Solve This Mystery For Me (Why Do I Keep Getting Locked Inside My House?)
Yesterday morning, I got up, got ready, and headed out the door to have breakfast with my mom. Or, I should say, I tried to head out the door. But I couldn’t get the front deadbolt unlocked. No matter how much I tried, or how much I tried to turn that key, or how much I jiggled the handle, or how much I tried to press down/raise up on the door, I couldn’t get the dead bolt on the front door open.
Years ago, I bought all new indoor and exterior doorknobs and handlesets for all of our doors. I wanted them all to match, and I wanted them to be black. So I went with Schlage because (1) I loved the styles they offered, and (2) they had the perfect matte black color that I wanted. I still love the look of this front door handleset.
But this front door deadbolt has given us nothing but problems. And then thing is that it’s not just one single defective deadbolt. We’re on our third one. At the time I bought the doorknobs, handleset, and deadbolts for all of our existing doors, I also bought matching ones for our future doors that we would have after our addition was built.
Well, I now have no more extra deadbolts for those future exterior doors, because I’ve gone through all of them on this front door. And now this, the third one, is doing the exact same thing that the other two did.
The thing won’t turn at all. I even tried spraying some WD-40 into the keyhole, but that did nothing. Originally, I thought that it was because I house is built on a pier and beam foundation, so sit’s always moving and shifting. At times throughout the year, our doors themselves become harder to open and close. So I thought that the moving and shifting was causing the bolt to bind against the strike plate in the door jamb.
But I can literally stick my little finger in there and move the bolt. I can’t move it enough to open it, obviously. But I can move it enough to tell that there’s no tension at all on the strike plate.
With the first deadbolt, this happened several times, and the only way to get the door open was to just take the deadbolt off completely, and then reinstall it. But then it happened on a Wednesday night when our church group was about to start. People were waiting on our front porch as I was inside, trying my hardest to get the door open. They eventually had to walk around the house and come in the back studio door. I took the deadbolt off and reinstalled so that they could at least leave through the front door. But a day or two later, it happened again. And that time, when I removed the deadbolt, little metal pieces came tumbling out of the deadbolt into my hand. So I threw it in the garbage and installed a new one — one that was still in the box, and had never been used, because it was reserved for our addition.
But then it happened again, and the second one did this same thing. So after a few times of uninstalling and reinstalling the deadbolt, I finally threw it away and got the last unused deadbolt that had been reserved for our addition. And now, it’s doing the same thing.
What in the world is causing this? And why is it only happening on this door? I have the same Schlage deadbolt on the studio door, but this has never happened there.
But this is beyond just a minor annoyance. What if there was an emergency, and we couldn’t get out the front door? What if Matt had a medical emergency, and the EMTs couldn’t get in the front door? This is really causing me stress. I literally lost sleep over it last night. Is it the brand? Is Schlage not a reliable brand? I mean, that’s where my mind immediately goes since this is the third time, and the third Schlage deadbolt, that is doing this. But if it’s the brand, then why have we not had this problem on the studio door or the bathroom door? Both of those have Schlage deadbolts on them, and I’ve never had any problem with them.
So I just don’t know. Have any of you ever had issues with Schlage deadbolts? Do you think it’s the brand? Or is there something specific about our front door that’s causing this to happen on this door, over and over again, that I’m not thinking of? I need to solve this mystery, because this is dangerous, and it’s stressing me out.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Have you tried talking to Schlage customer service?
I have the same problem at my house in Florida. I usually can’t even lock it or unlock it. I found if I pull on the handle it does open and close easily.
Have you called Schlage? Perhaps they would have an idea. Not to mention that there should be some kind of guarantee on them. Give them a call and see what they say!
I always use a thumb lock on my deadbolt instead of a key. It eliminates the problem with a key from the inside. Also there is. Spring that sometimes gets dislodged inside that will cause that issue. I hope you get it figured out
I’d be fearful of using an inside key for a deadbolt. I get the reason why, but imagine if your house was on fire and you couldn’t find the key. Even if you had the key, it would slow you from exiting considerably. I’d replace with the kind you can unlock without a key from inside. For what it’s worth, I had Schlage in two homes and never had an issue. I have Kwikset in current home and no issues either.
