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SteveBell

wrote in
:

I have an exterior door with a keyhole-in-knob deadlatch. With the
recent cold weather, the latch started sticking open when it gets
pushed in while closing the door, so the door doesn't latch shut. I
figured out that the deadlatch was sticking to the main latch, so the
main latch couldn't spring back out into the door frame.

So I rubbed a pencil (a quick source of graphite) in the groove in the
main latch which the deadlatch rubs against. It worked for about a
week and a half, and now the problem is back.

Should I try more graphite, or a different type? Will adding WD-40
after graphite gum up the works? I'd really prefer not to replace the
whole doorknob lock because of this simple problem.

The pencil lead contains clay as well as graphite, a mixed blessing for
your application.

WD-40, depending on the exact version, is mostly kerosene, which
lubricates for a short while, then evaporates, leaving behind who knows
what.

My locksmith recommends 3-in-1 oil, but just a drop.

I recommend that you remove the entire knobset, clean it well, and
reinstall it. It's amazing how often I fix something just by taking it
apart and putting it back together.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX