Electric lock on sewer access door won't open

[Alan Hale]

I'm sure this has happened before but I'm not having any luck searching for it.

I was preparing to move out in the morning and have found that the basement door for access to my sewer connection will not open. All of the other electric locks are behaving. When I try to use the key it will not budge. I tested it on the door next to it and it works fine.

I've tried spraying inside with WD-40 silicone but it hasn't made any difference. The bottom of the door will lift out but the two upper latches are latched solid.

One of the hose access plugs could probably be unscrewed from the bottom to get to the inside but I don't know how to unlatch it from there.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Alan

IMG_6553.HEIC

[Dr4Film]

I would keep working on getting the lock freed up with using the key.

WD-40 is not what I would use. Try Tri-Flow which is an actual silicone lubricant versus a water dispersal spray.

I would also spray the Tri-Flow in through the lift-handle area to see if that helps at all.

Just slowly keep wiggling the key back and forth a little at a time until you feel it moving a little bit further in each direction.

[Alan Hale]

Thanks for the advice Dr4Film. That was basically the only path forward I could see other than a friend that asked if I had a SawzAll. In the end a well meaning park employee managed to break the key off in the lock after we both had tried to get some more movement out of it for what seemed like hours. At that point I assumed the lock was a goner so I used a large common screwdriver and was able to spin the lock back where it should be. Amazingly, it opened. With the door open I found that the fob would now work on it! Too late! I decided that I would never mind if someone was desperate to steal my sh*t they would be welcome to it. I unplugged the door lock for that door. Come to think of it, why would you even want a lock on that door?

[Paul J A]

 Those hose access plugs are called, Deck Fittings, from boat application use. Hit the plug hard from the outside. Should pop right out. Then, Perhaps you can use a phone camera and take pictures of the linkage you need to actuate. Worth a try. Good Luck. 

Some coach owners may want to take pictures of those locking devises, inside the doors, and label them, ie; C-1 for curbside, and S-1 for Street Side. And of course each photo labeled accordingly. 

[Mel S - '96 Safari]

36 minutes ago, Paul A. said:

 Those hose access plugs are called, Deck Fittings, from boat application use. Hit the plug hard from the outside. Should pop right out. Then, Perhaps you can use a phone camera and take pictures of the linkage you need to actuate. Worth a try. Good Luck. 

 

Most deck plates, (aka: access plugs), screw IN & OUT.

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/H6c81b46a24d24e7882dd37a8cc2e5bc4S.jpg.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Mel S - '96 Safari
added link

[Paul J A]

10 minutes ago, Mel S - '96 Safari said:

Most deck plates, (aka: access plugs), screw IN & OUT.

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/H6c81b46a24d24e7882dd37a8cc2e5bc4S.jpg.

Thanks. I know that, BUT, i have had to access a compartment with them, and hit the cover, plug, hard from the outside and it poped right out. Learned it from a RV Tech many years ago. 

[Dr4Film]

I have two bottom hole plugs in my service bay, one large for the sewer that screws in and one smaller for the water that is a flip cover that snaps into the floor bottom.

What some people have done to prevent being locked out of older type lift up doors is to drill an access hole from underneath into the area where the door plunger is located. That will allow you to use a small round driver to depress the plunger enough to open the door.