How to Open a Door When the Mechanism Is Broken
Introduction
If you have a locked door, and the keyhole is not blocked or covered, that could indicate your lock is broken. Chances are, you will need to call for help from a locksmith who will open the lock with their tools. However, if you do try to open it yourself, some damage may be done to either the front door handle or the door’s locking mechanism (depending on the type). For this reason, today, I will discuss how to open a door when the mechanism is broken.
Step-wise Guide How to Open a Door When the Mechanism Is Broken
Step 1
When you have the problem of opening a door when the machine is broken, don’t panic at once and try to scream for help or do something foolish. It makes no sense! Just look for the emergency handle or an emergency exit, which is marked with a red sign. Usually, you will find it near the floor or in the upper corner of the door. Grab it and push down on it. This action should open the door without a problem.
Step 2.
Otherwise, if all these manipulations didn’t help you yet, try to force yourself manually through the crack between your door and its frame. All doors have a certain gap between the frame and the door itself to prevent them from a frequent collision with each other when opened. It’s enough for you to insert your hand or shoulder to push it open forcibly. And remember that you should be careful not to damage the hinge parts if possible!
Step 3.
If you are blocked by such a door that doesn’t open even with opening knobs (if such are available), notice that there should be a trip lever underneath the handle, which can be activated by moving it down manually, and this will allow you to turn the knob without any problems. So, look carefully under your hand and find out whether there is something like that on your door.
Step 4.
If the door is broken, you can try pushing on one side of it. It might be difficult, but if you lean against the door with a lot of force while holding onto something else, it might open.
Step 5.
Still no luck? Then look for any tools nearby (a crowbar, a hammer, anything) and try to break it down or remove the parts by force. Once a door is opened (the metal part in this case), you can open any other door in your house! After opening the bathroom door, take a look around and you’ll see an empty container of corrosive acid lying on the floor. Pick it up and put it in your inventory; we’ll need that later.
Step 6
Suppose nothing works for you so far — very well! Then the only way to go out is to call for help. It would be best if you did it immediately as the situation of being trapped inside is rather dangerous from my point of view because there may be gas, fire or any other substances that affect people’s health coming through cracks under doors or even flooding some rooms when water enters from taps on upper floors. So don’t hesitate and scream louder than ever before!
You Can Check It Out to Open a Door With a Broken Handle
Precautions While Performing How to Open a Door When the Mechanism Is Broken
- Always be sure to move your body away from the door, out of its path. If you do not, it could crush and kill you when the door comes down on you.
- Never try to open a door propped in a closed position by blocking part of it with any object or material; that would increase the pressure pushing against the obstruction when the person tries to enter, obstructing to come loose and fall inward forcefully opening the door with great force, possibly injuring anyone in its path.
- Always use the “trip lever” under a door handle to turn it to open the door. If there is no trip lever, you must pry the lock mechanism loose from the inside of your home and then remove all parts of it (normally 2 screws) so that you may directly insert a key into the hole where they were.
- Never try to force an exit through a door if it is blocked by something on the outside, such as furniture, boxes, or snow; whenever possible, move these obstructions away from in front of your door before attempting to exit through it.
How to Replace A Door Lock
Locks are used to keep people and things safe. They are put on doors, cars, and other things to make sure that only people who are supposed to be there can get in. Locks can get damaged over time or if they are in an accident. If a lock is broken, people can’t get in and it needs to be replaced.
Replacing a door lock may seem like an easy job, but only if you know how to do it. In case you are not that proficient at dealing with existing locks, then hire an expert technician. Always follow the instructions given by your local locksmith, as they would surely have worked upon many such projects before they can clarify the procedures involved in this operation.
If you want to save time, it’s helpful to gather all the materials you need before you start a task. But if you’re confident you can handle the task without any help, follow the steps below to replace a broken lock.
Step 1: Remove Door Knob.
The first step involves removing the doorknob by unscrewing it from its base plate with a screwdriver. Next, turn the lock mechanism counter-clockwise towards the right side of the door till twist-free. Next, ensure that all screws holding the knob and strike plate together are removed to pull out the entire assembly attached to your door frame.
If there is any visible damage on them like scratches or scrapes, get replacements for them immediately. Ensure that you don’t lose any small parts involved in this operation because they can prove disastrous if misplaced in the future during installation, even though they may seem to be insignificant at first glance.
