dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jun 10, 2013 19:47:41 GMT -5
I have a first-world problem. The lock mechanism in the doorknob on the door between my house and the garage has failed. In the true spirit if Mr. Murphy, it failed in the locked position. It will have to be replaced. In the meantime, I am opening the garage door from the house with a garage-door opener and going out the front door to get into the car in the garage. Of course, it was pouring rain when I came home today and had to make the trip in reverse. Oh, yes. The deadbolt on the same door failed a couple of months ago, so I'll be replacing that, also. Fortunately, that didn't fail in the locked position; it just fell apart.
So here are my questions:
1. Is there any new cutting-edge doorknob technology I should look for (or, as it may be, avoid) when shopping for a new doorknob/lock assembly? The doorknob is over 20 years old, so surely there must be some new must-have doorknob innovation.
2. How hard is it to swap out the doorknob (and the deadbolt)? Is it something I could reasonably tackle myself? Will it involve a great deal of swearing? Or should I just hire someone to do it?
Looking forward to hearing from the resident doorknob experts. Or, failing that, anyone with an interesting doorknob opinion or anecdote. Or advice. Advice would be nice.
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deantrip
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Post by deantrip on Jun 10, 2013 19:59:04 GMT -5
Changing it out is very easy, all you really need is a screwdriver and follow the instructions as written in the packaging, as far as better technology, the materials they are made of are a little bit better, but that's about it.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jun 10, 2013 20:01:41 GMT -5
Assembly can be a PITA if you're not mechanically-inclined or suck at reading assembly instructions (I fall into both these categories). But if you can operate a screwdriver you should be able to do it yourself. You might need some WD40 for the screws if the current doorknob has been there for 20 years. WD40 fixes everything.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jun 10, 2013 20:02:05 GMT -5
1. I've heard there are locks you can open with your phone now... 2. This depends... if the old lock is "new" enough it should be a standard size, just slide the old one out and the new one in. May or may not have to change the door strike (the part that fits in the door frame). The last time I changed a dead bolt I had to replace one from a long time ago that was much more narrow than the new ones. The first attempt I didn't have my drill, so I just put the old one back. Once I had the drill I was able to just use the side of the drill to cut the whole bigger so I could fit the lock in. Get creative and you can do it
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jun 10, 2013 20:12:56 GMT -5
Changing it out is very easy, all you really need is a screwdriver and follow the instructions as written in the packaging, as far as better technology, the materials they are made of are a little bit better, but that's about it. Thanks, deantrip, that's good to know. I am fairly handy and can usually follow instructions (especially if there are pictures). I think I'll give replacing it myself a try. Thanks for the tip about WD40, MidJD. I'll pick some up at Home Despot when I buy the doorknob.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jun 10, 2013 20:16:18 GMT -5
Thanks, apple. I've heard about the magic electronic door locks that can be opened via smartphone. I just got my first smartphone this year. I can barely persuade it to make a phone call. I think I'll stick to the mechanical locks.
I'm hoping that getting the same brand of doorknob will make it more likely that the new one will fit without major surgery on the doorjamb.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jun 10, 2013 20:20:30 GMT -5
Changing the deadbolt and the doorknob/lock is easy peasy. You should be able to do this if you can handle a screw driver and read the instructions included with the replacement parts. You'll probably want a cold bottle of beer as well. The beer is required for most DIY jobs my brother does around my house That and an Italian Beef sandwich... but I think it's the beer that's really important. All of this will be easier if you can get the door unlocked. cause you can't get to the screws and whatnot without opening the door. How did the lock fail? Is you key just 'sticking'? There's something you can put on the key (graphite? WD40?) that will help get the key into the lock and help with the 'jiggling' to get the lock open. I think you should do a Google - and see if you can find something that will help you get the door open - so it will be easier to replace the hardware. While you're googling - you can surf over to Home Depot/Lowes/your favorite hardware store website and look at deadbolts and Locksets (ie doorknobs with locks) and peruse the selection available. That way you'll have an idea of what you want to purchase before you get to the store and are overwhelmed by the 50 different choices.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jun 10, 2013 20:29:11 GMT -5
Thanks for all the good suggestions, Tiny Speck! I will definitely do some online research before heading to Home Despot. That's a great idea.
