Today’s Fixed-it Friday photos were sent in by David Shahriari of ALVB Outcomes, LLC.  These photos were taken in a school…the extra strikes are intended to address the excess clearance and allow the latch to engage.

Even if this is not a fire door assembly where clearances are strictly limited, the excess clearance causes a major security issue.  This lockset has a deadlatch – I just spent some time explaining this feature to a security officer at a high school.  When the door and hardware are installed properly, the latchbolt projects into the strike, and the auxiliary deadlatch is depressed by the strike.

With the auxiliary deadlatch in the correct position, the latchbolt can not be pried back with a screwdriver or credit card.  With the application shown in the photos below, the auxiliary deadlatch is not depressed by the strike, and it is very easy to push the latch in – even with a finger or pencil.

Three strikes on top of each other

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