by immo »
Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:47 pm
For a start, the doors probably wernt level or alligned properly so the latches were tight and so puts more stress on the lock when you turned it.
Now the door is jammed and maybe locked also?
When I arrive at a house with a problem like this I firstly determine if it is truly locked or not. If its just jammed then I pry it open from the floor beneath the door but you have to be very careful, and this is only if the door has dropped.
I assume your barrel has locked, In which case you may need to drill it out! It will take a lot of drill bits, not cheap ones either. Plan your costs before you buy them and compare it with a quote from your locksmith.
If its from wickes then it is probably soft and easy to drill.
This can also be dangerous, if the drill bit breaks you could easily put a hole in your arm.
Once you drilled it (where the key goes) then it should gradually come out, then put something thin and strong in there to push the latch around to unlock the door.
You might want to check your doors for level and allignment now.
You should of fitted onse hinge side and clamped the other side. Then slowly pulled the door up and ade sure the gap was even all the way down, this will ensure it will latch correctly. Making both sides level is usually ok but if the door hasnt been PERFECTLY fabricated in the factory then it may not be sitting straight in the frame anyway. So the method of checking the even gap from top to bottom before you fix the other side is always a good idea.
Also make sure the cill is level. When I fit doors I usually 'toe and heel' the glass which lifts the doors so they dont rub. Is this done?
You put packer beneath the glass and at the bottom side close to the hinge and diagonally up the the top two corners that are opposite the hinge.(Imagne the wood brace on an old shed door... its the same thing.. to stop it dropping)
Now its fitted correctly you can play about with the hinges for futher adjustment.
