broken lock on sliding glass door

Question

Hello,

I have attached pictures showing the hardware I need to replace on my sliding glass door. The thumb latch which operated the locking mechanism sheared off. The frame is a light beige in color. This is the only door to my back yard so it gets used a lot. It was always difficult to lock-had to push the door closed and hold it tightly, then lock. The house is about 10 years old, but I've only been in it 4 years so not sure if the whole thing ever worked right. This may have caused the breakage to occur because of the force needed to hold the door tightly so the lock could grasp and hold in place.

Do you have something I can use beside the 'ol stick in the track I am currently using?

User submitted photos of patio door hardware.

Tom · Accepted Answer

Hello, thank you for contacting us. I think we have a few options a little better than a stick, yes. Let's start by looking at your thumb lever. I would recommend our 82-107 first. We find this works well for handle sets like yours. Unfortunately, at this time we are only able to get it in white. Would you be able to paint it?

As for the issue you have locking the door in general, this is probably caused by the mortise lock shown in your fourth picture. I think maybe all you need to do is adjust it. Do you see the third screw from the top? Unlike the other screws, this one has a slot, rather than a phillips head opening. This is an adjustment screw. If you turn this, it will extend or retract the reach of the mortise lock. Play with that and see if this helps.