Re: The real problem with Kwikset-NEW

[akhdrider]

Hello to all.

I am renting a double wide and when we moved in there was no lock, door knob on the master bedroom door.
We have been here over 6 months.. still no door knob.
Then, our main exterior door knob keeps coming un screwed.. so I kept screwing in the screws...
Until it finally just fell off...
I called the owner he brought over door knobs and locks and hung them in a bag on our door.

Our furnace went out so the owner had to come to fix it and I told him about the door knob on the exterior door that HE CAME THROUGH while fixing the furnace.. (I had duct tape over the hole where the door knob was to be to keep the cold out)... and I had to leave. He stayed to fix the furnace.
When I got back, the tape was still on the door, no door knob, lock installed.
When i phoned him to ask why he did not install the door knob, lock.. he said he that I should install it myself that the door knobs keep falling off because it is my fault, that he has never had a problem with door knobs before.

I got pissed and told him that if he would not buy the cheapest door knobs in the world, maybe the screws would stay in them.. he hung up.

I need an outside opinion...
Is it normal for Kwickset door knobs to have the 2 screws that hold them together to keep backing off and the door knobs coming off?

Should it be the job of the rentor to keep fixing the cheap door knobs?

What do YOU all suggest to cure this problem?

Thanks for any thoughts offered...

[Monkeyleg]

I don't know if it's "normal", but it's common.

Go to a hardware store or auto parts store and get some LocTite Blue. I emphasize blue because the red stuff is semi-permanent and requires high heat to remove.

[Boomhauer]

Ive never had this problem and we pretty much use Kwikset (I know, I know, but try convincing parents they need to buy better locks at higher cost...although I will admit the standard residential door provides little resistance regardless of the lock) anyway, loctite should fix it.

[zxcvbob]

Whatever the weak loctite is; blue or purple.  (NOT green, it it stronger than red and it wicks)

[Ron]

Maybe the door is so cheap that it flexes allowing the screws to work loose.

Anyway, as mentioned, the blue LocTite will solve the issue.

[lee n. field]

Ditto, blue LocTite.

although I will admit the standard residential door provides little resistance regardless of the lock) anyway, loctite should fix it.

We lived 2 different trailers from '79 to '91.  I think I could have gotten through the walls, eventually, with a Buck lockback knife.

[White Horseradish]

The cheapest locks I will buy any more are Schlage. Not that they are all that wonderful, but everything else is worse.

[Hawkmoon]

I need an outside opinion...
Is it normal for Kwickset door knobs to have the 2 screws that hold them together to keep backing off and the door knobs coming off?

Yes, it is normal. There might be a cheaper, flimsier, worse lockset brand somewhere than Kwikset but, if there is, I haven't found it yet.

Should it be the job of the rentor to keep fixing the cheap door knobs?

It shouldn't be, but if you have that type of landlord, apparently it becomes so. What does the lease say about maintenance and repairs?

Add another vote for blue Loctite.

[Boomhauer]

Ditto, blue LocTite.

We lived 2 different trailers from '79 to '91.  I think I could have gotten through the walls, eventually, with a Buck lockback knife.

It would not have taken long at all.

[Balog]

Ditto, blue LocTite.

We lived 2 different trailers from '79 to '91.  I think I could have gotten through the walls, eventually, with a Buck lockback knife.

I grew up in a pair of single wides joined by a makeshift breezeway. The walls were wuite literally the 16" OC studs with cheap aluminium siding on the outside and 1/8" wood grain paneling on the inside. The only thing in between was the occasional weed that grew up from the outside and penetrated between the siding.

[brimic]

The cheapest locks I will buy any more are Schlage. Not that they are all that wonderful, but everything else is worse.

Me too.

[RevDisk]

Is it normal for Kwickset door knobs to have the 2 screws that hold them together to keep backing off and the door knobs coming off?

Should it be the job of the rentor to keep fixing the cheap door knobs?

What do YOU all suggest to cure this problem?

Yes, two screws are common. Because doors can be different widths, and this arrangement makes the lock reasonably width adjustable. You can use an epoxy or LocTite. I wouldn't if I had any alternative, but if you must, you must.

Technically, no.

I'd be happy to rent a place where the owner would not mind if I changed the locks. They typically buy crap locks, and I like decent ones because I'm a horrible locksnob. If you want to go low price and reasonable quality, buy Brinks branded locks from Walmart. Fortress and Kwikset brands are not so good. Brinks is as good, or better, than Schlage residential locks. Their commercial locks are typically not insanely drastically more secure, but very durable construction. Reason being is that most commercial entities re-do their keying anyways, so no sense dumping money into better lock cylinders than you have to. But either would work.

Yes, it is normal. There might be a cheaper, flimsier, worse lockset brand somewhere than Kwikset but, if there is, I haven't found it yet.

I have a bunch of those, obviously. Believe it or not, they can be more challenging to pick than you'd think. Better locks are more crisp, and give better feedback when lifting pins. Tradeoff is the worse no-name zinc junk may be hard to pick, but I can rip the handle off with relative ease.

[White Horseradish]

I'm not worried about pick resistance - I have a  four foot window next tot he door. I would like, however, for the lock to not fail internally in a year and make me get a screwdriver to leave the house. Schlage light commercial line is pretty good for that.

[Hawkmoon]

The cheapest locks I will buy any more are Schlage. Not that they are all that wonderful, but everything else is worse.

Last I knew Schlage had three (or maybe it was four) different grades of unit locksets in their catalog. For the lowest grade, residential front door lockset, the price at a local locksmith shop several years ago was $130.

Lowe's has a Schlage entry lockset for about $25. It is made only for Lowe's (and maybe Home Depot), and you will NOT find it in Schlage's catalog. It's made to compete against ... Kwikset.

If you want a lock that's going to survive more than a year or two, go to a lock shop, not a big box store.

[White Horseradish]

If you want a lock that's going to survive more than a year or two, go to a lock shop, not a big box store.

I would like, however, for the lock to not fail internally in a year and make me get a screwdriver to leave the house. Schlage light commercial line is pretty good for that.

The light commercial is a bit more than the $35 lock, but not so much more as to be unmanageable. Built way better. Also, Schlage budget line is "Dexter by Schlage" - those are just awful.

[Brad Johnson]

akhdrider,

I am a licenced broker with thirteen years of residential real estate experience, including rental management.

If the missing or failed lockset is creating an unsafe or unsecure condition (impeding easy exit, not securing entry from unwanted persons, etc) then most states have regs dictating the owner remedy the issue.  Do they always?  Nope.  The fact that you are renting a double-wide is indicative of the owner/landlord's commitment to quality and safety.  In general, folks who own trailers as rental property are purely cash-flow oriented and will effect whatever actions are required to maximize it.  (translation... they aren't in it to keep up the property and make you a happy, long-term renter.  They are cheap &^%! who don't give a rat's patoot what's right, proper, or legal as long as they can get away with it.)  Could you contact the regulating body in your state and get the owner to fix the issue under threat of legal action?  Probably.  But you would also likely find yourself in the crosshairs of a decidedly unhappy landlord who's just waiting for you to make a misstep. 

In other words... Install the replacement lockset using threadlocker as other have recommended, then forget about it.  You'll spend more time grousing about it than it will take to fix it, and nagging the landlord will only land you squarely on his bad side.

Brad