I had a Schlage locking door knob on my front door. The dead latch froze up. I took it apart and was going to just replace the dead latch, but found that I could get the same type of Schlage door knob that was nonlocking for about the same price. I didn't want a locking door knob anyway since I have a deadbolt.
I installed it and it worked well except the door didn't latch far enough in to be perfectly even with my deadbolt. The only difference between locking and nonlocking besides the cylinder is that the latch on the nonlocking doesn't have a separate latch plunger. The old door knob's latch plunger was closing the door tighter and inline with the deadbolt. I fixed that problem by bending the tab inside the striker plate out more (luckily my original stiker plate had a slot on the inside tab to easily adjust with a flatblade screw driver, while the new striker inside tab did not) this link shows the parts I'm referring to http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20297849,00.html .
Now here's my question about the latch plunger. As I explained originally my latch plunger was latching into the striker and holding the door in more. But according to Schlage's instructions the latch plunger is not suppose to enter the striker plate hole. See step 7 here http://consumer.schlage.com/Project Documents/P515-302-SH2-c.pdf.
That doesn't make much sense. I thought the purpose of the latch plunger was to engage latch bolt to prevent it from being pried open from outside. How is it going to do that if it installed so that it is pushed down level with the striker plate? And also my door was a pre-hung with the door jamb striker and deadbolt mortise precut if I recall and everything lined up pefectly with the bolt plunger going into the striker hole and with no adjustments.
I installed it and it worked well except the door didn't latch far enough in to be perfectly even with my deadbolt. The only difference between locking and nonlocking besides the cylinder is that the latch on the nonlocking doesn't have a separate latch plunger. The old door knob's latch plunger was closing the door tighter and inline with the deadbolt. I fixed that problem by bending the tab inside the striker plate out more (luckily my original stiker plate had a slot on the inside tab to easily adjust with a flatblade screw driver, while the new striker inside tab did not) this link shows the parts I'm referring to http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20297849,00.html .
Now here's my question about the latch plunger. As I explained originally my latch plunger was latching into the striker and holding the door in more. But according to Schlage's instructions the latch plunger is not suppose to enter the striker plate hole. See step 7 here http://consumer.schlage.com/Project Documents/P515-302-SH2-c.pdf.
That doesn't make much sense. I thought the purpose of the latch plunger was to engage latch bolt to prevent it from being pried open from outside. How is it going to do that if it installed so that it is pushed down level with the striker plate? And also my door was a pre-hung with the door jamb striker and deadbolt mortise precut if I recall and everything lined up pefectly with the bolt plunger going into the striker hole and with no adjustments.