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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   6177 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 12, 2023

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Got a DIY hack request regarding standard door locks like this: https://cdn.masterlock.com/product/orig/MLCOM_PRODUCT_WL0115.jpg

My parking garage has a number of exit stairways for those who don't want to wait for the elevator. The one most convenient to me recently had its door lever swapped from an always unlocked passage type (i.e. no keyway) to an always locked entry type (with keyway). The inside lever does not have a lock toggle button, so a key is required to open every time. It is quite bizarre--the door opens to an exit, and so has no reason to be secured from the inside, and I'd probably bet money that the fire marshal would have a problem with the new locked lever on an exit door. Additionally, none of the other exits are locked or have had their door levers replaced, so it cannot be some new security feature. Despite Chesterton's Fence and all, I can't help but think it's a strange mistake by a maintenance worker. The confusing part is I didn't recall the prior unlocked level as being broken in any way, so it's confusing why anyone would bother switching it in the first place.

Now, I'd like to continue using this exit. Rather than trying to find the relevant department and personnel to make a request, I'm hoping to just resolve this issue myself. I'm therefore looking for advice for the a) simplest and b) least sketchy solution.

Some ideas:

  1. Apply super glue to the latch bolt so it never releases

  2. Place gum in the strike plate so the latch bolt never latches

  3. Buy a cheap always unlocked door lever and swap it out for the locked version

Is one of the above better than the rest, or is there a better 4) that I'm not thinking of?

I feel weird about 3) in case anyone asks me wtf I'm doing swapping out the door levers. I don't quite think it's an arrestable offense since I'm not trying to gain access to a secured building (on the contrary, I'm trying to exit from an unsecured building), but still it feels weird. 1) and 2) have a minor downside in that they look like sabotage, whereas 3) might appear to be a different maintenance worker just randomly deciding to switch out the handle.

OP here. Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I ended up going with 4) stuff paper into the latch bole hole of the strike plate. Pretty low tech and much less conspicuous than replacing the whole lever. We'll see if anyone removes the paper in the coming weeks/months!

P.S. I also thought of a possible 5), where you place a small adhesive rubber bumper pad on the door frame where a closed door would directly strike, thus just barely preventing the latch bolt from catching due to the extra distance. But I think 4) is still comparatively simpler and therefore more elegant.

I second @netstack's suggestion. A high-vis vest is great for social engineering.

Screw a filler plate on top the existing latch plate? Something like this. Non-destructive and easy to reverse.

The traditional method is to put a brick at the foot of the door. If it’s a stairwell, this is a bad idea for fire reasons, but for an exterior I’d think it’s fine. As a bonus, it’s a low-stakes way to see if someone will come and close it.

I do think (3) would be kind of funny. Make sure to wear your hi-vis vest!

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