How to fix broken privacy door handle?

[ttaggart]

I tried absolutely  everything watched utube videos nothing would work so i tryied breaking the handle off hing i could hpen it from the inside but it's still jammed. Any idea how I gmcan fix this ?

 

 

 

[Neo19]

Hi @ttaggart 

I had a similar issue with my bathroom door handle that had a privacy lock, and @MitchellMc suggested a fix that worked perfectly for me.

He suggested removing the black rubber 'O' ring on the spindle.

Are you able to see a black rubber ring inside? 

I shared my experience in this post. You might find it helpful as the advice I received was spot-on! 😊

By the way, do you happen to know the name of the manufacturer? That could help with finding the right fix!

[JacobZ]

Hi @ttaggart,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

As @Neo19 has mentioned above, if you know the manufacturer of the handle, this might help as we can check out the technical drawings to see if they shed any light.

As a starting point for your continued troubleshooting, try poking the spindle out the other side of the door through the central hole. You can then use a flathead screwdriver or piece of the spindle from your side of the door to rotate the lock mechanism. Not sure if this will work, but worth a try.

Also, sometimes a slight misalignment with the latch can cause it to jam. If you use a block and a chisel or screwdriver placed under the door to lever the door up while using the above method, this might cause the tongue to retract. Once again, I'm not sure this will work, but worth a try before moving on.

Do you have any way of accessing the inside of the room? Maybe through a window?

If the locking mechanism is activated from the other side of the door, the only way I can think to get the door open from this side is to be quite destructive. Considering you've already broken the handle off, I suspect you'll be replacing the handle so this won't be an issue.

With locks like this, there is usually a lever or pin on the inside that activates the locking mechanism

On your door, there are 3 holes drilled. Two of these holes are for the screws that run through the door and attach to the opposite handle, and I suspect one was drilled by mistake in the exact location where this lever should be.

If you drill straight through this hole, through the latch mechanism, you should be able to disconnect this lever which should stop the doors' ability to lock. You can then rotate the latch to retract the tongue.

If you try this and still have no success, you might need to consider calling a locksmith.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob