How To Fix A Door Knob That Turns But Doesn’t Open

Let’s assume; you are stuck in a room, which the doorknob is turning but not opening the lock. Even if you are not locked in a room, a doorknob like this will bother you. It could even make you kick the door till it breaks. Believe it, or not many people face this problem and find the problem was nothing at all. But there are also some records that the doorknob was stuck due to some severe latch. 

We are not going to waste any of your time and take you straight with the steps, following which you can save yourself from the stuck doorknob problem. You should try these steps individually. We believe any of them will be the ones that will help you to open the doorknob. These steps will be super easy to operate, and you can do it all by yourself. 

The common reason is that the screws on the door button are loose. This will cause a small emptiness within the doorknob lock, which can also cause it to get stuck. If you believe this is the reason behind a jammed knob, open the doorknob and tighten the loose screws, and put it back together.

Let’s not start all the discussion here. We have arranged an elaborated meeting; let’s get straight down with that;

Fixing A Door Knob That Turns But Doesn’t Open

The doorknob lock is supposed to operate each time impeccably. If it is jammed or just not fastened, there could be significant security risks depending on where the door is situated. There are a variety of reasons why a doorknob lock can malfunction and get stuck. Within a few steps, we will present the problems along with the solutions. Just follow them as they are, and we hope you will see beneficial results. Let’s start; how to fix a door knob that turns but doesn't open

     1. Seized Oil

Door knobs come with oil inside them. This oil helps the components inside to operate smoothly. But if this oil gets old, it gets seized, which makes the parts get stuck. 

To get rid of this, before the doorknob gets stuck, keep it on a regular check and change the oil every six months.

   2. Loose Door Knob

As we mentioned in our earlier discussion, the problems behind the stuck door can be as simple as a losen doorknob material. Before going for any more challenging part of the solution, try to waggle the doorknob with force. Most probably, the door will open. Then check the metal plate surrounding the lock. If it moves up and down, that can also confirm the doorknob is loose. 

Just use a screwdriver according to the screw and tighten them.

  1. Improperly interacting spring latch

If you lock the door button, the knob will not turn, which stops the latch from retracting. If your door button clicks but does not unlock, the concern is that you don’t interact adequately with the spring in the circle. To repair a door lock, it’s different because the things are different, so you have to unlock the door first. 

If the lock pulls out, the grips are not adequately secured through the spindle. The problem may be the spindle, the handles themselves, or the friction that holds them in close contact. If no harm is incurred, ensure that the handles are fixed with adequate strength to manipulate the entrance’s spindle.

     4. Rusted Knob

You may not be surprised to see rust on both sides of your doorknob. Apply lubricant to the doorknobs on both sides. Turn the handles several times to make the grease expand. Test the mechanism for rust on both sides. Remove it with a wire brush while rust is present—spray lubricant to ensure proper operation of the tool.

    5. Worn out Rod Hole

Often the rod that binds the two knobs via the door also goes through the lock mechanism. The rod is either a square tube or a circular one with an offset lobe that passes into a matching hole in the lock mechanism plate. This hole would also get worn to the point. The rod no longer makes enough contact with the lever to force the striker out of the frame to unlock the door.

Replacing the latch mechanism with a new one is the only solution you can have here.

    6. Faulty Components

When you face the difficulty where the doorknob twists but doesn’t open, it means that your handle doesn’t interact adequately with the spring in the latch. It would help if you did the following in these circumstances; 

Disable the doorknob or handle the through the spindle. We suggest using a screwdriver tool to twist the void where the through spindle has been inserted. See whether the latch is retracted or not. If the handle is disconnected, the interaction between the handle and the through spin is not working correctly.

However, if the handle doesn’t withdraw, the lock housing is likely to be a problem. The spring or some other small part may be inaccurate. You will have to rebuild the whole latch house in those circumstances.

Some Important FAQs

It does not a matter of shame if you still have any concerns relating to the doorknob issue after reading through the whole discussion above. That is why we have arranged some questions and answers which are frequently asked on google. Check them out; F A Q

  • Can you remove a doorknob when it’s locked?

If the assembly screws are exposed, remove them, and disassemble the button and lock them. However, if you do not see the mounting screws, you must remove the door button part by part. You are using a circular decorative plate, a handle, and a shank with a slotted screwdriver.

  • How to remove a commercial door knob without visible screws?

If it’s the clip to drive it in to loosen the handle, use a small metal object like a paper clip for the straight end. It uses an Allen (hex) clamp to release the screw to detach and treat if the hole has the Allen screw.

  • How to remove a lever doorknob?

Let the lever of the shaft by pushing it outside. Now, pull off the front screws with the screwdriver or hex wrench in the same hand. Break the façade through the post and lift it out.

  • What to do if the bathroom doorknob gets stuck?

A tiny all-key grub screw should be put on the thumb on the indoor handle of the toilet. Remove all the key grub screw and spindle and switch thumb. The handles are now expected to exit the entrance.

Conclusion

A stuck doorknob that turns but doesn’t open could lead to many circumstances. The first thing that you may encounter is frustrating. And due to that, you may break the door out of rage.

But we highly recommend to keep calm and try to determine the problem. Most of the time, the issues are not as much serious as you think. If you have thoroughly gone through the article, you already know how simple the problems can be and the solution.

We hope our guide to fixing a stuck doorknob will be of great help. Good Luck.

This is a short video to demonstrate how easy it is to remove a door handle, view what’s inside and repair the failed latch.

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