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.
Jammed mortice lock back door.
With the jammed one there is no or very slight resistance for a quarter turn then a complete block.
Remove the cover or faceplate of your mortise lock or surface mounted rim lock to repair it.
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.
When you are trying to figure out how to fix a door lock that is jammed it is necessary to stay patient to avoid causing further damage.
The fix in instances with a door latch stuck because it is jammed by rust and other materials it is always best to disassemble the lock and do a bit of cleaning.
If you do not have a proper broken key extractor you can use a jigsaw blade or a pair of tweezers.
This illustrates why you shouldn t leave the key in a mortice lock.
Consider covering the area of your door around the lock to guard it from stray graphite particles 4 inject some powdered graphite into the lock.
Squeeze the bottle gently to release a few puffs of powdered graphite into the lock.
A broken key extractor is one of the easiest ways how to fix a door lock that is jammed in this way to open.
With another mortice lock i have chubb again i believe when unlocking there is steady pressure when the key engages for half a turn then it unlocks.
This illustrates why you shouldn t leave the key in a mortice lock.
The first thing you can try for opening a jammed latch is to slide a plastic card e g.
Wiggling the door when turning the key did not work.
A credit card between the door and the frame where the latch is located.