wooden door stuck because knob doesn't turn mechanism
Sarah discovered that the door to the closet wouldn't open. I tried turning the knob and found that the mechanism had somehow broken such that the part that sticks out was no longer moving when the knob turned. It furthermore was in the "out" position which keeps the door shut. While we didn't have a dire need to open the closet door it bothered me that we might be locked out of our own closet. I tried to resolve the issue at first by taking the door knob off and turning the rectangular metal bar inside of it with a wrench. This also failed as the mechanism must have broken inside of the door. So I then thought that the Internet might be of some assistance as it had been in the past with bat removal. But all I could find were some lame sites explaining how to make lock picks by hardening metal and chasing after street cleaning equipment. So I gave a couple of shots to using my Hollywood video card because it appeared to be of sufficient flexible plastic.
The answer and I am posting it for the next person hoping to open a wooden door with a latch that is stuck (although I am not sure how to advertise the solution sufficiently that it might be found before locksmithing schools) is that I used a coat hanger. I simply slid the hooked end of a coat hanger behind the latching mechanism and pulled. Presto - the door opened and I could see that the system was quite broken. But fixing the door is another day's work.
Comments
Wow I'm proud of you. This is just the sort of thing you would have had me do if I had still been living with you. Of course we all know that the dish sink level disparity axed that.
;)
jmi
Posted by: jeremy | March 26, 2006 12:08 AM
Thanks Dan for your invaluable idea. It worked for me!!
Posted by: Surya | February 3, 2007 09:37 AM
Thanks a lot, I was looking everywhere for an idea to open my closet and then I stumbled on this site. I appreciate the information. Thanks again.
Posted by: Vinh | February 17, 2007 06:48 PM
tell you what guys, I just fought with a doorknob on the door between our utility room and the garage. the knob has been a problem for 2 years since moving in, (ignored into submission my my builder) always sticking, and requiring excessive gripping force to open, anyway finally got 'stuck' permanantly, after two days (15minutes each), taking it apart and putting back together, I finally was able to take a piece of rigid conduit along with a crow bar and from the outside (door swings in) pry against the mechanism back against the round opening housing the knob assembly, and then, easily pushed the door open. I don't know that the hanger would have worked cause I had already pried back & forth and broken the soft brass assembly that would have allowed to tie to the part.
Posted by: conan | September 1, 2007 11:15 AM
Yes! Thank you! My kids' closet knob broke inside and wouldn't turn. After wrestling with it for a good long while, I found you. Weed eater string works, too, in case you don't have a coat hanger. :-)
Posted by: Jennie C. | September 2, 2007 03:16 PM
Thanks for the suggestion about using a coat hanger to reach beyond the locking mechanism. My wife and son were stuck in his bedroom and she suggested I check the internet. Luckily she found a wire coathanger in his wardrobe. She had to give it a good tuck - it worked! Thanks again
Posted by: Joe Sheehan | December 31, 2007 01:19 PM
thanks so much! i was stuck in my bedroom as the latch became stuck! after doing some searching i came across this site. so simple yet effective!
Posted by: zak | January 11, 2008 09:55 AM