Standing in front of a slammed door to the next room and not being able to open it is not what most citizens who are tired after a day of work dream of. Nevertheless, such situations happen and are not as rare as we would like. In order to unlock the ill-fated door, you need to have an idea of how to deal with a particular lock. And also understand what tools and methods may be useful.
Latch
The simplest mechanism, consisting of only two elements - the body and the tongue. Serves to prevent the door from spontaneously swinging open. It has a budget price. In addition to its affordable price, the device attracts:
- long service life;
- ease of recovery;
- reliability of the design;
- no need for a key;
- very rare breakdowns.
In this case, different types of latches can be used - latches, roller, magnetic, sliding or with a lock. The first type of locking mechanism is equipped with a tongue that is beveled on one or both sides. In the second case, the tongue is presented in the form of a rotating roller.
Magnetic ones hold the door using the system of the same name. And for sliding ones, the latch acts as a bolt. To open or close it, you need to pull the lever or rotate it around its axis. Locking mechanisms with a latch are similar to locks. The latch blocks the rotating or pressing mechanism.
Important ! If latches of this type are handled incorrectly, the latch may fail and the tongue may jam.
What to do to prevent slamming options
You can avoid the above steps if you take care of the lock in advance:
- insert a regular one in the form of a latch handle. Disconnect the latch by unscrewing the lock and pulling out the plate;
- install locks with emergency opening capability;
- Leave spare keys in the same place so that you can access them if necessary.
We looked at several ways to open the bathroom door. Therefore, keep in the bathroom, just in case, tools that may be useful in case the lock jams, so as not to sit until family members arrive. The most prudent thing to do is to install a lock that prevents slamming.
Lock with handle
According to their design features, door handles are divided into the following types:
- Push . They are distinguished by the greatest reliability and comfort. Unlocking is activated by pressing the handle down. After it returns to its original position, the lock is locked again.
- Knob handles . Here the ball-shaped handle turns to the right or left. Allows you to lock the door mechanism from the inside.
- Invoices . Pull handles are the simplest metal accessories for manipulating the door leaf. If executed successfully, they can advantageously complement the interior decoration of a room.
- For compartment type doors . If the trajectory of movement runs parallel to the wall, install overhead handles. Wooden models with a cassette built into the wall are equipped with devices without a protruding handle.
Handles for interior doors can have a base plate in the form of a rosette or a plate. A rosette is a part in the shape of a circle or square. Always compact and has regular outlines. Plate - an elongated element at least 10 cm long with straight or rounded corners. A much more reliable option for attaching a door handle than the previous one.
Reference ! Door handles are made from wood, glass and plastic. However, metal ones are the most popular. The color is selected depending on the shade of the canvas.
Reasons for slamming shutters
Before you start taking any action, you need to find out the reason why the door cannot be opened. Probable reasons:
- the lock in the door handle is jammed or broken;
- the latch did not fit into the hole and moved;
- the tongue does not come out, it is jammed;
- the key left on the back side prevents the door from opening.
To accurately identify the cause, you need to use a flat screwdriver to slightly lift the blade in several places. If you move the raised sash, you can determine in which area it is held. After accurately locating the jammed location, you can choose specific actions.
Complex systems
Products based on electronic technologies are the most advanced.
At the same time, smartlocks are complex in design and expensive devices. Such locking mechanisms consist of two parts: mechanical and digital. Depending on the type of installation, there are 2 types of electronic locks - mortise and external. The action algorithm is as follows :
- Encode the opening and closing of the door by entering a certain numerical combination into the device memory.
- Dial the code numbers on the front smart panel, then unlock and then lock the entrance.
- Configure the use of a special key to provide increased security.
Such systems are installed only in places where it is necessary to maintain a high level of secrecy. The feasibility of installing such a device in a private house or apartment is practically zero.
Attention ! The most expensive designs involve the use of a special magnetic card. It is almost impossible to falsify it.
