What To Do If Your Deadbolt On Your Storm Door Is Stuck

Storm door owners know that daily wear and tear happens. Sometimes the constant opening and closing can cause your deadbolt to get stuck or stop working. The steps to fix this issue are simple. We'll take you through some simple storm door troubleshooting to get your deadbolt feature working quickly.

When this happens the storm door deadbolt and latch side rail are likely misaligned, which can prevent the deadbolt from retracting. To unjam the deadbolt, remove the installation screws on the latch rail from the outside. This will loosen the tension on the deadbolt allowing it to retract and the door to open. Once the door is open, operate the handle and turn the deadbolt.

Note: If either does not operate when the door is open, the hardware needs to be replaced. Order Larson Storm Door parts here.

If your handle set and deadbolt move freely when the door is open, the deadbolt may be hitting the edge of the strike plate. Simply adjust the strike plate to allow the deadbolt to move freely. To determine in which direction and how much to move it, apply some lipstick to the edge of the deadbolt. When the door is closed, engage the deadbolt all the way. Open the door, and if there is a lipstick mark on the latch rail or strike plate, adjust as needed. Wipe the plate clean, and repeat the test until the deadbolt engages freely and doesn’t leave a mark.

If there is not lipstick on the strike plate, but there is a mark on the back surface of the deadbolt hole, the deadbolt hole in the door frame needs to be deepened with a chisel.

These troubleshooting tips will get your deadbolt back to working. If you’d like more help, just let our support team know and we’d be happy to assist.