jaysonc
Active Member
I did not think about loading of the strike either initially, so I didn't fix it. I was lucky. My wife and I found that this "Feature" fixed our laundry door issue.
When we unlock the strike. It will click like normal, but does not actually unlock. To finish the unlock process you have to remove the pressure created by the door seals. My wife and I do this by either pressing then pulling the door slightly. (or the opposite depending on the door). This releases the pressure and allows the strike to completely unlock.
This works with my laundry issue because when we just walk by the garage door to the laundry, the strike will click, but since we do not relieve the pressure it does not finish the unlock. We let the timeout will re-lock it.
To get around this behavior, you can purchase a "loadable electronic strike". These will completely unlock even if there is pressure on them. I know that a company called HES makes one. There may be others.
A final item to note about my install is that on rare occasions, the door can open on its own. I have tracked this down to the convergence of some rare factors. My laundry door issue and the fact that modern homes are very tightly sealed. I have noticed twice in 1.5 years that high wind conditions can cause an issue.
When wind passes by my garage door, it creates negative pressure on the outside of the door and relieves pressure on the strike. Also, if the wind blow over my chimney, it can create negative pressure on the inside of the door.
So combine these three situations in the correct order...
1. Wind starts blowing by the garage pulling on the door closed.
2. Walk by the door RTE motion triggering the strike to unlock.
3. Wind stops blowing by the garage before the strike auto-relocks. (this allows the door seal to push the door past the strike lock position).
4. Wind over the chimney starts to blow and pulls the door open.
5. Oops!.
I do have a plan to resolve this issue using a small maglock. My plan is to power the maglock for just a second every time the strike has relocked. I am planning to use the magnet to pull the door closed far enough that the strike completely locks. I do not plan on using the maglock to secure the door.
Unfortunately, I am still awaiting a building permit from the wife. She does not like the look of a maglock.
When we unlock the strike. It will click like normal, but does not actually unlock. To finish the unlock process you have to remove the pressure created by the door seals. My wife and I do this by either pressing then pulling the door slightly. (or the opposite depending on the door). This releases the pressure and allows the strike to completely unlock.
This works with my laundry issue because when we just walk by the garage door to the laundry, the strike will click, but since we do not relieve the pressure it does not finish the unlock. We let the timeout will re-lock it.
To get around this behavior, you can purchase a "loadable electronic strike". These will completely unlock even if there is pressure on them. I know that a company called HES makes one. There may be others.
A final item to note about my install is that on rare occasions, the door can open on its own. I have tracked this down to the convergence of some rare factors. My laundry door issue and the fact that modern homes are very tightly sealed. I have noticed twice in 1.5 years that high wind conditions can cause an issue.
When wind passes by my garage door, it creates negative pressure on the outside of the door and relieves pressure on the strike. Also, if the wind blow over my chimney, it can create negative pressure on the inside of the door.
So combine these three situations in the correct order...
1. Wind starts blowing by the garage pulling on the door closed.
2. Walk by the door RTE motion triggering the strike to unlock.
3. Wind stops blowing by the garage before the strike auto-relocks. (this allows the door seal to push the door past the strike lock position).
4. Wind over the chimney starts to blow and pulls the door open.
5. Oops!.
I do have a plan to resolve this issue using a small maglock. My plan is to power the maglock for just a second every time the strike has relocked. I am planning to use the magnet to pull the door closed far enough that the strike completely locks. I do not plan on using the maglock to secure the door.
Unfortunately, I am still awaiting a building permit from the wife. She does not like the look of a maglock.