You might just be able to fix the lock you have. If it's "not connecting to anything" then the door is probably hung crooked, or the house has warped or whatever.
You'd want to move the connecting piece on the doorframe, so that it would again line up with the thingiefloop that sticks out of the handle mechanism and moves backward and forward when you turn the handle. This would require moving the plate on the frame upward or downward so the floopy-thing hits it in the center.
You can just take the plate off the frame, chisel a bigger hole with the screwdriver, and move the plate up or down as necessary. You don't need a whole new latch. The old one should work unless the mechanism inside it is broken and the key no longer turns it.
Another way to fix it is to move the hinges on the door, so the door hangs straight and connects with the latch where it is now. But that's usually a LOT more work.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-08-27 08:31 am (UTC)You'd want to move the connecting piece on the doorframe, so that it would again line up with the thingiefloop that sticks out of the handle mechanism and moves backward and forward when you turn the handle. This would require moving the plate on the frame upward or downward so the floopy-thing hits it in the center.
You can just take the plate off the frame, chisel a bigger hole with the screwdriver, and move the plate up or down as necessary. You don't need a whole new latch. The old one should work unless the mechanism inside it is broken and the key no longer turns it.
Another way to fix it is to move the hinges on the door, so the door hangs straight and connects with the latch where it is now. But that's usually a LOT more work.