Why is there a key in the lock on the inside of your door? I know I’m nobody, but I’m 63 years old and have lived in 20+ homes, and typically, keys are used to unlock a door from the outside.
It’s a double cylinder deadbolt. Both sides require a key.
Possibly too much tension on the bolt, but that doesn’t make sense if you can move it with your finger. Maybe the lock in the door is not straight so it’s getting stuck and breaking. Or maybe they had a bad batch when manufacturing.
I installed a Baldwin front door knob and deadbolt, 18 yrs ago, on my pier and beam 1940 house and it still works perfectly.
Honestly, what worries me about your deadbolt situation, aside from the obvious, is that you need a key. That alone can be dangerous. Why don’t you have a deadbolt that can be thrown from the inside without a key?
I never remove the key. It’s there 100% of the time. I got these because at the time, they didn’t have any keyless deadbolts to go with the handlesets I wanted. I searched and searched, and every single one had a key.
We have a keyed deadbolt in all of our doors. The key always remains in the lock unless we are on vacation. Then we remove the key. Because our doors have glass, this prevents someone breaking the glass and reaching in to turn the deadbolt.
I have nothing helpful, but will it unlock OK from the OUTSIDE of the house? When you replaced the deadbolt, did you replace all parts of it (including the external part where the key goes in)? Can you lift on the doorknob or push down on the doorknob or lean against the door and make it work? That’s all I’ve got – mostly just narrowing down the issue. I agree it could put you into a dangerous situation.
I can’t unlock it from the outside, either. And yes, the entire deadbolt has been replaced each time. I’ve tried all of the pushing, pulling, up, down, to the side, to the other side. Nothing works. The problem seems to be inside the deadbolt mechanism where the key is. It doesn’t seem to be a binding issue at all, as in, the door itself isn’t binding, and the bolt isn’t binding.
Have you contacted Schlage directly about the issue? Also, though my front door area is a completely covered area and presumably beyond the weather like yours, I too have trouble with the deadbolt on that door. I don’t know if it’s the use, the sun, the humidity or what but it is whatever it is.
Unless by WD40 you mean WD40 Dry PTFE lubricant and not regular WD40 Multi-Use, you shouldn’t be using it on locks. Multi-Use is a solvent not a lubricant. Use a Dry PTFE (Teflon) lubricant instead so you don’t attract dust and dirt to the inner workings of the lock.
I actually just got off the phone with their customer service, and as I suspected, there’s not really anything they can do for me. He said this isn’t a common problem, and couldn’t offer any explanation as to why it might be happening. He said they could replace them, but unless and until I can figure out what’s going on (and I know for sure it’s not a brand-specific defect), I don’t want more Schlage deadbolts on my front door. So there’s not really anything they can do.
Try 3-In-One Lock Dry Lube
WD 40 will actually gum up the lock.
To be clear, I’ve never used WD-40 on this lock (the third lock to fail). I used it on the other two, but only after they locked up and I couldn’t get them to open.
Maybe it would be worth it to give the 3-IN-One Lock Dry Lube a try then.
I’m sure this is more than an annoyance as it could be a life or death matter, as well. Since you are finding pieces of metal shavings, are you sure there are none inside your licking system? If not, I would contact the company and let them know what is happening and see if they can offer a solution. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
I have heard of using pencil lead (graphite) on your door lock key to keep it from getting stuck in the lock. I doubt if this would do anything for you, but it did help me to be able to get my key out of the lock when it was getting hard to remove.
Good luck!
I believe Schlage has a:
TRUSTED WARRANTY: Schlage locks are backed by a limited lifetime mechanical and finish warranty.
Contact the company. They should send you a new one free of charge.
