Replacing indoor mortice latches

[Caecilius]

Many of the mortice latches on my internal doors are not as smooth as I'd like. I think they're all about 20 years old, so I'm planning to replace them all at once rather than just replacing the bad ones.

I know there's a a nasty failure mode with these latches where the die-cast insides can fail leaving you locked in or out, and I'm keen to avoid cheap-and-nasty brands that might do this if possible.

There are a large range of prices at screwfix - from 99p each to over

5 pounds. Is price any indication of quality with these sorts of items? I'm wondering whether it's best to buy a branded one like Smith and Locke (which maybe just a B&Q / Screwfix brand anyway) or just go with the unbranded cheap ones and maybe replace them every few years.

[Murmansk]

Maybe you could buy one of the £5 ones and take it apart to satisfy yourself (or not) that it's better than the 90p ones!

[nightjar]

Do you mean a sash lock? That is one with a sprung latch operated by the door handle and a key operated mortice lock. I don't bother with those, as internal doors generally don't need to be locked. Instead, I use simple sprung latches or ball or roller latches.

That can't happen with a ball or roller latch. If the mechanism breaks (which I have never known happen) a hard push or pull will still open the door. If they do fail, it is more likely to be the spring, which means they simply don't hold the door closed any more.

IME the best way to buy locks is from an independent locksmith. You will get impartial advice on which is best and what the drawbacks any of the different types have.

OTOH you could just avoid unbranded locks or locks from unknown brands and go for a well known maker. I have had good service from both Yale and Union locks in the past.

[harry]

Or Chubb. On bedroom doors, all you need is a bolt on the inside. Or bathroom locks. (Can be opened with a coin in emergency)

[Caecilius]

I mean something like this:

Thats a good point - I only need something to keep the door closed, there's no need for the latch to resist any force.

That's a good point - I'll consider the local locksmith rather than screwfix / toolstation.

I'm not sure whether that's always the case, but it's probably true more often than it's false.

[ss]

Before buying I would strip one down and try and identify the issue, in many cases using a small file to smooth any sticking areas can resolve the problem.

[Caecilius]

They are not easy to strip down without damage though, as they're assembled with spot-welds or rivets. Even if I could get them apart without damage, I'd find it hard to put them back together again.

[bert]

In article [e-mail], Caecilius [e-mail] writes

Speaking from experience if you start with the cheap unbranded ones when they do go you will find the later cheap unbranded ones from the same shed are not the same size.

[Jeff Layman]

What about doing away with a latch altogether? Would a small neodymium magnet and mild steel plate hold the door closed to your requirements?

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

To be honest some of the latches in my internal doors date from before than war, and with normal careful lubrication seem to work just fine. I had to remove a couple to get them back working though, mostly muck and gunge. The usual problem with older locks is loss of the keys and nobody seems to be able to create the new ones. When I had to give up on the kitchen door latch due to corrosion inside, I found that the plate sizes and pitch of the two holes, and the handle to door edge were slightly different needing more door surgery than I had intended. Brian

[John]