How to disassemble a door handle with a built-in latch
The sequence of work is as follows:
- Place the prepared tool in the place between the door leaf and the jamb where the tongue is located.
- Tilt the tool towards the handle and at the same time press it. In this case, you should feel sliding along the tongue.
- After this, you need to push the tongue into the lock; to do this, press the tool away from you, and, on the contrary, pull the door towards you. The actions will be opposite depending on which direction the door responds.
- If you have to open it from the back side, where the tongue does not have a cut, then you need to install the tool from above, then tilt it a little and try to reach the inside of the lock, then press on the tongue.
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If the reason is the latch
The built-in latch is a small key that is equipped with many lock models. It is installed on the inside of the cover plate. If the door slams when the latch is turned, more effort will be required. In order for the latch to click into place, you need a long and thin object like a nail, an awl or a knitting needle. It needs to be inserted into the hole under the handle and turned .
Tools for opening an interior door
Depending on the design of the lock, a variety of devices may be useful to open the locking mechanism.
Most of them are found in almost every home: a paper clip, a knitting needle or hook, a hairpin, a pin, a large sheet of paper. Sometimes you can’t do without a kitchen knife or nail file, stiff wire, a simple pencil, a magnet and even a bank card. If light artillery does not help, heavy guns will enter :
- mounting and pliers;
- punch, chisel, hammer;
- nail puller or wire cutters;
- adjustable wrench, screwdrivers.
There are cases when interior doors are made of particularly durable material. Sometimes an autopsy needs to be performed on an emergency basis. Then a gas cutter, sledgehammer, grinder or drill is at the service of a home-grown burglar. Which tools to give preference in each individual case is up to the owner to decide.
Important ! When it is possible to use special master keys, this can save a lot of time, and most importantly, money on buying a new door.
When may it be required
Locking elements can sometimes jam, for example, if the handle has become unusable, or the latch that closes the door has moved. It happens that the tongue of the lock or handle gets jammed.
There is a high probability of slamming the door, leaving the key on the other side. Often small doors are unknowingly locked inside a room while playing with its keys or turning the latch until it is locked.
Then you will need to have an idea of how to open an interior door without a key.
There are several factors that have a direct impact on the proper operation of the bolts. Among them are improper operation, poor-quality materials for manufacturing, and lack of lubrication on moving elements. If you do not take measures to prevent corrosion, metal parts will gradually become covered with rust, completely eliminating the possibility of normal operation.
Foreign small objects may get inside the lock, dust or small debris may become clogged. Factory defects, strong slamming, hanging on the door often provoke a violation of the integrity of the larva.
The possibility of a deliberately incorrect installation or a low-quality key cannot be ruled out.
When there is a small child in the room or it is a bathroom, time can count in minutes. It is necessary to make a decision not only quickly, but also the most appropriate one for the situation.
Reasons for closed doors
Opening methods
How exactly the procedure will be performed depends on many important factors - the type of lock, the nature of the problem that has arisen, the location of the person at the time the door is blocked and the amount of time available.
If there is an emergency or there is a child on the other side of the door, no one will think about how to get inside. The choice will be made in favor of the fastest technology. In this case, it does not matter how destructive it will be for the product itself.
How to call a door opening specialist?
Opening doors yourself, especially metal entrance doors, does not always end in victory. And if you also have a burglary-resistant lock, then there is no point in even trying to open the door using improvised means. And, in general, opening doors is an art. A small inaccurate movement can cause the entire painstaking process to fail.
- Calling a locksmith to open a lock is not that problematic these days. More precisely, there are a lot of similar companies; you only need to take into account your region. Because they work throughout the city or region.
- You can easily find a phone number on the Internet, just don’t forget to indicate the city or region. The algorithm is a little similar to calling a taxi, only the numbers are a little longer. After the call, the operator calls you back and clarifies all the necessary information.
- The arrival of specialists takes no more than an hour. If the trip is around the city and without traffic jams, it can be reduced to 15-20 minutes.
