Door latches

This is the one part of building that causes me nothing but headaches.

I have a prehung door on the pole barn. Last night, I went in and out no problem. Pulled the door shut behind me on the way out and couldn't get it open again. Took 15 minutes of fussing to get the knob to turn enough to release. Got inside and checked the strike plate and it looked like the strike plate was set a little too far out and was hanging up on the latch. Since it was dark, I left the door ajar and figured to work on it today.

Tonight, I go out and try the door and it works fine. Latches and locks and unlocks and opens just like its supposed to. The only difference is the temperature. Last night was bitter cold (sub 0). Tonight we've got a nice South wind and the temps are about 30 degrees warmer.

I've got the strike plate as far to the inside of the hole as I can. In order to move it the smidgen, I'll have to shave a little off the hole. The only question is, once the weather warms up, will the door be somewhat loose?

SHF

I'm assuming that your door is mounted between two posts that are setting in the ground on some sort of concrete footing. Is it possible that the frost is setting in causing one of these posts to heave a little? This could cause the problem you note. Look at the edge of the door in its entirety just as you close it against the jamb. Is the spacing even from top to bottom? If not the door is misaligned with the opening.

Humidity is a constant factor on door operation. When I was trimming houses, I would always factor in the climate in the house as I was hanging the door. Rule of thumb was "If it's warm and dry, hang it loose (as in the winter) If it's warm and moist, hang it tight. (as in the summer)" I just read this back to myself, [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] hope this makes some sense.

If you had trouble getting out, it sounds like your bolt wasn't turning in far enough to clear the strike plate. Check to make sure it is set with the correct backset for your door.

Argee,

Since the weather warmed back up, the darn thing has been working good again. But, the warm up has increased humidity, so I suspect you're right that it has something to do with how dry the wood is. It appears that the problem is with the bolt. It wasn't completely clearing the strike plate, which caused it to hang up. Best I can figure, its less that 1/16th off. So, now the question becomes, do I try to move it that little bit and deal with the screw hole issue. Or, just live with it, figuring it'll only get below zero a few times a year. The answer, I guess, is that I'm going to have to go work on it some more. Boy, do I hate doors. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

SHF

Depending on the lockset, some have longer bolts than others and will hit the back of the bore in the door. If that's the case, take a spade bit and deepen in that area.

I think I'm going to have to move the strike plate. I pulled the door shut last night and noticed it is not catching on the plate. A push on the door and it opens without turning the handle.

I'm going to take a bottle of chalk dust and cover the plate. Then close the door, which will give me the Up/Down orientation. After that, I'll have to figure out something for the In/Out.

Darn thing worked good a month ago. So it has to be the change in weather.

SHF