Bathroom Door Latch, Or Lack Thereof

[hussieskunk]

I am looking for some advice on how to fix a bathroom door. Specifically, making sure that it remains latched / closed during transit, during leveled position and unleveled positions.

Some history: Upon pick up last year, the door was not quite installed correctly. The top stuck out from the frame further than the bottom, the hinge side was flush to the door frame, the right (doorknob/latch) side was not flush. The door closed and latched at that time. We asked the RV dealership to realign the door in the frame, so the top to bottom was flush, but their efforts were done with the vehicle unleveled. Upon first look, it appeared to have worked, but once the RV was leveled the door would no longer latch and stay shut. Once I was home, I leveled the RV and proceeded to make my own adjustments. I was able to get the latch and strike plate to align - perfect I thought. A closed and latched door... However, once I unleveled and began to travel, the door was binding in the strike plate; and once opened, it remained open because nothing aligned.

So today's problem is this: I have moved the strike plate up and down so many times, the door jamb looks like an M-16 was used to drill holes in it. The door will not latch when leveled, nor will it remain shut when travelling. I have a swinging door that will not shut, all the time. I am running out of door jamb area for more adjustments to the location of the strike plate. I am reluctant to go back to the dealership, even though we are still under warranty (I just would rather not deal with them).

Does anyone have a suggestion, advice or a solution to properly aligning an interior door?

Note that my final solution will be magnets to hold the door shut. The wif says that is unacceptable, that we paid for a door knob with latch and lock, "Fix it!", she says. I am looking for any thoughts! Thanks!

[REWahoo]

I have the same problem on our Eagle HT 5th wheel and hope someone has an easy fix.

[hussieskunk]

bump

[Grumpy]

Not sure what wall space you have, but I used one of these on a bedroom door to keep it open when traveling.

[hussieskunk]

Thanks Grumpy. I think what I am really after is how to hang the door so that it latches shut both leveled and unleveled.

[TWP723]

Can you take a pic of what the jam looks like now and the hardware?

[hussieskunk]

I'll get some pics this weekend. Not sure what I am going to do yet, but I'm thinking magnets may be the temporary fix.

[cabinetmaker]

take the striker plate off. Use some wood glue and match sticks or toothpicks and fill each hole in door jamb with glue and as many match sticks or toothpicks as you can cram in. Use plenty of glue. Let this dry good and then trim the match sticks or toothpicks flush. A light sanding will help.

Now your back to new again. Try not to put the sticker on wrong. You might try making the hole in the strike plate larger where the latch goes into, Use a dremel tool or file.

Also it sure sounds like the actual latch on the door doesn't stick out enough. I would remove that from the door and see if you can make the latch stick out towards the door jamb more.

If this doesn't work try and shim the door on the hinge side. You will have to remove the hinges and make some thin shims out of very thin material. It doesn't take much. I have used anything handy that you can cut and is thin enough. You might need a couple at top and none at bottom or vice verse or maybe one all the way down. Trial and error here. Don't overtighten the screws until your happy with the adjustment then tighten. If one is a little loose stick a toothpick in the hole and break off then replace the screw.

Hope that helps...sure seems odd that your leveling the motorhome makes that much of a change in the door. Seems odd that the floor and walls are moving that much. I don't notice any change when level or just sitting.

My driveway slops down and I used the levelers to bring the front of the motorhome up once. The front tires came off the ground! I since just use blocks. Anyway, the only thing I noticed was the entrance door was a bit tight opening and closing. Nothing inside.

Good luck and let us know how this works out. Very unusual problem.

[hussieskunk]

With a Uname like cabinetmaker, I feel your advice is probably well found through much experience!!

I will give all of this a try and see what I come up with. I agree that the key may be to increase the size of the opening for the latch and striker plate. I figure if I can measure where the latch is when leveled and unleveled, I can center the strike plate in that span and be back to normal. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the great advice!

[Tumbleweed44]

I seems to me that the issue is the door latch bolt is moving relative to the strike plate. Perhaps you could use a longer strike plate?

[hussieskunk]

Now we'e talking! Where do you find those? Hardware store I imagine?

EDIT: Found it on Amazon. Guaranteed delivery by Monday.

[rodpod]

I had the same issue on a 2018 Greyhawk 29MV. Shim the hinges and or lock strike on the jam. I used small washers. Worked for me.

[Tumbleweed44]

Originally Posted by hussieskunk

Now we'e talking! Where do you find those? Hardware store I imagine?

EDIT: Found it on Amazon. Guaranteed delivery by Monday.

Keep us updated. Your solution might help others.

[hussieskunk]

UPDATE: I got the part from Amazon, sadly its not the right color to match the existing trim package inside, but a little spray paint and it'll be fine.

Prior to installing the new strike plate, I took a shot at straightening the door again by shimming the hinges. This worked, as I was able to get the door to close smoothly, both when leveled and unleveled.

I need to take the rig to the service center for an oil change and 371 point inspection, at which time the real test will take place: see if the door remains shut while driving down the road. If it stays closed, I think I'm good, if not, I will install the new strike plate. I'll post pictures and the final update later this week.

[hussieskunk]

UPDATE:; Just got back from a ten day trip through NC, SC, FL and back through SC/NC. The shims on the hinges did the trick. No need to change the strike plate. In fact, I relocated the strike plate to its original position and everything worked well.

My workflow was to use the top hinge as the guide, left it fully installed. Loosened the lowest hinge from the door frame and found a shim that would allow it to match the upper hinge's distance from the frame -- basically squaring the door to the frame. Once done I tacked (didn't run the screws in completely) the lower hinge and repeated on the center hinge. Its a little tight working on the middle hinge, but doable. The door remained closed during transit, worked when leveled and unleveled. So very pleased with myself on that one!

Pleased with the black tank valve I attempted to replace only to find construction debris in the seals...dammit. Nasty despite thorough cleaning ahead of time.

[cabinetmaker]

[QUOTE=hussieskunk;656884]UPDATE:; Just got back from a ten day trip through NC, SC, FL and back through SC/NC. The shims on the hinges did the trick. No need to change the strike plate. In fact, I relocated the strike plate to its original position and everything worked well.

My workflow was to use the top hinge as the guide, left it fully installed. Loosened the lowest hinge from the door frame and found a shim that would allow it to match the upper hinge's distance from the frame -- basically squaring the door to the frame. Once done I tacked (didn't run the screws in completely) the lower hinge and repeated on the center hinge. Its a little tight working on the middle hinge, but doable. The door remained closed during transit, worked when leveled and unleveled. So very pleased with myself on that one!

Pleased with the black tank valve I attempted to replace only to find construction debris in the seals...dammit. Nasty despite thorough cleaning ahead of time.[/QUOTE

Great news! I've fixed a many a door by shimming like that...thanks for the update.