Locked Inside (Or Out) Of Your RV? * Trimark 30-900 Lock * How Do These Things Work?

[imnprsd]

Twpinaz: Thanks for sharing your mishap.

The takeaway is that some very disturbing and uncomfortable things can happen when you get locked inside (or outside) your RV.

Further, an RV, like a school bus, is not as safe as we think. And IMO, you need a lock-in/lock-out plan, a fire escape plan, and a "go bag" by your front door.

However, I will also tell you that I feel perfectly safe with my Trimark lock... now that I know how to perform adjustments to it whenever the door paddle (handle) starts feeling like I have to open it farther for the door to unlatch. And note: It was about 3 years ago that I last adjusted my door lock so maybe the adjustment period is every 3 years, based on semi-annual use.

I also think everyone with a Keyless Entry System (KES) that is working may be subject to get locked in, because repetitive fob use is stressing that plastic door actuator (as shown above.)

So, in these regards I agree a repositioning of the door actuator-plunger-solenoid should be relocated, but this is a door design problem and not a Trimark design problem.

Very few owners know they need perform some preventative maintenance on their Trimark door lock. And in these regards everyone is complicit. And if not for Forums such as this one, no one would know how to adjust their Trimark lock... which is so easy to do.

And because of your story, and mine, I going to suggest anyone who uses their FOB to open their front door automatically, that they replace the door actuator-plunger-solenoid (as shown above) if it's more then 10 years old... as a precaution.

Tip: If you find your bottom Trimark latch getting loose; and especially if your door is locking behind you when you shut it; then you definitely need to replace your door actuator NOW!

And as mentioned, at all times I highly recommend you have the right "star bit" to take apart your Trimark lock (from the inside), and a few misc. tools inside too, so you can get yourself out of a bad situation, if you get locked inside, which is better than being locked outside, BTW, since you have to inside to take apart your Trimark lock.

[Kewlbreeze]

Well, I had just read this posting on door locks. I had noticed that my door on the 20007 Itasca Meridian was getting a bit sticky. Had to really pull hard to open the door from the outside.....and of course, after reading this post - my door would not open from the outside....I did have an open window - so I could climb in and open it from the inside without much issue. A hard tug up on the handle and it opened up.

So I went back and read some of the wisdom here and took the tape off the doors edge just below the lock. There sat a 10mm nut on the adjustment bolt. I did not have a thin wall socket - so I used my dremel tool to enlarge the hole and got a regular socket in there - turned it 1.5 turns clockwise and batta bing - the door worked better than ever before - thanks to the combined wisdom of this forum!!!

Thanks to all
Dennis
Planet Houston

[imnprsd]

Excellent!

And not even your Winnebago dealer will tell you how you prevent a lock-in or lockout. It's as if we are not on the same side!

The Trimark lock is a good lock, but it needs a little free maintenance/adjustment approx. every 5 years!

"Free" is the operative word, which may explain why "the industry" does not want to share their secrets! So hurry for the forum creators which give us owners a voice!

And how upsetting you would have been if you did NOT have a window to climb through? For this reason a lot of people leave that little window next to the door unlocked. Of course, you can't climb thru the window, but you can reach the inside door handle which can make all the difference in the world 80% of the time.

[sundog964]

When mine did this, it was quite a pain. We were "locked" out, on a camping trip and it was over 100 F outside.

I did find that the front windows on the Vista are quite "easy" to get unlocked just by applying a little prying on the window right behind the lock, and it slides open. Not terribly comforting, but I got in.

Took the lock apart, and noticed that the torx screws were a bit loose. Once everything was retightened, lock works just fine again. This is on a coach less than a year old, but with 11,000 miles.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

Excellent!

And not even your Winnebago dealer will tell you how you prevent a lock-in or lockout. It's as if we are not on the same side!

They’re literally on oppposing sides, since you’re locked in!

[sundog964]

Hate to bring this up again, but our lock was replaced under warranty. Thought that would solve the problem. Of course a few weeks after the fix, the same thing happened. No rhyme or reason to when it will happen. Just random, sometimes 50 openings between the lockout, sometimes 2.

The design is flawed from what I can tell from taking it apart. The outer paddle actuator will slide below the lever that it actuates. It will fix itself when opening from the inside, which always works. It is "easy" to get in, just use a long screwdriver on the front window. You can pry the window just enough to defeat the "lock", and slide it open. Luckily I have a teenager to scramble in the window.

I will try the adjustment procedure mentioned in this thread, but am not hopeful.

[Reniram]

Well, it was my turn..The wife and I stopped for an overnight on our way home from Florida..5.30 in the morning I opened the door and took the dog outside for the morning duties and OMG...the door handle just flapped on its hinges when I tried to get back inside..The DW could not open it from the inside either..I was able to drag a picnic table (heavy) to the passenger side window and somehow was able to launch myself into the rig...With the junky tools I had we were able to remove the three torx screws and disassemble the lockset..whew!...We finished our trip with a bungee cord holding the door shut. This was a horrible experience for both of us..I have since drilled holes both inside and outside at the door lock and now I am hoping a good thrust through the hole with a screwdriver will allow access in an emergency situation..This is a real safety concern that should never ever happen.