need door lock help/suggestions

[thiswillbe]

XPing this from Home & Garden, since I know we have at least a few DIYers among us...

I've been fighting with the front door deadbolt on our new house ever since we closed. I cannot for the life of me get it off. Does anyone have any ideas? I hate to call a locksmith for something I should be able to do myself. Apologies for the crappy cell phone pics.

There aren't visible screws anywhere on the back of the lock:


And I read online to push the end of a paperclip into the one tiny opening there is (on the stem, where the red arrow is pointing) and pull the handle off, but it won't budge.


So, is it time to suck it up and call a locksmith?

[thiswillbe]

OK, the prevailing theory over on H&G is that it might be a hex screw. I didn't look at the hole from that perspective, so I'll try that next.

Now, if only I can think of a way to get S to watch the kiddos while I go test the theory... Hmm...

[twotrue]

The 'hole' that you are pointing to should have a screw in it. I generally use an eye glass repair screw to get to ours. Take out the little screw and the lock should pop off.

[thiswillbe]

Jul 24, 2012 17:05:19 GMT -5 twotrue said:

The 'hole' that you are pointing to should have a screw in it. I generally use an eye glass repair screw to get to ours. Take out the little screw and the lock should pop off.

So the screw would be in the hole? I'll check the next time I'm over there (I didn't see one before). Thanks!

[twotrue]

Jul 25, 2012 9:45:18 GMT -5 thiswillbe said:

Jul 24, 2012 17:05:19 GMT -5 twotrue said:

The 'hole' that you are pointing to should have a screw in it. I generally use an eye glass repair screw to get to ours. Take out the little screw and the lock should pop off.

So the screw would be in the hole? I'll check the next time I'm over there (I didn't see one before). Thanks!

Yeah. Ours has a tiny screw up in that hole (insert 10 year old boy giggle here). It takes a flat head screw driver, but a very small one, thus my use of an eye glass repair kit. Once that screw is out the knob thingy can be pulled off and then you should be able to get to the rest of it.

[thiswillbe]

Thanks, Two!!!! I've always wanted a tiny screwdriver set (just for the fun of it)... now I have an excuse to get one!

[bluedaisyus]

Yeah, I'd guess a hex key as well, you'd need one of these to get it off: www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Hand-Tools-Hex-Keys/h_d1/N-5yc1vZc265/R-100549112/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053

You can usually find them pretty cheap, that one's only $6.50.

[thiswillbe]

Jul 25, 2012 15:01:49 GMT -5 bluedaisyus said:

Yeah, I'd guess a hex key as well, you'd need one of these to get it off: www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Hand-Tools-Hex-Keys/h_d1/N-5yc1vZc265/R-100549112/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053

You can usually find them pretty cheap, that one's only $6.50.

Luckily, I already have two of those (I think one is metric? I haven't used them in forever). So the next time I go to the house, I'll take those and an eyeglass repair kit, and hopefully I'll be fully covered!!

So glad I thought to ask here before I called a locksmith. I would have been ticked to see him/her pull out a simple tool to take it apart, lol! Thanks for the help!