certainteed patio door

Question

We have a CertainTeed sliding patio door that was installed in 2005. The door uses a latch that swings up to lock. Unfortunately a guest of ours seems to have forced the latch into a locked position and it will not unlock. We removed the cover plate and handle but that offered no solution. With the cover removed and using just the 1/4" sq latch handle, we attempted to force the latch open. However, the latch handle rotated within the lock body. The lock end of the latch handle is cut about 3/4" down the center of the 1/4" bar so this is what is allowing the shaft to compress and rotate with the lock spindle (picture attached). We also lowered the bottom adjustment screws on the door thinking that might help drop the latch but this was also unsuccessful.

What suggestion or solution can you offer for getting the door to unlatch.

User submitted a photo of a patio door latch.

Tom · Accepted Answer

It sounds like you may have a broken mortise lock. A good way to confirm is to remove the latch and try to throw the mortise manually with a screwdriver. If the same problem persists, it needs to be replaced. Our 82-238 might be a match, but there are no guarantees. Carefully look it over and see what you think.