My Front Door Lock Is Not Turning Easily

Obstruction

• The first thing to look for when inspecting a difficult front door lock is obstruction. An obstruction is a bit of debris jammed into the slot where the lock bolt is supposed to go, or even into the space between the bolt and its carriage. Debris can come from a part of the wall behind the strike plate that is crumbling, or even from a leaf or twig that was blown in during a gust of wind, although this occurrence is very rare. Because possible intruders may also place obstructions in lock mechanisms, in order to gain easier entry, remove the obstruction immediately and secure the lock at night or when not at home to avoid a possible break-in.

Alignment

• One of the most common reasons a door lock such as a dead bolt will not turn is a misaligned door. The door sits evenly on its hinges and when seated normally, will align with both the regular door lockset and the dead bolt. But if the door moves downward or upward to any degree, the alignment is disrupted. When the door is misaligned, the bolts from the locks cannot make it into the holes and the locks will not turn. Re-aligning the door on its hinges can solve this problem and make both locksets easier to turn.

Tumblers

• In many locksets are a set of tumblers. These tumblers keep the lock from turning from the outside without the key in it. Once the key slides into the lock, the correct combination of tumblers lift to the correct height, opening the door. Occasionally, these tumblers fall out of their alignments, and can even break. In this case, the lock will not turn, often from neither the inside or outside, because a stray tumbler in the workings is blocking the lock mechanism. A locksmith can reset the tumblers and rekey a lock to your original key. This will make the lock turn easily again.

Lubricant

• While many locksets are rust resistant on the outside, their inner workings are less protected. These inner workings are also made from metal and, like many other working metal pieces, are kept in order with lubricant such as graphite. Over time, this lubricant wears out and can cause the lockset to grind as it turns, or become hard to turn. Replacing the lubricant will normally solve these problems.