LOS ALTOS — If a door in your home is difficult to close, lock or unlock, it could be more than a mere inconvenience. In fact, a doorknob latch or deadbolt that isn’t functioning properly can actually make your home more susceptible to break-ins. To ensure greater security, it’s important to test all door latches and deadbolts for proper functioning and take steps to amend any malfunctioning components.
Testing a door latch 
A doorknob latch consists of two parts: the main latch (the larger of the two) and the dead latch. When you close a door, the main latch falls into the hole in the adjacent strike plate, while the dead latch is held back. The function of the dead latch is to prevent would-be burglars from using a knife blade or credit card to push in the latch and open the door. However, sometimes both latches fall into the strike plate hole, which makes the lock susceptible to break-ins.
There are a couple ways to tell if your doorknob latch is functioning properly. First, listen for clicks when you close the door. If the latch is functioning properly, you should only hear one click. If you hear two clicks, that means the dead-latch is falling in as well. Also, check the strike plate on the door frame for wear marks, which can also indicate improper functioning.
Testing a deadbolt 
The most important functional aspect of a deadbolt is its ability to “throw” fully, as it can’t be manually pushed back into its casing from a fully thrown position. Again, listen for a click—if you don’t hear one, it means your bolt isn’t throwing fully and your door’s security is compromised.
This issue often results when a contractor doesn’t drill a deep enough hole in the adjacent strike plate, which causes the deadbolt to be blocked from fully throwing. You can solve this problem yourself by further drilling or chiseling out this cavity until you’re able to hear a click when locking the deadbolt.

Testing for Proper Door Lock Functionality

Learn how to ensure your door operates smoothly with expert tips on testing its functionality. Get insights into maintaining a secure home access system.

Testing for Proper Door Lock Functionality by Gary Lekan

By Gary Lekan of {BR} First Lock & Security Technologies

Video: Testing Your Deadbolt



An important thing to check on your deadbolt at home is whether or not the bolt is throwing completely into the door frame. We see time and time again the contractors have not drilled the hole deep enough for the bolt to extend completely and lock into place.

The first thing you'll want to do is open your door and turn the deadbolt so that it clicks all the way locked. You'll notice that you cannot push it in with your thumb. That's why it's called a deadbolt - it's locked dead in that position.

Now go over to your door frame, put your finger in the hole. If your finger goes in past the first knuckle, they've drilled it deep enough. If your finger is only going in part of the way, your bolt is probably not being locked completely. It's not being dead bolted, and it could slip back.

So what you want to do is have that hole drilled deeper.

Gary Lekan: Locked In

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