You can call a specialist to open the door
- Craftsmen work with special tools, which ensures the integrity of the door leaf. Not always, but often even the integrity of the defense mechanism itself is preserved.
- Specialists will begin work only after confirming that this is your home. Therefore, be prepared to provide documents confirming your identity and the fact that you are the owner of the apartment.
- But, if you are renting a property, then you will need to contact the owner of the property directly. Neighbors can also confirm your residence at this address.
IMPORTANT: If you did not have documents with you, then the local police officer must be called. He can also confirm your accommodation, but the door will only be opened in his presence!
- If we talk about cost, then in this matter everything depends on the complexity of the work done. By the way, don’t think that they will come to you in another city for free. The road will also be taken into account. On average, you will need to pay about 700-900 rubles to open a domestic lock.
- For an imported lock, the price will be at least 1,500 rubles.
- If the door is also equipped with other security mechanisms, then opening it will start from 2000 rubles.
You should also know that such services operate around the clock, so they can help you at any time of the day. By the way, you can order a call from specialists not only by phone, but also online.
Latch offset
One of the most effective and simplest ways.
If there is no locking mechanism in the door, it is enough to slightly press the door. To do this, a flat and hard tool is first inserted into the gap between the canvas and the box. The thickness of the device is selected taking into account the width of the gap. Then slide the latch and pull the door towards you. This method is also suitable when the child locks himself in the bathroom and falls asleep. By swinging the door leaf from side to side, you can move the lock and enter the room.
- Without a key in the keyhole . The locking mechanism in an interior door is more a nominal value than a functional one. Therefore, you can cope with the task easily and without special skills. You should choose to use a knitting needle, a crochet hook or a plastic card. Place one of these items between the loot and the lock tongue and, using maximum effort, try to drown the latter into the array. After this, press the handle and free the opening from the obstacle.
- With the key in the keyhole. If the lock has a more complex design, and the key remains in the cylinder on the opposite side of the passage, you will have to resort to another method:
- Take a sheet of paper or newspaper, as well as an awl.
Place the paper so that you can later pull the corner.
- Use an awl to push the key out of the cylinder and remove the paper or newspaper.
A paperclip is another tool that can be used to achieve the same result. First, you should bend the device, stick it into the keyhole and move it up and down. Repeat the steps until you can catch the moving mechanism. After completing the preliminary stage, apply force, unlock the lock and enter the closed room.
Opening the lock with a hairpin
A broken lock can be opened with something as simple as a hairpin. You could see such a picture more than once in the movies. But in real life, not everything is so simple; this method is not suitable for all locks.
You can try to open the lock with a thick wire
The pin needs to be divided into two parts, one of which must be threaded into the lock, and the other one should try to move the pins, while simultaneously turning the lock first. Instead of a hairpin, a strong wire will also work, but it must be used carefully so that its parts do not remain in the lock.
When opening a lever lock with a wire, you need to pull it towards you as hard as possible and try to move the levers.
Interior door with lock
In some cases, additional locking mechanisms are installed on the door. They can be disk, cylinder, lever, etc. For each there is a key with notches, which is responsible for the process of unlocking and locking. If the key is lost or simply unavailable, the following actions should be taken:
- Pull the door . Sometimes forward movements allow the locking mechanism to open.
- Find a similar key . Some larvae are suitable not only for the keys included in the kit.
- Use a master key . The method is effective, but not everyone knows it.
- Get rid of a broken lock . The failed mechanism is removed in any way convenient for the master.
It’s better to start with the most gentle one. One that will cause the least damage to the door and lock. Otherwise, buying a new blade and locking mechanism every time will cost a pretty penny.
The key was left on the back side of the lock
This problem occurs often. This problem can be solved without a destructive process, without damaging either the lock or the canvas. The solution is simple:
- place some fabric or paper under the canvas;
- using a knitting needle or something sharp that is nearby, try to push the key out of the keyhole;
- the key should fall onto the underlying paper, which is pulled in its direction;
- For your part, use the key and open the door.
