Schlage Door Knob locks me out

[jimest]

I have a schlage door lock from my house to my garage, when the door is locked and I turn the handle to take the trash out the door opens but remains locked, I find myself locked out of the house often.

Is there a way to set these locks so that when the knob is turned to open from the inside that it will "unlock" and stay unlocked?

Thanks,

Jim

[chfite]

You can diassemble the lockset and check to make sure the rod that engages the twist knob is inserted properly.

[gdunn]

You probably have what is called a Schlage F series entry lock. One of the 'features' of a Schlage F series lockset is the interior knob is always unlocked to allow free egress at all times. I am assuming this is your issue... does the lock button on the inside turn or does it turn and push in? If the button only turns it is a F Series.... if it turns and pushes in it is an A series Schlage. If the screws are visible on the inside of the lockset rose it is an F series... as the A series locks have concealed screws.

If you have an F series Schlage you are better off replacing it for a number of reasons. First being security. These locks are sold under the Grade 2 UL designation (meaning light duty commercial duty) ... but are likely one of the least durable grade 2 locks manufactured. These locks tend to yield quickly to a forced entry attack. I could gain entry into your home secured with this lock in under 5 seconds... no kidding.

Secondly, I have seen numerous F series locks malfunction over the years.. never giving any indication of problems until the befuddled home owners were forced to contact me (a locksmith) to help them gain entry. The primary issue appears to be the deadlatch. (the springy part that protrudes from the edge of the door) With use the deadlatch will sometimes break and prevent the door from being opened despite the fact the lock itself is unlocked. Schlage now offers a lifetime replacement warrenty on F series locks. Not that it will do you much good when you are stuck outside of your home at night.

Lastly, of all residential lockouts I have done over 10 years of working fulltime as a locksmith, approximately 70% of the homes had Schlage F series locks. It would appear you are not the only one having issues with getting locked out.

Hope this helps!

G. Dunn

[tokentoken]

i have these locks and i'm always getting locked out. looks like i can't change any internal settings to fix this problem. time to replace the locks.

[gnolivos]

My Gosh... I just bought an F-Series, and realized the design is TERRIBLE! I quickly figured out I was going to get locked outside often... I took it apart immediately and will return it. This is the worst design EVER for a lock. Is Schlage CRAZY?!?!

[GlobalLocky]

My Gosh... I just bought an F-Series, and realized the design is TERRIBLE! I quickly figured out I was going to get locked outside often... I took it apart immediately and will return it. This is the worst design EVER for a lock. Is Schlage CRAZY?!?!

They have a purpose and a use and are competitively priced.

I dont know many locksmiths that carry them because of the quality issues, but many customers seem to prefer to not shop at their locksmith but rather at their big box retailer and be served by people who have no idea as to what they are talking about.

In this price driven economy, you pay for what you get. If you want quality, then seek the advice of a professional. You still might be able to purchase a better quality product from them and still do it yourself, but at least you wont be steered down the wrong path.

[gnolivos]

This is going to soud rude, I know, but I read your post 3 times and see no purpose in it. Was there a point you were trying to make, directly tied to the issue I described?

You write like a robot! Was that a 'standard' response of sorts?

They have a purpose and a use and are competitively priced.

I dont know many locksmiths that carry them because of the quality issues, but many customers seem to prefer to not shop at their locksmith but rather at their big box retailer and be served by people who have no idea as to what they are talking about.

In this price driven economy, you pay for what you get. If you want quality, then seek the advice of a professional. You still might be able to purchase a better quality product from them and still do it yourself, but at least you wont be steered down the wrong path.

[GlobalLocky]

Well sir,

You obviously are reading something that is not there.

Do you do research before buying something or just believe what the *********shop assistant tells you?

The locks are designed purposely to cater to the many different uses as required by more than one demographic of customer.

Schlage have tailored a product to provide multiple uses, thereby reducing their production costs and consequently the retail price (of having more than one product).

[gnolivos]

No sir, I don't buy at the Home Depot thank you very much.

No, I did not research much. This was the ONLY lock that matched the exact style of the enture house, so my options are rather... limited?

Back to my original comment... what a poor design! Have a nice day.

[rstripe]

Well, the Schlage F-51, in it's various finishes & designs, has been one of the most successful & highest selling consumer-grade locks in the last 10 years....not bad for such a "poor" design! But the big-box stores can't satisfy 100% of the folks 100% of the time.
A visit to a full-line locksmith can show you that there are dozens of cylindrical lock function options---that is, mechanical arrangements of locking buttons & key cylinder. They are generally only available in higher-grade hardware that unfortunately will not match EXACTLY the F-51 lever design you have.
What most folks do to eliminate accidental lockouts AND improve security, is to replace the locking doorknob (lever, F-51, whatever) with a PASSAGE function, (I believe it's a F-10 in Schlage) in the same design, then install a deadbolt above.
(The Passage function does not lock, period)
Bingo! no lockouts, 4 times the security.

[GlobalLocky]

Thanks for the support rstripe....

Sometimes, it would be nice for the mods to show support of their regulars similarly.

cant have my cake and eat it too!