I did contact the company, and they did offer to replace them. But since I’ve already been through three deadbolts on this door, and all three have failed in the exact same way, I really don’t want to replace it with another Schlage lock unless and until I can figure out why this keeps happening. If this is a brand-specific defect, I don’t want any more Schlage products to replace the Schlage products that keep failing.
if you purchased them all at the same time they could’ve had a bad batch of them and the new ones might not have that issue.
I understand your concern especially if there is an emergency! I haven’t had the same issue but when a thumb latch or car door gets sticky I use a spray graphite product called Lock-eeze. A locksmith or hardware store should have it. It comes with a thin tube to spray into the key hole but have a paper towel handy for any drips. The graphite won’t gunk up the lock.
Maybe a newer model would be better… if you call, ask them to replace with this model. All Schlange products have a lifetime mechanical warranty.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Home-Front-by-Schlage-Single-Cylinder-Deadbolt-in-Matte-Black/5001895119?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-hdw-_-ggl-_-CRP_SHP_LIA_HDW_Online_E-F-_-5001895119-_-local-_-0-_-0&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnK60BhA9EiwAmpHZwysBbvOnh8RJo9xWp9X7Kwxl-1rOeXNy0VHm7Q1GrJeJZVv1cFT17hoCpEsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
This type of double key deadbolt is against building codes in most of the U.S. I had to replace the ones in my parents’ house when I put it on the market.
There is a discussion of this here:
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2324951/building-codes-and-deadbolts
If you Google matte black deadbolts, there are many available that comply with the current code, and would not affect keeping the current handle and its latch.
I agree with the others who suggested you call Schlage. Where I live the building code does not allow deadbolt locks with keys on the inside as keys are likely to get misplaced and people could be locked inside in an emergency. That said, it’s not difficult to ram your way through a door with a locked deadbolt from outside the house, at least not for a man. I know from experience. It will crack the door frame so I wouldn’t recommend it.
If you are willing to spend $ for an answer. Bring the broken set into a locksmith and explain this and see if they got a solution advise for the next lockset. The lock MFR should cover this, but that could take time to resolve. Asking someone who works with locks could lend an answer for you to get the right combination of solutions and identify the problem. I bet it’s the parts that need a specific lubricant protectant a bit more often to handle the TX weather.
Also look at the seller. Sometimes larger manufacturers have counterfeits sold on Amazon. Large manufacturers take a product design and shop for an assembly plant. If the plant doesn’t get chosen, sometimes the plant still makes a run or two with substandard materials to sell and make up the losses. Then sell to drop shippers who don’t verify it’s really not the product.
It might just be the angle but it looks to me like the door is not straight. The gap at the top is wider than the bottom. If that’s the case the deadbolt may scrape when weather swells or shrinks the gap and eventually wear away shavings.
Another thought is that it’s wearing out so quickly because you use it more than the other doors. ?? That would certainly be a quality issue. Maybe try a different brand.
I have to agree about the door alignment. You shouldn’t be able to see the bolt or get your finger in there to touch it in my opinion. I bet a locksmith would be able to confirm this as well as look at inner function. Good luck 👍
If you have already sent a detailed email to Schlage and tried what they suggest, I would call a locksmith. This is their area of expertise, and a competent locksmith should be able to solve your problem permanently.
My 90 year old mother had trouble turning the key in her Schlage deadbolt. I read that WD-40 was not good to use. I bought some powdered graphite and unscrewed the deadbolt a bit and blew some in there. It worked great after that. This is what I used.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hillman-3-g-Powdered-Graphite-Lubricant-703185/100137063
YES!
Graphite lubricant spray.
Worked on 150 yr old locks. It is magic.
I didn’t read through all the comments so this may have already been suggested but if your others that work are the same, can you move one of them to the front door and see if it happens to them. If it does then it might be something with the door not the lock.
That’s an excellent idea for discovery.
I have found that when I replace a new door knob, I have to insert a bit of shim behind the strike plate. My house is 31 years old, yours is older and sometimes new does not fit old. I hope this makes sense, I just have to get the strike plate a little out closer to the door for a good fit.
I won’t but Schlage ever again. I had a problem with one of their products, and their customer service was non-existent.
