A deadlock latch bolt resists credit-card jimmying. A sturdy, locked door brings a homeowner peace of mind; however, fighting with a stubborn lock to break into your own home is aggravating. Calling a locksmith to help you get in costs you time and money. Before deciding to invest in a brand new lock and key, try to fix the door with a few inexpensive steps. Get the security you want without the headaches by correcting a sticky keyhole, tumbler and key. Spray the door key with a graphite-based lubricant. Slide the key in the lock and tap lightly on the key to lubricate the inside of the lock. Flip the key and open the door. Don't use a wet lubricant that gum up locks. Counteract chilly, San Francisco nights by warming the key with a lighter flame before placing it inside the lock. Warm the metal several times until the icy lock opens. Look under the stem of the door knob for a small hole. Slide a small, flat-head screwdriver into the hole with one hand and pull on the knob with the other hand.
Unscrew the assembly after the plate is revealed. This does not work with every locking system. Remove the top from a tube of graphite powder. Poke the open tip into the lock. Squirt the powder into the lock, the graphite will make the lock easier to open. Look at the door hinges. If you can see the door hinges, you can open the door. Place a large flat head screwdriver at the top of the hinge, just under the large pin head that holds it in place. Use a hammer to tap up the screw. Do this for both hinges. Lift the door out of the hinges to open it. Things You Will Need Graphite-based lubricant Lighter or matches Small flat-head screwdriver Tube of graphite powder Large flat head screwdriver Hammer Tip Warning References Popular Mechanics: Quick Fixes for Front and Sliding DoorsThis Old House: All About LocksPaul's Travel Pictures: How to Fix a Sticky Door Lock and Key Photo Credits Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionBroken keys commonly jam door locks. A good door lock keeps out burglars, not the owner of the home.
Nonetheless, mechanisms filled with gunk, broken keys, rust and misalignment may cause jammed door locks. Depending on the cause, you can fix a jam with just a few minutes and common household items. 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. Coat your door key with powdered graphite or spray graphite into the keyhole. This acts as a lubricant and may unjam lock tumblers that have become clogged with debris over time. Jiggle the lubricated key in the cylinder if it doesn't open on the first try. Use a key extractor -- available for purchase at websites that sell locksmithing tools -- to remedy a lock jammed by a broken key. Spray general-use lubricant into the keyhole and insert the barbed end of the extractor so that the teeth of the extractor face the teeth of the stuck key. Gently move the extractor up and down until you feel it hook the key. Sharply tug the extractor away from the lock to remove the key.
Soak your door lock in kerosene for 24 hours if it isn't attached to a door and has been rusted shut. Remove the cover or faceplate of your mortise lock or surface-mounted rim lock to repair it. These types of lock, commonly used with apartment and home doors, bolt into a large slot on the edge of the door. First remove the cover or faceplate by unscrewing it from the door -- this exposes the cylinder. Turn the cylinder's screws clockwise to tighten them. This helps realign the cylinder when your door frame has settled or become warped, leading to proper lock operation. Widen the slot on the inside of the strike plate if your lock has become stubborn. Shave off a small amount of metal around the rim; make one or two passes and test the latch to see how it catches, widening the slot as need. Rounding the end of a dead bolt with a metal file may help it fit into the slot properly. These repairs also remedy locks that have jammed due to misalignment. Things You Will Need Powdered graphite Lubricant Key extractor Kerosene Screwdriver Rotary tool with metal-cutting carbide bit Metal file Tip References Popular Mechanics: Quick Fixes for Front (and Sliding) Door LocksGold Key Security: How to Remove Broken Keys -- Advice from a Professional LocksmithDon Vandervort's HomeTips: Common Door Lock Problems and RepairsDon Vandervort's HomeTips: How to Fix Locksets and LatchesSecurity Snobs: Types of LocksFamily Handyman
: //Getty Images Suggest a Correction--as in life--it's often the little things that matter. And it's amazing how many small structural things can go wrong around your house. Whether it's the front-door lock that won't let you into your own home, or the cracked window that won't keep the cold out, small household problems can have a big effect. For most of these, there's no need to call for a repairman-- the solution lies in tapping your ingenuity and using a few common household materials in innovative ways. Even when it seems that the roof is falling in--or the floor is opening up beneath you--there are often simple ways to solve larger problems on your own.You try to open your front door but the key sticks as if you were pushing it into a wad of chewing gum.Over time, lock tumblers can become misaligned and clogged with all kinds of gunk. The way to ensure your key makes a clean entrance and exit every time is by providing effective lubrication that won't add to the gunk. The best is powdered graphite.
Also check frequently used keys for roughened edges. Gently and carefully use a nail file to smooth burrs off the key tip.Anyone who has lived in a cold climate knows that frozen locks go with the territory.According to David Lowell, CML, CMST, and Director of Training and Certification for the Associated Locksmiths of America, it's a matter of bringing the heat. "If the lock to your house is iced over, remove the ice from the opening of the lock cylinder and carefully heat the key with a match or lighter. If you don't have a match or lighter, place the key on your car's engine block or radiator until it's very hot. Holding the key with your gloves on to avoid burning your fingers, insert the key into the lock and work it gently back and forth until the ice melts and the cylinder turns."The lock on your sliding glass door (if it exists at all) is about as substantial a theft deterrent as a picture of a guard dog.Cut down a broomstick or mop handle to fit snuggly in the floor channel in which the doors slide open or closed.
When in the channel, the stick will jam and prevent anyone from opening the doors.You're ready to remove a defective lockset, but how you begin to get it the darn thing off the door is a major mystery.For the sake of aesthetics, most standard locksets (those with doorknobs, not handles) mount the knob with hidden screws, making it appear as if there is no way to remove them short of a crowbar and large hammer. But save yourself the cost of a new door. If you look underneath on the stem of the knob itself, you'll find a tiny hole. Just insert a small pry tool, such as a thin straight screwdriver, and pull on the knob to remove it. Work the faceplate off and the mounting hardware will be accessible underneath.Someone--not you, surely--has broken a key off in a door lock, which is now jammed shut.Use a grinding wheel to shape an old hacksaw blade into a harpoonlike point. Then, slip the point into the lock over one of the key nubs and use the hook to fish it out.You're in a hurry to get to tennis class when you realize that you've forgotten the combination for your locker's combination lock.
If your lock is of fairly recent vintage you're in luck. Chances are the manufacturer has the combination on file, keyed to the code number on the lock. Visit the manufacturer's website and you're likely to find a FAQ section dealing with recovering lost combinations. Some manufacturers even offer online registration so that if you do forget the combination, you can easily retrieve it.You've finally set aside an afternoon to clear out that storage shed that hasn't seen the light of day in a year. But now you discover the padlock is rusted shut.Immerse the lock in kerosene or penetrating lubricant for 24 hours. If the lock is attached to the hasp of a garage, gate, or other structure, this will mean wiring a metal can full of kerosene to the structure to allow the lock to soak in place.The case for a new lockset.A lockset is the mechanism by which you open and secure a door. Despite the name, locksets may not require a key. Privacy locks, usually used for bathrooms or bedrooms, may have a simple turn or push-button lock.