This method is practical if the lock design provides for a keyhole on both sides of the interior door. This is easy to do if the key is not turned.
Releasing the key from the keyhole
Through the lock cylinder
There are several options for penetration using the lock cylinder. Depends on the degree of intervention in the mechanism and the ability to protect property from significant damage:
- Gentle . Here it is enough to use a paper clip, hairpin or wire.
- Moderate weight . Now is the time to use a master key or similar device.
- Destructive . Here they use a screwdriver, drill, hammer and remove the larva completely, opening access to the locked room.
Caution is the first thing that is necessary when choosing one method or another. After some damage, it will no longer be possible to repair the door.
What to do if you can’t open the lock
It may be that the lock cannot be opened. The door to the bathroom closed from the inside, what should I do? Breaking down the door is the last case, but it doesn’t have to come to that. Try to open it in a civilized way. For this:
- Try to remove the door from its hinges. Carefully inspect the hinges, remove the inner rod. Remove the door in the opposite direction;
- Insert the blade of a knife, ax or nail puller into the gap between the door frame and the door leaf. Try to press the door away from the opening to release the lock tongue;
- After removing the casing, cut out a small part of the area where the crossbar trim is located;
- The situation is easier if the door has glass inserts. They need to be pulled out carefully. If that doesn't work, just break it and you'll gain access to the lock. New glass is easy to install.
After such operations, you will have to put the door in order. It is not recommended to turn the key forcefully, as it can break and make the situation worse.
Radical methods
When all methods that involve careful treatment have been exhausted, but the result still cannot be achieved, only one thing remains. Resort to extreme measures. The saddest thing is that using any of them means subsequently the need for repair work.
- Cutting the latch and bolts . If there is sufficient distance between the canvas and the box, there is a chance to get by with little damage - cut off the sunken tongue or bolts. With good skill and the use of an angle grinder, you can limit yourself to minor damage to the paint layer. The main thing is that the door leaf will remain intact.
- Removing door hinges . In the event that a person is locked inside a room and there are simple card hinges on the door, you can dismantle the door. Non-removable fittings, as a rule, protrude beyond the boundaries of the door block. It is carefully cut with a grinder. Replacing the hinges is not too noticeable damage. Hidden fittings cannot be cut down or disassembled. To open the interior door you will have to manipulate the lock.
- How to knock down an interior door ? You should start with a preliminary study of the object of vandalism. It should open in the direction opposite to the force. Now we need to find the weakest point. It is usually located next to the locking mechanism. Now deliver a crushing blow so that you end up with a free opening, and not a broken limb. If you have a weighty object, it is better to use a device.
More complex options and methods for opening without a key
If the door to a room is slammed from the inside or outside and you can’t open it using improvised means, then you should use other, more complex methods. For example, you can remove the sash from its hinges or dismantle the entire door block. If this is not possible, then the last option left to open the accidentally closed door is to use brute force.
Remove from hinges
Removing the door from its hinges is a good option for how to open a door without a key when other methods are unavailable or do not help. If there is a gap of several centimeters between the top of the door and the frame, then you can try simply removing the door leaf from the hinges. You can also unscrew the hinges with a screwdriver. Some models of such products are equipped with special parts that can be easily unscrewed. As a result, the gap increases. But it is not always possible to do such work. It happens that a couple of millimeters of clearance are missing. The reason may also lie in hidden mechanisms, which are located not only on the hinges, but also on the frame.
When removing the fabric from its hinges, you should ask a family member to help. Together, the work will be done more conveniently, easier and faster.
Using brute force
You should only knock down the door as a last resort, when you urgently need to enter the room. After all, it will be expensive. The destroyed door leaf, side frame of the door and broken lock will have to be replaced. To do this, you will need to contact a specialist. You can only remove a flimsy door yourself. The canvas is knocked out of the opening with blows.
