[framinghammer]

Help - I have about an 11 year old house and the steel entry door is giving me problems. When the door is closed and the deadbolt is latched, the door is tightly sealed against the weatherstripping. But I have kids and they seldom latch the deadbolt when closing the door from inside, and don't (obviously) latch the deadbolt whenever when they go out. When the deadbolt is not latched, you can see air coming from all sides of the door. I bought a replacement magentic weathersripping kit today and replaced the weatherstripping, but nothing new - still see the light on two sides when the deadbolt is not latched. What can I do without ripping out the strike plate, which means tearing apart the door jamb?

 

[wrangler]

You should be able to move the strike plate back slightly without too much effort. Use a razor knife to scribe the jamb where you want the strike plate to sit (I imagine maybe 3/16 -1/4" further in towards the weather stripping) then remove the jamb material with a wood chisel. More than likely you'll need to enlarge the hole slightly as well. A drill or roto-zip will work well. Then either use longer screws or fill the old screw holes and re-use the old screws. Be careful to not move the strike plate in too far or the door will be hard to close and you'll have to reset the deadbolt plate as well.

 

[DangerMouse]

orrrrr, if you don't want to tear up the jamb or move the strike plate, find an older style deadbolt that closes even when extended, like a normal door.
(or turn the knob on the lock and it stays inside the door and does not lock)
however, when we had one like this on the old house, the door did lock us out a couple of times.....

DM

 

[Chemist1961]

FH, One other thing to do first, check fro draft seals at both the lower corners of the door . These are usually 1-2" wedges of felt or foam , one in each corner of the door jamb at the sill. If they are not in place you may misalign the door trying to adjust for the magnetic seal.
When installed they will change the alignment odf the door and deadbolt so put them in first. If they're 11 years old probably due for a fresh set.:thumbsup:

 

[Maintenance 6]

Does this door not have a knob set or entry lock? Deadbolts are not meant to keep a door tight to the weatherstrip. The latchbolt should do that. Adjust the LATCH strike to keep the door tight. Then set the deadbolt strike so that the bolt throws without any resistance.

 

[DangerMouse]

Maintenance 6 <---he's right, as usual..... best answer so far.....

DM

 

[Ron6519]

The magnetic weatherstripping alone should seal the door. The latch just keeps the door locked. If you remove the latch, the door should stay closed from the magnets. If you go to close the door and it springs back, there are issues with the hinges. If the bottom has too much drag, try adjusting the bottom sweep.
The only time the latches come into play, is if you have a compression weatherstripping.
Ron