I'm dealing with an exterior door that has a broken latch, and I'm at my wit's end trying to get it open. I've removed the door handles, but no matter what I do, I can't get the latch to budge. I've tried using credit cards and wire, but nothing seems to work. I'm wondering if the only solution is to take out the pins from the two spring loaded hinges. I managed to remove the tension from them, but I'm unsure about how to actually get the pins out. Is it even possible to do that?
1 Answer
If you've already taken off the door handles, check for a square or 'D' shaped hole in the latch mechanism. You can use a flat screwdriver to turn it and hopefully disengage the latch. That might do the trick!
I think there might be a bigger issue at play; if the D shape moves but the lock still doesn't disengage, something inside might be broken. You might need to consider other options.