I would suggest making a TikTok asking this very thing, tag Schlage and wait for TikTok magic to happen. You will be amazed.
My husband solved the same problem for us. Here’s what he suggests:
First check to see if the problem is the deadbolt. Before installing, hold the pieces in your hand and see if the key turns freely.
If that works properly, the problem likely is the size hole drilled in the door for the deadbolt to fit into. In our case, the hole had to be enlarged 1/4″ so that the dead bolt assembly didn’t bind up. Hope this helps — wishing you all the best.
I would add a possible step three to check alignment of the bolt with the plate. I’ve used unwanted lipstick to mark parts and see where/if they make contact.
If they are all using one key, maybe have one re-keyed and see if it is the key? It may have a flaw.
I had the same exact thought when reading Kristie’s post. I would check this out also.
I believe I have the exact Schlage exterior door handle/lock as you. But mine is a single cylinder, not a double cylinder like you have. I honestly have never seen a key on the interior of a house before. The key probably wouldn’t last long in the lock if a child was around- I can’t believe needing a key to get out would be considered a safe idea! Get a single cylinder lock to be safe! And I can always tell by looking at my doors if the deadbolt is engaged or not.
This happened on one of my doors! It’s the outside door into a garage, and one morning it opened normally, but when I went to turn the key to lock it when I was done, it wouldn’t turn. I jiggled it, tried again, over & over. To add another layer of frustration, when my husband got home a few days later & tried, it worked again. 🙄 The deadbolt to our shed now does this periodically, too. Would love insight into how to fix/prevent it from happening!
A double keyed deadbolt is common. We used them growing up where our front door had a window in it. The window would be easily broken and the deadbolt unlocked manually to open the door without the key. Yes, a perpetrator could crawl through the broken window, but that would take extra time and sometimes moments matter. If the deadbolt can easily be opened from the exterior why have a deadbolt at all?
I know zero about installing door knows but from your video it appears your door isn’t closing properly.
There is too much of a gap there which looks like you could insert a screwdriver and move the lock. Also heat is getting in and cool air getting out, from what the video is showing. Can you hire a locksmith to help you, you’ve wasted so much money on all the replacements.
I’m surprised you have a keyed deadbolt inside. Most codes do not allow that since if there were a fire, it would require you to find the key to let yourself out. Or, someone could intentionally lock you into the house. Now that doesn’t answer the question regarding WHY the key doesn’t work, but I would seriously rethink that set up and replace the inside keyed deadbolt with a thumb turn dead bolt.
Also, I’ll add to others who’ve chimed in – call a locksmith. They should be able to easily diagnose the problem.
Does the sun heat up the door lock so that it expands? Try it in the middle of the night when it is only 80 degrees….maybe.
when it does that, have you pushed on the door? or pulled it towards you a little? maybe it is just binding enough for it not to move. have you oiled the bolt itself so it will slide easier? I know you said you oiled the hole.
The problem may be with the door, not the deadbolt, especially if that same model deadbolt works on other doors. I had a similar problem once, the dead bolt would get stuck. It turned out the hole for the dead bolt needed widening on one side so I carved a bit of wood from the hole which made the hole wider. I don’t know if the frame or the door settled, but it worked.
we had something opposite of that, we couldn’t turn the deadbolt at all…. my husband could from outside but i couldn’t from inside, he used graphite in the lock and it’s cleared up, but if you’re getting metal falling out, i’m thinking that it’s a defective design maybe, since that means something is breaking up in there no?
