French door isn't catching when closed
 

My house settles in various ways depending on the time of year and the
weather conditions. Right now, it's causing something it's never done
before and I don't know what to do about it. My French doors are not
catching when they're closed, and it's almost impossible to lock the
deadbolt. Just FYI, the French doors are double, both sides are actual
doors, but one side is always kept locked in place. I've been shoving
some wadded up paper between the top of the door and the frame, and
that's doing an okay job of pushing the door down slightly enough so
that the doorknob catches. But it's a hassle!

My main concern is that the door will accidentally/unknowingly be left
'open' and my cats (strictly indoor) will get out. The door has to be
opened many, many times a day because that's the only way for my dogs to
go out into the backyard to potty!

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

--

See Michael Jackson's many faces: www.smartassproducts.com/fun.shtml#jacko

If you house is shifting and settling like that based on the time of year
and weather conditions you probably have a bigger problem than just the
doors. Is the house, or at least the wall with the doors built over a
proper foundation? If so any movement based on normal conditions should be
un-noticeable. You should have it checked by a reputable contractor if
you can't tell on your own, or eventually the whole thing could cave in on
you!

In the meantime, about the only thing you might do is try modifying the
latch strike-plate on the door jam. Perhaps cutting the hole for the latch
and deadbolt a little larger will allow it to 'float' with the wall and
still catch.

Good luck!


"ScrubsFan" wrote in message
ink.net...
My house settles in various ways depending on the time of year and the
weather conditions. Right now, it's causing something it's never done
before and I don't know what to do about it. My French doors are not
catching when they're closed, and it's almost impossible to lock the
deadbolt. Just FYI, the French doors are double, both sides are actual
doors, but one side is always kept locked in place. I've been shoving
some wadded up paper between the top of the door and the frame, and that's
doing an okay job of pushing the door down slightly enough so that the
doorknob catches. But it's a hassle!

My main concern is that the door will accidentally/unknowingly be left
'open' and my cats (strictly indoor) will get out. The door has to be
opened many, many times a day because that's the only way for my dogs to
go out into the backyard to potty!

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

--

See Michael Jackson's many faces: www.smartassproducts.com/fun.shtml#jacko

My main concern is that the door will accidentally/unknowingly be left
'open' and my cats (strictly indoor) will get out. The door has to be
opened many, many times a day because that's the only way for my dogs to
go out into the backyard to potty!

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Spring-loaded hinges, or an automatic door-closer,

"ScrubsFan" wrote
My house settles in various ways depending on the time of year and the
weather conditions. Right now, it's causing something it's never done
before and I don't know what to do about it. My French doors are not
catching when they're closed, and it's almost impossible to lock the
deadbolt. Just FYI, the French doors are double, both sides are actual
doors, but one side is always kept locked in place. I've been shoving
some wadded up paper between the top of the door and the frame, and
that's doing an okay job of pushing the door down slightly enough so
that the doorknob catches. But it's a hassle!

My main concern is that the door will accidentally/unknowingly be left
'open' and my cats (strictly indoor) will get out. The door has to be
opened many, many times a day because that's the only way for my dogs to
go out into the backyard to potty!

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Check for the obvious, loose hinges. Also, check to see if the doors have
adjustable hinges. Look for hex heads/Allen heads on the hinges, these type
of hinges can move your door to just about any position.