Why does my door keep unlocking itself… anyone else had this happen?

Seeking Advice
1

Got a pretty basic door lock, and for some weird reason, it just unlocks itself randomly. A few months back, it happened a few times, so I went ahead and changed the locks. That seemed to fix it, but this morning, bam, unlocked again!

I double-checked everything with my Ring camera – locked the door, pulled on the handle to make sure it was secure. My partner even wakes up to find it unlocked. We don’t have kids, pets, or sleepwalking habits. And the camera doesn’t show anyone tampering with it either.

Anyone have any ideas on what could be going on?

2

If your Ring camera doesn’t show anyone tampering, maybe try a cheap Wi-Fi camera inside pointing toward the door. My guess would be that someone might be sleepwalking, or it could just be a memory slip.

3

@Dakota
Get one with a loop recording to an SD card, just in case. It’ll save you some peace of mind.

4

Check your carbon monoxide detectors…

5

Zayden said:
Check your carbon monoxide detectors…

How does that help with the door randomly unlocking?

6

Drew said:

Zayden said:
Check your carbon monoxide detectors…

How does that help with the door randomly unlocking?

So, there was a case on here where strange things were happening to someone’s door and it turned out to be carbon monoxide poisoning. It can make you confused, forget things, and sometimes paranoid. The CO made them think they were locking things when they weren’t.

Long story short, they checked for CO, found it, fixed it, and stopped having issues.

Definitely worth checking!

7

@Zayden
Got it, makes more sense now!

8

Just to clarify, this is a standard deadbolt with no smart features, right?

If so, here’s what comes to mind:

  • Forgetfulness
  • A mistake while locking
  • Possible sleepwalking

If none of those, maybe someone’s playing tricks, or neighborhood kids learned lock-picking? But yeah, a deadbolt shouldn’t just unlock itself.

9

@Briley
Yeah, no smart features. I’m actually starting to think sleepwalking might be a possibility, but it’s still strange.

10

Bin said:
@Briley
Yeah, no smart features. I’m actually starting to think sleepwalking might be a possibility, but it’s still strange.

Just get a new CO detector… can’t hurt to check for that.

11

@Zayden
Honestly, a smart deadbolt with an auto-lock feature can help you avoid this issue altogether. Most break-ins happen during the day, so it’s a good habit even when you’re home. Lots of security cam footage shows people just testing if doors are unlocked during the day.

12

@Jin
But you’ve got a deadbolt that’s unlocking itself, which is still weird. Normally, that means someone unlocked it or there’s a memory issue, which can actually happen with carbon monoxide exposure. A CO detector costs like $20 and might be worth it for peace of mind.

Also, if you’re really considering smart deadbolts, check out ‘LockPickingLawyer’ on YouTube to get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses.

13

@Zayden
Wait, are you talking to me?

14

Could be a ghost messing with you… or maybe poltergeist vibes?

15

Why not add a smart lock and maybe get a Hubitat setup? That way, you can track if the lock disengages, use a door sensor, and set up a siren to alert you if it’s unlocked at odd times. Setting up cameras on both sides of the door wouldn’t hurt either.

Might be a bit pricey, but it’ll definitely help you figure out what’s happening.

16

Quick question… do you have a carbon monoxide detector?

Also, are you sure the lock is installed right? Like, there’s no chance it could slip into the unlocked position by itself?

17

Merrick said:
Quick question… do you have a carbon monoxide detector?

Also, are you sure the lock is installed right? Like, there’s no chance it could slip into the unlocked position by itself?

From what I can tell, yeah, everything seems installed fine.

18

@Bin
In that case, time to set up a camera inside and see what’s really going on!

19

Is it a deadbolt or one of those standard locks? Try a camera inside, or maybe an external one that can clearly see the lock area.

20

Get one of those Flip Locks… that’ll block entry no matter what happens with the deadbolt. Plus, set up a camera to keep an eye on it.