Door won’t stay latched: If the door won’t stay latched, or if it needs to be pushed hard to get it to latch into the strike plate, first look at the way the door is fitting in the jamb. When the knob and latch are in their resting state, the spring is extended. Most of our doors are either of the lever-open variety or the open-by-doorknob-that-twists-either-way varity. My husband removed the knob last night and says that the way the mechanism is, it can ONLY turn one way...but it has turned 2 ways for years. Sometimes on older style doorknobs, you reach out to turn the doorknob expecting the door to open and all you get is a spinning doorknob in your hand.So you go ahead and tighten the doorknob set screw and a week later the same problem occurs! A knob or a handle typically uses a spring-loaded latch to function. Turn the knob several times to work the spray lubricant into the door knob mechanism. Recently, the interior knob will only turn one way. You could also jimmy the lock given the space you have or pull the pins and remove the door. One door into our living room has a knob that turns clockwise toward the jamb to open it, but any attempt to twist it otherwise leads to an inflexible clunk. Some of those are on the left and some are on the right of the doorway. 4 Squeeze graphite powder into the key hole of a lock if the locking mechanism is difficult to turn. Home-Cost.com It's so frustrating. A visual inspection of the latch follower may also show that this may have cracked, a fault which can develop due to misalignment of the door handle spindle. The best way to test this is to dismantle the door handle assembly from the door and check each component individually. Browse common questions. I assume you can't open the door, not that you can't slide the bold out. Whether you're looking for how to pronounce "Schlage" or help programming an electronic lock, this is a great place to start. When you turn the knob or handle, the spring should compress and open the lock, allowing you to open your door. When the lock is at rest, the spring is fully extended. How to Fix a Door Knob that Turns but Doesn't Open. The Door Knob Turns But The Lock Won’t Open; Most doorknobs work with a spring-loaded latch. When the doorknob is turned, the latch retracts because a spindle pulls on and compresses the spring. Fiddle around in the big hole and you should feel the mechanism move. Try each handle then check the latch by turning the spindle. The part of a doorknob that you grasp with your hand connects to a rod that extends though the door to … MY door set is 14 years old and always worked fine. What direction should lever-style door handles be oriented? Door Knob Turns But Won’t Open. The thing that turns is usually a sort of long u shaped post. I assume you ca n't open the big hole and you should feel the mechanism move you have pull. 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