Residential & Commercial Security - Locks, Keys & Dead Bolts - Dead bolt doesn't come off with just two screws!

Hi gang,

I am replacing dead bolts on the doors of my house and found that the dead bolt on one of the doors came off by taking out two screws - this is what I'm used to. On the other two doors, the dead bolts are the kind with locks on both sides, I think they are called double cyllinder....you need a key to unlock either side.

I've taken two screws out of each side of these locks and they still won't come apart. Does anyone know how to take these double cyllinder dead bolts OFF of a door? I don't see any way to pry them off (the door would be damaged). Is there a locking mechanism within the lock some how that I need to get to?

Thanks!
Brian

Good afternoon Bmurf. The two screws in the interior should be all that holds the deadbolts together. If the doors are painted; probably the paint is all that's holding the lock to the door. Cut around the edge of the deadbolt where it meets the door with a utility knife and give it a light tap with a hammer. That should break it loose.
Let us know how you make out and if it doesn't work let us know what make the deadbolts are. The name will be stamped on the plate on the edge of the door.

Hi Lew,

Thanks for the reply.

Usually, the collar on one side of the lock will screw off with a few twists, allowing everything to come apart - however the collar just twists forever. The break between the painted surface and the lock is obvious - there is a little space there and the parts that are butted up against the door move slightly when I try to get the lock apart so I know it's not painted to the door.


And again, this is a 4-screw lock, not a typical 2-screw. I have removed all four screws already.

This lock is REALLY firmly on that door somehow and if I try to pry it off the door, I know I'll damage the door. It shouldn't be THIS hard to get off?

Brian

Hi Brian
You didn't happen to find the manufacturer of the deadbolt did you? That could help us a lot. Possibly the body of the deadbolt is really tight in the hole in the door. You can use a small prybar of screwdriver to lever it out of the hole. Just put a thin piece of wood between the pry and the door to avoid damage to the door.
It would really help if you could give us a manufacturer's name.
I'm sure we'll hear from you soon.
Good luck.

Sometimes there is a scalp on the inside of the lock that needs to be pried off at the edge to access screws that hold the lock together. There are also some that have small holes on the inside to access small allen head screws.

How long are the screws you removed from the lock? I saw another type of lock that uses drive in plugs to cover the screw holes once they are installed. You would see a couple of round areas flush with the face of the lock. This was on a Schlage lock but did not have any other screws on the face.