Door Alignment Guide: Fixing the 'Jamming Deadbolt'

Executive Summary

If you have to push, pull, or lift your door handle to lock the deadbolt, your smart lock will fail.

Humans have 50lbs of muscle to force a misaligned door. A smart lock motor has a tiny plastic gear. It cannot overcome friction. Alignment is the #1 cause of Smart Lock Battery Drain and Failure.

The Diagnosis: The "Lipstick Test"

How do you know exactly where it's rubbing?

1. Apply Lipstick: Put a visible color (red/pink) on the flat face of your deadbolt latch.
2. Close Door: Close the door normally.
3. Turn Lock: Try to lock it so the bolt hits the strike plate.
4. Open & Inspect: Look at the brass strike plate on the frame.
   • Mark is High: Door has sagged.
   • Mark is Low: Door is too high (rare).
   • Mark is Tight against weatherstripping: Door needs to close tighter.

The Fixes (Ranked by Difficulty)

Level 1: The Strike Plate Grind (Metal File)

If the misalignment is minor (< 2mm), use a metal file (bastard file) or a Dremel tool.

• Action: Grind away the lip of the strike plate hole where the lipstick mark is.
• Result: The hole becomes slightly larger, allowing the bolt to slide in freely.

Level 2: The "3-Inch Screw" Trick (Hinge Adjustment)

If the door is sagging (rubbing at the top), tightening the top hinge can pull it back.

1. Remove the middle screw from the top hinge (on the frame side).
2. Replace it with a 3-inch hardened wood screw.
3. Drive it deep. This screw reaches past the decorative frame and bites into the house's 2x4 stud.
4. Result: It physically pulls the entire door frame up and back, lifting the latch.

Level 3: Move the Strike Plate

If it's way off, you must move the plate.

1. Remove the plate.
2. Fill the old holes with toothpicks and wood glue (or dowels).
3. Drill new pilot holes in the correct spot.
4. Reinstall.

Smart Lock "Calibration"

Most smart locks (August, Yale, Schlage) have a "Calibration" step.

• What it does: It measures the friction.
• Warning: If you calibrate a misaligned door, the lock might work, but it will burn through batteries in 3 weeks instead of 6 months because the motor is straining every time. Fix the door first, then calibrate.

Related Tools

• Installation Cost Estimator: If you can't fix it, hire a pro.
• Battery Life Calculator: See how much friction costs you in batteries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my lock jam only in winter?

Thermal Expansion. Wooden doors swell in humidity (Summer) and shrink in dry cold (Winter). A gap that is perfect in July might cause jamming in January. Solution: Make the strike plate hole slightly wider vertically to accommodate seasonal movement.

Can I just use WD-40?

NO. WD-40 attracts dust and turns into grit/glue. Use Graphite Powder or Teflon (PTFE) Spray inside the keyway and on the bolt. It lubricates without sticky residue.