I have a front door that clicks extremely loudly when it is closed. I noticed that the key teeth need to be pointed up when unlocking (all others in my house are teeth down).
Is it possible that the doorknob is upside down and that may explain the unusually loud noise it makes? Or is it something more complex?
not really. the cylinder (the part you put your key in) has five pins in the upper part of the cylinder (master pins) backed by five springs. there's another set of pins in the movable part (cylinder) that move up when the correct key is pushed in. when the master pins are flush with the (shear line) the cylinder turns and a pawl at the cylinder's backside engages the lock mechanism to open the door. you could try putting some thin weatherstripping on the door stop (moulding) to quiet down the closing
The lockset should operate as freely as possible. during manufacture it is slightly lubricated for smooth operation. I would worry if it wasn't closing with a sharp "snap" or "klunk." the following diagram shows what happens in a cylinder lock when a key is pushed in. This isn't what latches the door - this is the part that opens when a key is pushed in. the pawl connects to the rest of the lockset to do the actual opening. the backside of the doorknob is a semi circular rod that turns the cam to open the latch.
Linear Mode
