Residential & Commercial Security - Locks, Keys & Dead Bolts - Schlage Door Knob locks me out

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

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

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

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.

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?!?!

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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!

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.