Remove deadbolt with no visible latch
#1
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Remove deadbolt with no visible latch
I'm trying to remove this Schlage lock and deadbolt so I can install an electronic keypad. I got the knob off by pressing a flathead screwdriver on a little latch on the shaft, and I used the same method to loosen the bottom of the trim plate. But I can't get the deadbolt off. So the top of the trim plate is still stuck in place.
I keep reading that there should be a similar latch on the shaft of the deadbolt that I can press to release the thumbturn so I can pry it off. Problem is, the trim plate covers the entire shaft.
If it's not clear from the pictures, the "bump" behind the thumbturn is part of the trim plate. There's absolutely no gap between the thumbturn and the plate.
I've used a flashlight to peer under the trim plate from below and looked for a hidden release mechanism there. I can't see anything resembling either a pinhole or a latch sticking out that I can depress. I've tried shoving paperclips and screwdrivers under the plate and poking around. No dice.
If it matters, the deadbolt and door knob below are connected such that you can open the deadbolt by turning the knob. I don't know if that means there's a different mechanism for removing the bolt.
Advice welcome.
Thanks!
I keep reading that there should be a similar latch on the shaft of the deadbolt that I can press to release the thumbturn so I can pry it off. Problem is, the trim plate covers the entire shaft.
If it's not clear from the pictures, the "bump" behind the thumbturn is part of the trim plate. There's absolutely no gap between the thumbturn and the plate.
I've used a flashlight to peer under the trim plate from below and looked for a hidden release mechanism there. I can't see anything resembling either a pinhole or a latch sticking out that I can depress. I've tried shoving paperclips and screwdrivers under the plate and poking around. No dice.
If it matters, the deadbolt and door knob below are connected such that you can open the deadbolt by turning the knob. I don't know if that means there's a different mechanism for removing the bolt.
Advice welcome.
Thanks!
#2
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I'm long retired and not too familiar with Schlage residential, but here goes.
1. Vewing the "shank" of the inside knob from the door edge, look for a spring loaded retainer that can be depressed allowing you to pull the knob off.
2. I suspect the thumturn is remains attached to the trim plate.
3. Look on the bottom of the large inside rectangular trim plate for a spring loaded retainer. I think there will most likely be some sort of dimple on the bottom, indicating that the edge of the thin trim is to ge gently pried from the surface of the door.
If you don't find what I've described or are unsure, wait. Hopefully someone with explicit knowledge of your lockset will be along soon.
2. I suspect the thumturn is remains attached to the trim plate.
3. Look on the bottom of the large inside rectangular trim plate for a spring loaded retainer. I think there will most likely be some sort of dimple on the bottom, indicating that the edge of the thin trim is to ge gently pried from the surface of the door.
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Thanks, but that's what I've already done. I got the knob off by depressing that rectangular spring-loaded mechanism, and I did the same to the trim plate.
At that point, the bottom half of the trim plate could be pried away from the door, but the top half was stuck, held firmly in place by the deadbolt thumbturn. It does not appear that the thumbturn comes off with the trim plate, or at least not with the amount of force I felt comfortable applying.
Thanks anyway!
At that point, the bottom half of the trim plate could be pried away from the door, but the top half was stuck, held firmly in place by the deadbolt thumbturn. It does not appear that the thumbturn comes off with the trim plate, or at least not with the amount of force I felt comfortable applying.
Thanks anyway!
#4
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Don't think I ever ran across one of these, but it's an "H" series interconnected lock that, according to my old 2004 Schlage catalog exploded view, shows the trim plate simply snapping on to a thicker steel plate under it, that houses the gear train that interconnects the knob and deadbolt. It shows the tailpiece from the key cylinder inserting into a slot in the thumbturn, like a typical Schlage deadbolt, so it should just slid off. If the lock is quite old, there may have been some rust built up between the tailpiece and the slot, so it may take some extra persuasion to get it off. Also be sure you're prying on just the trim plate and not the underlying gear train plate.
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Thanks. Unfortunately, I was unable to get the thumbturn to slide off. Also, the trim plate is directly adjacent to the door, and there was no thicker plate underneath it, unless maybe it was inside the door.
The landlord tried to remove the lock yesterday and was unable to figure it out either. He's going to send a locksmith over, and he instructed me to film the removal. This one's a doozy.
The landlord tried to remove the lock yesterday and was unable to figure it out either. He's going to send a locksmith over, and he instructed me to film the removal. This one's a doozy.
#6
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The thicker plate is only 1/4" or less thick, and would be completely concealed under the trim plate, but of course, this could have been a short-lived design none of us are aware of.....by all means, let us know how the smithy removes it!
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Rstripe, you were right! The locksmith's quote was more than I wanted to pay, so I took your advice, pried at various parts of the plate with various tools for a good half an hour, bloodying up my fingers in the process, and finally got it off when I applied my largest pliers to the thumbturn. Googling "Schlage H series" and finding an exploded diagram that exactly matched the lock in front of me gave me greater confidence in applying the increasing amounts of force necessary, until it finally yielded.
Thanks for your help! You're a wizard!
Thanks for your help! You're a wizard!