Step 2: Remove Old Lock.
Now remove the old lock from your door’s exterior side by unscrewing it from the inside. You can use a screwdriver in this case since you will deal with recesses of your door, and they are too small for an open wrench or any other tool except a screwdriver.
Just unscrew all screws holding the old latch back onto its base plate, after which you can pull out the entire assembly attached to your door frame using a slight force, along with the removal of all screws and installing them into a new mechanism in reverse order. This is one way of removing an older type of lock while many others, such as drilling out holes on both sides, removing shoe pins from the latch, etc.
Step 3: Installing Latch Assembly.
Now it is time to install your newly acquired lock mechanism to the door frame by inserting new screws of different sizes into bottom plate holes. The distances between these holes and the length of screws vary according to the design specifications of individual locks, so make sure that you match them correctly; otherwise, you may end up with a jammed mechanism.
It’s always advisable to get assistance from someone at this stage since one person can hold back the exterior part while the other fastens its interior side because they are both heavy. Also, mark out mounting locations beforehand for the drill, which will be required later on if you want to mount strike plates using existing ones or if there are no such plates available in terms of designs.
Step 4: Remove Strike Plate.
Strike plates hold doors back onto their frames using fasteners that can be screwed onto the woodwork or drywall material surrounding them at a uniform distance apart from one another, forming a rectangular shape across the door’s face and some times with the help of hidden screws, too, depending upon its design specifications.
They provide an extra layer of security to your locks by ensuring that there are no visible gaps between the lock and exterior part, thereby preventing easy access for criminals or kids alike who may attempt to tamper with it. If you have any old strike plate, then remove it now using needle-nose pliers, while if you don’t have one, then install a new one that comes along with a new lock or one you might have saved from the old one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do You Do if Your Door Lock Is Stuck?
The best way to know if your door lock is stuck is by using a digital multimeter.
There are two ways that you can do this:
1. Connect the probe of the meter to the positive pole of one battery and connect the negative pole of another battery to its ground wire.
2. Find an unpowered light switch in your home, then turn it on and test the switch with your meter’s probe. If you find that there is no voltage coming from it, then it means that there is no power going into your home.
What Are Door Mechanisms Called?
A door mechanism is a device that opens and closes a door or gate. They come in different types, shapes, sizes, and colors to fit with the style of the home.
There are three main types of door mechanisms:
1. Manual – A hand-operated mechanical device that opens and closes doors manually.
2. Electric – An electric motor-driven device that opens and closes doors automatically when power is applied to it.
What Is a Double Bore Door?
A double bore door is a type of door with two openings. This type of door is primarily used in commercial buildings, where it provides a large opening for equipment and personnel to enter or exit. There are many benefits of this type of door, including:
• It helps prevent crime by providing easy access points for security guards to observe the activity.
• It allows the use of larger or multiple doors that can be locked simultaneously.
• It reduces the amount of energy needed to operate the door because it requires less power than a single bore door would need.
What Is a Door Cylinder?
A door cylinder is a device that allows one to open or close a door. The operation of the door cylinder is controlled by an electric motor, which has been fitted with a switch on the handle.
There are two types of door cylinders: top and bottom mount. The top mount door cylinder controls the opening and closing of the doors while it is attached to them. The bottom mount cylinder controls both the opening and closing of the doors when it is located below them.
Are All Door Cylinders the Same?
All door cylinders are not the same. There are many different types of door cylinders that can be used depending on the size and complexity of your door locks.
For example, a traditional cylinder is most often found in single-leaf doors and has one lock on each side. This type of cylinder is commonly used for large or heavy doors that require significant strength to open. The downside to this type of cylinder is that it cannot be removed from the frame without destroying it.
A double-cylinder system is usually found in two-leaf doors and has two locks on each side, which makes it more versatile than a traditional cylinder as you can use either lock independently with one key or together with another key.
Conclusion
I hope you have learned all the necessary information on how to open a door when the mechanism is broken. Thank you and have a nice day!
Angela Ervin
Angela is the executive editor of DIY quickly. She began her career as an interior designer before applying her strategic and creative passion to lifestyle and home. She has close to 15 years of experience in creative writing and online content strategy for housekeeping, home decorations as well as other niche efforts. She loves her job and has the privilege of working with an extraordinary team. She lives with her husband, two sons, and daughter in Petersburg. When she's not busy working she spent time with her family.