The doorknob will not turn at all, even though it is unlocked. I think something might have come loose and is jamming the mechanism. I am hoping I can disassemble enough of the doorknob from the house and the garage sides to be able to unjam it and remove it. If I can't do that, I may need professional help. It's good to know, though, that the actual replacement should be doable by an ordinary mortal once the dead doorknob is off.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 10, 2013 20:33:05 GMT -5
You can break the doorknob off to get the door open. That's what my husband had to do to get my mom's bedroom door open when she locked it and lost the only key. He used some kind of wrench (the name of it escapes me) to squeeze and turn it til it broke off. If you're interested in trying this, I'll ask him what the name of the wrench was when he gets home.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jun 10, 2013 20:47:14 GMT -5
You can break the doorknob off to get the door open. That's what my husband had to do to get my mom's bedroom door open when she locked it and lost the only key. He used some kind of wrench (the name of it escapes me) to squeeze and turn it til it broke off. If you're interested in trying this, I'll ask him what the name of the wrench was when he gets home. Thanks, milizard. If it comes to that, I will have to seek professional help. As entertaining as it would be to engage in a little controlled mayhem, it sounds like something that would require quite a bit of grip strength, which I no longer have due to significant arthritis in my hands.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2013 23:44:09 GMT -5
RE: The stuck/broken door knob. You have access to both sides of the door. One side of the door knob has screws on it. You might have to pop off the handle cover (you might be able to see the slot or dent where you slide a flathead screwdriver in to do that) & remove a decorative cover to see the screws, but they are there. Unscrew it & knock both sides of the handles out. Then you'll just have the locking section of the knob left - use a screwdriver to pull it back out of the door jamb . . . it should then proceed to fall apart in your hands & you'll be able to get the door open.
Replacing a deadbolt & lower locking door handle is easy. In each case you should buy the same brand as the ones you are taking out. That way the holes are usually the same size and you don't have to do any re-drilling. Also make sure that you buy the same grade of locks. Light Industrial door lock sets are usually larger/thicker than standard home lock sets, so you want to make sure you get the home set. Oddly the industrial lock sets cost less than home sets, even though they seem to be more robust.
I use deadbolt & then no lock on the lower handle (I like the lever kind).
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Jun 11, 2013 7:00:15 GMT -5
As someone else said, if you can operate a screw driver, you can replace a door knob. I have been switching to the programmable lock models. I love them, no more need for keys. They use a key pad to get in. I also prefer the straight handle model, instead of the round knob. You can open the straight handle with wet hands, or your foot if necessary.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jun 11, 2013 7:41:27 GMT -5
Thanks for the detailed advice, Rock It! And thanks again to all who responded. With all this encouragement, I'm going to take a stab at replacing the locks myself. I've already picked out the doorknob on the Home Despot website, and I have a respectable collection of screwdrivers, so I should be good to go as soon as I can get to the store. This will be fun!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2013 13:21:15 GMT -5
If money matters:
Go to Lowe's or Home Depot & look around their hardware department. They have a lot to pick from. Try to pick one that will cover the same area as the old one so you don't have to repaint. Read careful & you will find that they even have locks that you "key" yourself (as in you can get the lock to work with the same one you use for your other doors. It will cost about $100 (unless you want to spend more or less). Just read the instructions very carefully.
If money doesn't matter:
Same as above except call a locksmith to come out & install it. In our area that would have cost about another 80 or so bucks. Round it up & the total will be about 200 dollars.
We replaced out back door lock (for the same reason as you) about 6 months ago. I screwed up keying the lock (normal for me) & put off calling someone (what a PITA). One day I happened to look out the window & see that my new neighbor had a locksmith out. I dropped over & asked him if he had time to take a look.....He did. He rekeyed the lock, made me 2 spare keys which took about 10 minutes (fast if you know what your doing). He charged me $10 & a coke (I offered him one when he got here). What a deal!
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jun 12, 2013 12:47:22 GMT -5
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jun 12, 2013 13:11:34 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the detailed advice, tskeeter. The trim ring is attached by two soft brass screws. One of them came out lickety split when I tackled it this morning. Unfortunately, the other one is stuck fast, and in attempting to remove it, the screwdriver stripped the slots in the soft brass screw. I couldn't budge it before, and now I think it will require professional attention as I do not have a suitable drill to tackle this new problem.
On the bright side, I figured I couldn't make the doorknob any worse, so I banged on it with a big rubber mallet, which eventually caused the jammed latch to release, so I can now get the door open. I oiled the latch, but it still jams, so I just taped it to the door in the open position. I bought a new deadbolt lock this morning, so as soon as I get that installed this afternoon, I'll be able to lock the door and can deal with the doorknob later.
I have printed off your instructions, though, as I have another doorknob that is behaving oddly, so no I will know what to do should the need arise.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jun 12, 2013 22:59:37 GMT -5
You might be able to remove the stripped screw by using a wide rubberband over the head (the rubber will help grip and not let the screwdriver slide more). Spray the screw with WD-40 or some other lubricant first to help loosen it.
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