[rstripe]

Gotta watch those "Unnecessary Comments", Global! (LOL)

My previous post suggested a passage set with deadbolt, but if you already have a deadbolt, or don't need one, but would still like a keyed lever/knob lock that "won't lock you out" look at the Schlage AL50PD ......it uses a pushbutton that, when pushed in, locks the outer knob, and pops out when you turn the inner knob to go out. It's a medium-grade commercial lock, so it'll be more expensive, and you'll have to specify
2-3/8" backset, (for residential standard), but you'll end up with a lock that'll last forever in a residential setting.

There's a couple of other brands with the same function, and probably cheaper than Schlage, so check with your local smithy.

[pbaker01]

I also find the design of the Schlage F-Series to be unacceptable. I bought the lock as a replacement and as soon as I noticed that the interior knob is always unlocked I decided to take it back.. I knew that if I didn't take it back I would find myself locked out..

[GlobalLocky]

I unlocked a door for a customer the other day, who did not realise they had locked the door similarly.

They had their car in the driveway and the auto garage opener would not work due to a broken garage door return spring. Picked the lock in a second, after opening the garage door from outside by disengaging the release pull.

NEVER go out without your front door key.

[rstripe]

Most manufacturers have gone to the "always unlocked" inner lever entry function lockset to improve the life-safety aspect....ie., no need to fumble with a little turn-button, in a panic-exit situation, etc.

Read post #10 for my lock-out solution, or hide a key outside.

[Westside]

Hi.

I'm having a similar issue with some sort of Schlage handle. (I'm having a hard time finding which model number it is.) Though I'm presuming it's an F series of some sort. Push button lock inside and a key for the outside. The rumor is that it will lock behind people, though I've had issues getting it to lock at all. I see that the answer is probably just replace the whole thing but I'd like to know what to look at when I take it apart to figure out why the push button is acting up.

Any insight is appreciated, thanks!

[mitch17]

I can see a push button sometimes failing to catch or getting somehow otherwise disengaged and leaving the device unlocked but physics and thermodynamics seem to be against this device locking itself

[rstripe]

Don't know the age or use/abuse history of your lock, but usually a few drops of oil
on the locking cam & other wear parts will restore smooth action....don't spend too much time on an F series tho, they are low cost & not designed to be a heavy duty lock.

[BudNTX]

We recently discovered this "feature" when my 90 year old father got locked out for almost an hour one morning. He has parkinson's so this could have potentially been deadly. I immediately swapped out the Schlage locksets with Kwikset. This is not just a nuisance but downright dangerous – especially if you have young children or elderly living with you. The dangers of this deceptive feature far outweigh any benefits that you could get from it.

[mitch17]

Deceptive? It's not deceptive. It is what it is - I've lived with these locks for more than 30 years and never been locked out.

That said, if you have a problem with this design, switching to a different line of locks which does not act this way is the right decision, kudos on doing that instead of just complaining about it.

[jerichoh]

I have a house full of door set locks that all work the same way.
The button can lock the door but will unlock when you close door. The key will only open door but will not lock door. Can this function be changed so that I can lock door and leave the room?
Thanks for any help.

[GlobalLocky]

Not without replacing locks

[jerichoh]

I forgot to mention that these were baldwin/schlage locks.
What kind of function is it that will not allow you to lock the door and leave the room? Anybody know what it is called and the purpose?

Thanks

[minifhncc]

Anybody know what it is called and the purpose?

I think they're called "storeroom sets", which is pretty self explanatory.

[GlobalLocky]

All Baldwin locksets are guaranteed for life from the manufacturer. Just call them up, explain your issue and they will send a replacement part FREE.

Storeroom function is, "always locked on the outside".

Entrance function differs brand to brand, usually a turnbutton inside will lock the outside handle, leaving inside unlocked for emergency escape.

Classroom function is "key locks and unlocks outside handle - inside is always unlocked"

Classroom secure function is "inside or outside key locks and unlocks outside handle only - inside is always unlocked"

[minifhncc]

And I think institutional function is something like "always locked on inside and outside, key retracts the latch"...

[jerichoh]

How so? These locks do not allow you to lock a room up and walk away as you would with a storeroom. They only allow you to lock yourself in the room.

[goldstar]

"institutional function"

Think cell block A to cell block B. No key - you can't go where you don't belong.

[jerichoh]

Thank you all for your input.
Although, I still don't think any of the functions exactly match these locksets. The keys will NOT lock the door, only open it. The inside button will lock door if it is closed but if you lock the door first, then close door the lock will pop open. So, you can lock yourself in the room but you CANNOT lock door and go away.
What kind of function would that be?
Thanks
BTW The normal default position on these locks is OPEN.
So, I do not think they could be considered "institutional". You can ONLY lock yourself in the room.

[Gunguy45]

Well, sounds like the same function as a bathroom lockset....only with a key instead of the little hole that you insert a tool or small screwdriver in.

[Furd]

I'm pretty sure that function is called a privacy lock. Having to use a key, as opposed to just a pin of some sort means it is probably some kind of institutional lock. This would prevent just anyone with a nail or such from opening the door while someone was taking a dump. If someone WAS in trouble then an employee could use the key to open the door.