YALE LOCK - TOO TIGHT!!! Post your questions and get answers concerning many areas of this subject

[r johnson]

I HAVE TO SLAM THE DOOR SHUT BECAUSE THE BOLT IS STIFF. CAN THE LOCK BE ADJUSTED SO IT IS NOT SO TIGHT? KEY CAN ALSO BE DIFFICULT TO TURN. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO PULL THE DOOR SHUT GENTLY AND QUIETLY. ANY ADVICE?

[Joiner_Mike]

If you unscrew your yale lock you will see its attched from the key hole side to the opening side of the door by a flat metal bar which has notched lines in. I have found from fitting them if the metal bar is slightly too long when the lock is screwed up it closes the space slightly between the lock and the key side which makes it stiffen. If you cut about 5mm off the flat bar with a hack saw it will losen it up. Check before u cut off the 5mm that the bar will still be long enough to slide into the hole. Hope this helps

[allan the locksmith]

The answer mentioned above may be one option but also it may be something else.What brand of lock is it ? Is it an era deadlatch ? These have the ability to lock with the key on the inside and are quite big.
These particular locks have been a nightmare over the last couple of years with a fault in the manufacturering that causes the symptoms you describe.

Please let me know what brand the lock is so i can advise.

[Joiner_Mike]

Sorry i forgot to mention that the keeper that the yale latch fits into may also be incorrectly positioned. When you say the door is stiff is it hard to turn the handle when the door is open?
If its fine when door is open then it will be the keeper. To check this do following test
1) open door put tape measure on front of door and measure back to flat part of latch. (One side rounded on side flat) for example it's 21mm
2) Measure from rebate (where door closes to) to the keeper hole

these should be same distance. If door distance to latch is 1mm more it will be stiff, therefore the keeper will have to move 1mm closer to the rebate.
Hope I made sense, Let me know if this helps

[spark32uk]

Allan, I'm having a mare with an ERA double locking nightlatch. I'm on my second one, an both have developed the same problem - they seem to deadlock themselves so you have to really slam the door to get them to actually close. Is that the one you're talking about? if so, any ideas on a replacement, now I've chiselled and drilled my nice new front door to fit the ERA one?