How To Remove A Storm Door Lock

Occasionally, you may need to change the door lock on your storm door. Maybe the door lock is no longer functioning the way it should or perhaps you're concerned about the possibility that someone may have a key and you simply want to change it. Regardless of your reason for changing the door lock on your storm door, you'll need to remove the old storm door lock before you can install a new one. In many respects, a storm door lock is very similar to common varieties of locks that are used on entry doors in your home.

Some door locks use deadbolt locks to secure them, while other storm doors use a lock where the key plug is part of the handle used to open the door. Removal of the two types of locks is similar in many ways so here is a convenient step-by-step guide to show you how to remove the door lock from a storm door.

Step 1 - Remove the Cylinders or Handle Assembly

Regardless if the storm door lock is the type that uses a deadbolt or a keyed handle, you will need to remove a pair of set screws that are located on the interior portion of the lock (or the part of the lock that faces the interior of your home). Once you remove the two screws, you should be able to use both hands to remove the two cylinders from a deadbolt, or remove the two handles from a keyed handle lock. In order to achieve this, simply pull the two parts of the lock straight out.

Step 2 - Remove the Deadbolt or Latch Barrel Assembly

Next, you will need to remove the deadbolt or latch barrel assembly. For a keyed handle lock, look inside the door hole where the handles were installed. Then simply use your finger to back the barrel back into the exposed hole. The assembly and the door latch barrel should be easily removed at this point. The process of removing the deadbolt is very similar. On some types of locks, you may need to remove the set screws that hold the guide plate on the outer edge of the door first before removing the latch assembly or deadbolt. Either way, you will need to remove the guide plate before you install the new lock.

Step 3 - Remove the Strike Plate Cover

The strike plate cover is the part of the lock that holds the latch barrel or deadbolt in place in the door jamb and door frame. On most strike plates there will be two or three screws that are used to secure the strike plate to the doorjamb. The screws used to secure a strike plate are usually three inches or longer so you will need to slowly back the screws completely out in order to remove the strike plate. After you remove the screws, simply remove the strike plate. In some cases, you may have to use a flat head screwdriver to gently pry the strike plate away from the doorjamb.