Dismantling
This option is suitable for those cases when it is impossible to open the lock without a key in other ways. But not always and not everyone succeeds in implementing it. After all, various types of awnings are used to secure the door leaf and you need to understand their design. The most commonly used canopies are butterfly canopies. They are fixed to the frame and jamb with self-tapping screws. All fasteners are unscrewed and the canvas is slightly moved. After this, the sash is removed from the doorway.
You can try to partially disassemble the canopy. Some types of products allow this to be done. The parsing algorithm depends on the type of canopy. Therefore, you need to read the information that is attached to the device in the passport.
Step-by-step instructions on how to open a door without a lock
Often the door jams due to a broken handle. There is nothing difficult in eliminating the problem. To do this you need:
- Try to disassemble the handle using a flat, thin tool. A screwdriver, penknife, manicure file or any other similar object will do.
- Unscrew the screws and cogs. Feel for the locking mechanism. Turn it around.
- Open the front door and enter the room.
If the handle is equipped with a special key, then a thin, sharp device in the form of a nail, knitting needle or hairpin will come in handy. Pressing all the way, push the key out and the lock will open.
Radical measures: how to knock down a door without damaging it ↑
What if nothing helps you? For example, you are sitting locked in the bathroom and you have absolutely nothing at hand that could help solve the problem. Don't break the door just because the lock is broken? It is possible to knock out or, rather, “squeeze out” the door entirely if it opens outward. First, you need to apply something soft to the shoulder that will have to be “worked,” for example, a rolled up towel. Then we press our shoulder forcefully into the structure, directing the force to the area near the edge of the opening. At the same time, we try to stand so that our feet rest against something, and with our free hand we hold on to the wall so as not to fall when the door opens.
You may also be able to remove the door frames, thereby disassembling the door.
To open doors with glass inserts, simply pull out the decor
For a design with a glass insert, simply remove the decor. To do this, carefully remove the glazing beads that press the glass and take out the decorative fabric. Then we try to open the door through the resulting hole. If you can't remove the glass, you can break it, but try to be patient - you will probably succeed.
By gaining access to both sides of the lock, it is much easier to dismantle or open it.
A wooden panel can jam due to excess moisture. The tree absorbs it even from the air, swells and jams the structure. If this is the case, you can try to speed up the drying of the wood by warming it up with a heater or hairdryer. At the end of the process, it is advisable to trim the problem areas a little so that the unpleasant situation does not recur.
Measures to prevent such a situation
Difficulties with difficulty opening an interior door are easier to prevent than to attempt to eliminate the breakdown over a long period of time. What to do if you don’t want to learn the art of hacking at home? You must follow these simple rules:
- Carry out regular maintenance of locking mechanisms.
- Purchase locks with emergency opening capabilities.
- When installing, leave a gap between the door leaf and the jamb.
- Keep a spare set of keys within reach.
- Replace faulty locks in a timely manner.
By following simple recommendations, you can avoid unpleasant moments with locked rooms, jammed locks and unplanned expenses for purchasing new doors. It would also be useful to protect your nerve cells and protect yourself from shocks. After all, 90% of inner peace and peace in one’s home depends on the success of the owner’s actions.
Prevention
To avoid unpleasant situations associated with accidentally blocking a door, you need to:
- Regularly care for door locking devices (timely repair, periodically lubricate).
- If defects are found, immediately replace the jamming mechanisms.
- Keep an extra set of keys in stock.
- When installing the door structure, leave a gap in case you have to cut off the latch tongue.
- Do not use complex locking mechanisms unless absolutely necessary. If small children live in an apartment or house, it is advisable to give preference to simple latches and latches.
Advice! It is advisable to buy locks that are equipped with a special emergency device. It will help open the door if it accidentally slams.
In order for the door lock to work properly at all times, it needs to be regularly maintained Source pbs.twimg.com