Sliding doors usually separate patio or deck areas from the inside of the home. You may also have sliding doors separating dining areas from living areas or bathrooms from the rest of the house. Troubleshooting the lock on your sliding door will allow you to try to restore it to full working order without the need for a locksmith. Most sliding door lock issues can be solved at home without special tools. Ensure you are using the correct key in the lock. You may have multiple keys for different sliding doors in your home that have are easily confused. Make sure you are turning the key in the correct direction. The barrel may turn from right to left or left to right depending on the way your sliding door was installed. Verify that all the locks on the door have been released. Sliding doors that lead to outside areas usually have more than one lock for additional security. Examine the top and bottom of the door for extra bolts that need to be released. Spray a suitable penetrating oil inside the lock.

Older locks can rust or seize when not in use, preventing the key from releasing the lock. Penetrating oil is available from most hardware stores. Ensure that the door is free of ice and snow. Sliding doors and windows are easily frozen shut during the cold winter months and can be extremely difficult to open. made to measure bi folding doors internalIt is better to wait for a sunny day to melt the ice rather than to try to force the door open.internal timber doors adelaide You May Also Likecustom garage door boulder When a large amount of snow accumulates on a roof, heat loss from insufficient insulation and poor attic ventilation can melt the...aluminium french doors cost uk

If you are installing a new patio door or replacing an old one, you need to know the patio door measurements. Removing a security screen door requires removing the one-way screws that secure it to the wood door frame. These screws are made... Patio doors lead to the outside and have to withstand all kinds of abuse from the weather, doors being slammed and being... Sliding patio doors offer the benefits of large windows with the functionality of an entryway. Unfortunately, they are also a primary target... Learn about the tools needed to install a sliding glass door lock. Improve your home security system with these tips from a... Keeping your car doors locked is one important safeguard against auto theft and vandalism, but it can also backfire. 22 DIY Ways to Update Your Home on a Small Budget How to Fix a Sliding Glass Door Lock What If My Patio Door Won't Lock? How to Open Patio Doors Alternatives to the Sliding Patio Glass Door How Does a House Door Lock Work?

How to Install a Lowe's Pocket Door Frame--as in life--it's often the little things that matter. And it's amazing how many small structural things can go wrong around your house. Whether it's the front-door lock that won't let you into your own home, or the cracked window that won't keep the cold out, small household problems can have a big effect. For most of these, there's no need to call for a repairman-- the solution lies in tapping your ingenuity and using a few common household materials in innovative ways. Even when it seems that the roof is falling in--or the floor is opening up beneath you--there are often simple ways to solve larger problems on your own.You try to open your front door but the key sticks as if you were pushing it into a wad of chewing gum.Over time, lock tumblers can become misaligned and clogged with all kinds of gunk. The way to ensure your key makes a clean entrance and exit every time is by providing effective lubrication that won't add to the gunk. The best is powdered graphite.

Also check frequently used keys for roughened edges. Gently and carefully use a nail file to smooth burrs off the key tip.Anyone who has lived in a cold climate knows that frozen locks go with the territory.According to David Lowell, CML, CMST, and Director of Training and Certification for the Associated Locksmiths of America, it's a matter of bringing the heat. "If the lock to your house is iced over, remove the ice from the opening of the lock cylinder and carefully heat the key with a match or lighter. If you don't have a match or lighter, place the key on your car's engine block or radiator until it's very hot. Holding the key with your gloves on to avoid burning your fingers, insert the key into the lock and work it gently back and forth until the ice melts and the cylinder turns."The lock on your sliding glass door (if it exists at all) is about as substantial a theft deterrent as a picture of a guard dog.Cut down a broomstick or mop handle to fit snuggly in the floor channel in which the doors slide open or closed.

When in the channel, the stick will jam and prevent anyone from opening the doors.You're ready to remove a defective lockset, but how you begin to get it the darn thing off the door is a major mystery.For the sake of aesthetics, most standard locksets (those with doorknobs, not handles) mount the knob with hidden screws, making it appear as if there is no way to remove them short of a crowbar and large hammer. But save yourself the cost of a new door. If you look underneath on the stem of the knob itself, you'll find a tiny hole. Just insert a small pry tool, such as a thin straight screwdriver, and pull on the knob to remove it. Work the faceplate off and the mounting hardware will be accessible underneath.Someone--not you, surely--has broken a key off in a door lock, which is now jammed shut.Use a grinding wheel to shape an old hacksaw blade into a harpoonlike point. Then, slip the point into the lock over one of the key nubs and use the hook to fish it out.You're in a hurry to get to tennis class when you realize that you've forgotten the combination for your locker's combination lock.

If your lock is of fairly recent vintage you're in luck. Chances are the manufacturer has the combination on file, keyed to the code number on the lock. Visit the manufacturer's website and you're likely to find a FAQ section dealing with recovering lost combinations. Some manufacturers even offer online registration so that if you do forget the combination, you can easily retrieve it.You've finally set aside an afternoon to clear out that storage shed that hasn't seen the light of day in a year. But now you discover the padlock is rusted shut.Immerse the lock in kerosene or penetrating lubricant for 24 hours. If the lock is attached to the hasp of a garage, gate, or other structure, this will mean wiring a metal can full of kerosene to the structure to allow the lock to soak in place.The case for a new lockset.A lockset is the mechanism by which you open and secure a door. Despite the name, locksets may not require a key. Privacy locks, usually used for bathrooms or bedrooms, may have a simple turn or push-button lock.