My Deadbolt Lock Is Malfunctioning

Lubrication

• Deadbolt locks need proper lubrication to operate correctly. Lock manufacturers lubricate locks' components, but the lubrication may wear out over the years. If your lock is sticking regularly or will not turn any more, spray a penetrating lubricant into the lock. Allow the lubricant to soak into the lock for at least five minutes before you turn the key in the lock. Once the mechanism starts moving again, turn the key back and forth in the lock to work the lubricant thoroughly into the mechanism.

Loose Parts

• Loose parts on the lock or door may cause the deadbolt to malfunction. Grab your screwdriver and test the screws holding the door’s hinges to the doorjamb and the door. Loose screws on the hinges may drop the level of the door slightly, which may prevent the lock from moving as it should. Tighten the screws on the deadbolt and keeper plate in the doorjamb to ensure all of the lock’s pieces are tight and at the correct levels.

Latch Alignment

• Your lock’s pieces should align together perfectly. This is especially true of the lock’s latch, which is the bar that slides out of the lock mechanism, and the keeper plate, which is the recessed part in the door jamb. The latch must be lined up with the keeper plate’s hole perfectly or else the latch will not fit in the keeper plate’s recess completely. By opening the door and extending the latch by turning the key to the locked position, you can see if the latch sits near the keeper plate.

Keeper Plate

• If you find that the lock’s latch does not line up with the keeper plate perfectly, make adjustments to the keeper plate. You may remove the keeper plate and fill in the hole with wood putty. Once the putty has cured, you must reposition the keeper plate, lining it up with the lock’s latch. If the alignment is just slightly off, grind away a portion of the keeper plate so that the latch fits inside.