 2" deep.
To put the deadbolt - and the firing mechanism - in the door frame would require changes to the frame and probably the rough opening. The motor and electronics would have to be mounted in the wall.
How would you access it if it needed service? An access panel on the face of the frame might help, but directly behind that is the rough opening framing. Maybe you could get away with cutting out an access hole in 2 x 6 construction, but you'd be removing most a 2 x 4. Other than that, you.need an access panel in the wall, like a plumbing access. Not very attractive in a living room or foyer.
aemeijers wrote in news:t7-dnSaw4uUvXpTWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
"secure enough"? have you heard about "bump keying"?
key locks DO follow the KISS principle.
BTW,you can also buy mechanical 5-button combination locks that fit in the standard door lock cutouts.My apt.complex uses one on the door from the pool to the clubhouse.
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