Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Sticky Lock, Not engaged

21 November 2011

Re: [DIY] Sticky Lock, Not engaged

I believe a dry wax spray will not attract the dust and you wouldn't have to re-apply it as often as WD-40.

On Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 9:59 AM, Sharry Dunn <sharry_dunn@earthlink.net> wrote:

thanks Bill and Jan too
I bought a small tube of graphite and a can of Silicon spray last nite at Orchard Supply; will also take the WD40 with me.

So far in order of preference I think I will
1st try graphite
maybe the WD-40 next
then the Silicon spray,

- wish I could remember whee I read the WD 40 attacts dust or something that made me think "don't do that".

sharry

-----Original Message-----
>From: Bill Chmelik <Chmelik@earthlink.net>
>Sent: Nov 19, 2011 6:35 PM
>To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: RE: [DIY] Sticky Lock, Not engaged
>
>Wd-40 is good stuff, it is a cleaner and water repellant, I would try the WD-40, it may be better to take the lock out of the door to gain greater access to the moving parts.
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>ck
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>From: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Sharry Dunn
>Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2011 5:40 PM
>To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
>Cc: Sharry Dunn
>Subject: [DIY] Sticky Lock, Not engaged
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>Since we are on Locks, I have a front door lock that is not engaging; the deadbolt is locked, so house is secure. My question then, is how to fix the lock that is not engaging?
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>A friend opened my summer cabin this spring and found above problem; I am going up in week or so and want to fix it. Can call the Lock lady, but thought if it is simple, I can give cleaning it or whatever a shot before we call for help.
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>It is a Schlage lock, was new when installed - 37 yrs ago. Never had a problem with it, and only had it rekeyed once. My friend said it didn't engage, since I haven't been up yet, can't add other info, but he thought it might need to be cleaned. I googled on cleaning locks and came up with some steps which called for spraying WD-40 into the lock to loosen things up, but thought I read WD40 is NOT GOOD to use as it makes it sticky or something (can't recall several months ago) so checking with the list to see what is my best course of action to clean and lubricate the lock if this is what is needed. I do recall that when one presses down on the latch lever to open, it seemed to stay in the pressed down position a bit (as opposed to popping back up) if that makes sense. This is a front door lock, with the lock keyhole above the handle, which has the little lever you depress. Overr the years we never had a problem at all with it. This is in the Sierra Nevada at Lake Tahoe, so of course it was cold when John went in, but we never had problems regardless how freezing it was. Although I do recall once I could not open car doors and had to get something to spray in the lock, may have been liquid graphite or something like that, don't recall.
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>here is a cut and paste of the info I saved from my earlier googling to fix it:
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>Over the course of time, as door locks get older, they tend to get sticky. This goes for front door locks, garage door locks and any other door lock you have in the house. You may have to play with the key in the door lock to get your front door to your house to open. The older the door lock gets, the stickier it becomes. This problem isn't due to the age of the door lock, it is usually due to a dirt and grime buildup on the inside of the door lock. So before you call a <http://www.ehow.com/how_6124382_loosen-sticky-door-lock.html> locksmith to change your locks, try to clean them.

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>Difficulty: Easy
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>Instructions
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>1 Hold an old thick rag directly under the sticky door lock. Make sure your rag is thick and absorbent.
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>2 Spray a lubricant such as WD-40 directly into the key hole. Spray lubricants are available at hardware stores and <http://www.ehow.com/how_6124382_loosen-sticky-door-lock.html> home improvement stores. Do not use oil because the oil will become gummy and stick to the dirt.

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>3 Continuously spray the lubricant into the key hole and allow the lubricant to freely run out of the key hole. Continue to spray until the lubricant runs out of the key hole clear.
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>Tips & Warnings
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>. Wipe all traces of the lubricant off of the door knob and door lock.
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>. Do not allow the lubricating spray to drip onto your door because it will stain the door.
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>. Do not attempt on keyless door locks.
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>Let me know if you have some thoughts on this, as always, appreciate your time and all the great suggestions,
>sharry
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