The door should have the same amount of gap at both ends. Considering the age of the house and how things can shift in extreme weather, my suggestion is to remove the screws, one by one, and replace them with 3″ deck screws. The screws that come with the doors are way too short and wallow out after awhile. Two benefits from this: The door remains straight in the jamb as the screws are going into the studs framing the door and it will stop any binding of the hardware. You can fiddle with them while installing and still have a problem. It also makes it harder to kick the door in since the house studs are involved, not just the jamb. I had to buy 8 deadbolts last year when my house under construction was broken into. I did buy the double cylinder with key on both sides. I got them all keyed alike. The first one I installed would simply not work. Now, this was not my first deadbolt rodeo after having rental property for years. The others all worked fine. I had to re-install it 3 times before it would work. Ghosts? Gremlins? Didn’t say the right words while installing it? Who knows. The others went in quite nicely. I am partial to the Kwikset brand because I can re-key it myself. In your position with Matt, I would replace the front door deadbolt with a thumb lock on the inside. My SIL (retired law enforcement officer) suggested a keypad entry instead of a deadbolt. That way you can tell EMS the code and they can get in so you won’t have to leave Matt by himself.
Schlage is a good brand. They also have an awesome warranty so when it’s defective you just, least in Canada you go buy another one and you bring back the defective one if you don’t want to leave your house unopened when you’re gone or you just take the lock in and they should exchange it. I’m wondering if it’s a defect with the batch or the locking mechanism has given out. I’ve just had a problem with one of mine after 17 years and I got it exchanged with no issues.
Did you buy from Schlage or Home Depot’s Schlage? I know that they do sell cheaper versions of their hardware to HD/Lowes and they aren’t the quality that they sell direct.
So to get a stuck door open, you have to remove the deadbolt? Is the deadbolt then dead, as in not going to work ever again? Or does it “get better” so you could use it, that is, if you wanted to? I would take the dead deadbolt to a locksmith and see if they can find the issue, or send it to Schlage. I have some rentals and they all have Schlage locks, the kind with only keypads. Tenants love them, no lost keys. Also, I know that I have more problems with new doors, they are not as stable as older products.
Please replace your keyed deadbolts with thumbscrews, or better yet, if you had a keypad deadbolt, anyone could get entry in an emergency if you gave them the code.
It’s the humid climate. You need to lubricate the locks regularly with whatever the manufacturer recommends.
Hi Kristi. I don’t know anything about locks and doors, but if this happened in my home I would check the door size, alignment, etc. It doesn’t make any sense to me otherwise. Hope you find a ‘cure’ soon. God bless.
Linda
Is it maybe a humidity problem and you just installed a dehumidifier. Just wondering. I would be phoning them to send out replacement after replacement, eventually they will be tired of this and get their technical support to resolve.
I removed about 20 of these double-keyed deadbolts in an apartment building years ago and found some keys were either permanently stuck inside the lock or the lock/key wouldn’t turn, while others were fine. The locksmith told me it was because of galvanic corrosion between the brass and other metals caused by leaving the key in the lock all the time. The composition of the key, pins, etc and the length of time you leave the key in the cylinder causes some to stick (corrode) while others don’t. He compared it to plumbing pipes and why you use dielectric connections in certain circumstances.
His solution to fix the problem – don’t leave the key in the lock 🙁
Hope this helps!
PS – For the last 25 years, I’ve only used Schlage locks in all my buildings and love them. Honestly can’t think of a problem with them other than tenant error (for liability reasons I stay far away from the double keyed deadbolts).
Our backdoor was doing similar, not turning to unlock and lock, and it’s got the thumb lock turn (not inside key). My husband took it off and found the inside parts were worn out. In our case, he was able to turn things upside down, and so far it’s working. However, instead of turning the lock knob to the right to unlock, I now turn it to the left. 🤷♀️. Ours is a Kwikset. One of these days, I’ll replace all the outside door locks.
You might be able to just replace the inside parts, if Home Depot or Lowes doesn’t the parts, Ace Hardware might.
Dirt and dust get into locks and over time build up. Then the locking mechanism may clog making it difficult to turn. Simply put some graphite spay or silicone-based lubricant in the lock. I apply it to the key also, though theoretically you can put the key back in the lock and turn it a few times.
Kristi, I realize you read so many comments that mine was most likely overlooked. I can assure you graphite will work. The most you can loose is less than $5 for the graphite!
I have the same lock and this happens once in a while. I use graphite, and then some white lightning spray and had not have this happen in a long while.