Schlage door lock problem


  #1  
Old 09-06-19, 01:42 PM
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Schlage door lock problem



Schlage exterior keyed lever handle door locks used on church addition. In last 3 months one door lock has somehow been broken twice now. All other locks fine, door has no binding or problems. Door on church only used a few times a week as it is not main door. Handle set back is shortest.

Some how the sliding yoke mechanism opposite end of the tongue has been spread open making it useless. Note ears
sticking out on each side in the photo. They are supposed to be even with body sides. The door lock shows no tampering.

Studying how everything slides, rotates, etc., I am at a loss how this yoke is being spread apart. Can someone shed some light

thanks
Tom



 
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Old 09-06-19, 02:35 PM
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Old 09-06-19, 04:02 PM
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I don't see a photo, if you meant to send one, but from your description, assuming the latch tube has been properly engaged to the chassis, there's several possibilities:
1) The wrong latch being used with wrong chassis. Of course, not a factor if entire lock set is new.
2) Edge bore hole not drilled straight.
3) Grade 2 (Medium-Duty) locks are often not installed with "Outrigger" posts, which will allow someone to force/twist the chassis, which will deform the latch engagement ears/tab.
4) Chassis not adjusted for door thickness properly.

Photos would help narrow the cause.
 
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Old 09-06-19, 04:53 PM
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Hope this photo works. To help answer some questions, the locks were installed 3 years ago during a large addition to church. No problems until 3 months ago when the first problem was found. This same problem on the same door happened again a couple days ago. When the first problem occurred, a complete new same type unit with handles and all was installed. Nothing has changed with the function of the door in 3 years. I did not install these locks new, however have installed many same type when working for a contractor part time for 10 years, so I know how they should be installed and what to look for when problems arise. However, I am a t a loss as to that has spread these ears on the sliding yoke.

Thanks

Tom
 
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Old 09-07-19, 02:23 PM
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I suspect you're experiencing HVAC imbalance; too much pressure inside the building may cause certain doors to bind when trying to retract the latch. This is usually seen as doors not closing far enough to latch. If at any time a lever is harder to depress when the door is closed, than it is when door is standing open, you might very well have this problem.

Pressure imbalance is not uncommon in commercial buildings. Wind can create it and wind from the wrong direction, higher than normal wind, etc can make it worse. You might occasionally have interior doors that slam, exterior doors on the windward side that slam and exterior doors on the lee side that won't close far enough to latch.

If it's what I suspect, you're likely going to have to watch the door(s) in question for a while to see it happen. Whether or not the air handler serving that portion of the facility is running, could determine when it happens.

If it's a wooden door, the door could be warped. If the door is in a metal frame, the silencers https://absupply.net/trim-auxiliary-...rame-type.aspx).

Another thing I'm seeing is a Grade 3 (residential) lock in a Grade 2 (commercial) application. I know, it's a church and the door doesn't get used much, but it still gets harder use than, for example, a door on your home. I was a locksmith for 40 years and you would be surprised at the hard use church hardware can get.
 
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Old 09-07-19, 08:32 PM
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Very helpful photo....as mentioned by ThisOldMan, the construction of this latch is commonly associated with Grade 3 (light/medium duty residential) locks, altho, and without doing the research, I suspect Schlage has obtained a Grade 2 rating, (heavy duty residential/light duty commercial). But just like describing a hurricane as being a high-end or low-end category, I consider this type latch being a "Low-End" Grade 2. In a commercial setting, they're fine in hollow-core doors, not so much in solid-core.

Having said that, and agreeing with ThisOldMan that a binding latch could cause the malfunction, I'll present one other possibility:

This is a dual-backset latch, so it can be adjusted to the 2 predominant door preps (hole preparations): 2-3/8" for residential and 2-3/4" for commercial. It's rare to see commercial doors in a residence, but not uncommon to see a residential door in a commercial setting. Be sure the lock in question is set to the correct backset; These locks come defaulted to 2-3/8" backset for the residential market, especially if purchased in blister-pack from big-box stores. Check the door in question for accurate crossbore backset.

What could be happening here, is if the square post does not align well with one backset or the other, ie., wants to position itself "in between" the 2 backsets, it can force the stamped guide to spread apart, damaging it.

Another possibility, is a correct backset installation, but in a modified hollow-core door, in which the crossbore hole has been drilled in a hollow portion, which prevents the lock chassis from being tightened down securely, which then allows the chassis to shift during use, and allowing the post misalignment as described above.
 
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Old 09-07-19, 09:09 PM
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Another possibility, really just an elaboration of a point brought up by ThisOldMan, about door misalignment in the frame, whether wood or metal construction. This especially applies to key locks, that use a deadlatch, as opposed to a passage set, that uses a springlatch; If the door is closed firmly, or is allowed to slam (badly adjusted door closer) the deadlatch pin may be engaging the strike plate, and can cause the lever to be hard to operate. If it requires, as he said, much more force to open than the other doors, these light duty latches can deform as shown in the photo.

You may need to reinstall the strike plate, if in a wood frame. In the case of a metal frame, the strike plate can be filed to give more tolerance.
 
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Old 09-11-19, 12:29 PM
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Thanks for all the reply's and tips. I finally got back to the church today to further study the problem. I found 2. One being the latch was not seated in the door edge properly. The mortise on upper side did not allow latch face to fully seat and when properly seated I had to cut a slot in the bottom of the latch hole back near the handle hole to properly align. The latch hole was drilled slightly upwards from the handle hole center. The second thing I found was the door has a heavy duty commercial closure and it was allowing the door to slam shut. The door is metal skinned and fairly heavy. I adjusted it to close more slowly while still latching. Having now fixed these things I feel confident that I have resolved the problem.

However I would like to change this lock to a better grade while keeping the same key. Does Schlage make a better grade lock that could be like keyed. These present locks are called Accent lock set, lever handles, gold color. If so how do I know they are higher quality and where can I purchase them. Local lumber company (not big box) carries Schlage. Not sure they would know heavy duty from standard duty.

Thanks again for all your expert help

Tom

 
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Old 09-13-19, 01:04 PM
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What you're looking for is a Grade 1 lock, and I think the big box stores have started carrying at least one import brand ....which are cheaper than the Schlage brand and almost as good, tho usually only available in Satin Chrome finish. They usually use the Schlage C keyway as well. The U/L Grade 1 designation may not be well advertised on the packaging, so don't just assume the words "Heavy Duty" is the same thing.

If you want the Real McCoy you can look on Schlage's website to see the lever style and finish you want....tho the lever styles are limited in Grade 1 and likely won't match exactly your others, you will be able to match the finish, if you can properly identify it.

One caution: Commercial door hole preparation is different than residential and Grade 1 locks do not offer the ability to select a residential backset (2-3/8" vs. 2-3/4" for commercial) in the field. I thing Schlage is one of the few manufacturers that offer a special order 2-3/8" latch for their Grade 1's tho.

Oh yeah, Schlage's Grade 1 Lever is called the "ND" series.

They're kind of expensive, so if you just want a modest improvement, they have a high-end Grade 2 (medium duty) called the "AL" series, and here, if they're sold in big box stores, will almost always be 2-3/8" backset, for the residential market.

But even Grade 2's are not meant for heavy use on solid-core doors.
 
 

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