We first had this problem when one of the doors was new. There is a piece on the three point lock that is called a mishandling device. This is a latch that releases the top and bottom throw bolts that make up two of the lock points with the deadbolt being the third.
The problem is that over time the mishandling devices gets stuck in the strike plate and the door will not open. The mishandling device #342 also called a lockout device in this diagram from the Hoppe patent.
When this device is pressed in, the handle can throw the top and bottom point locks and the deadbolt can be locked. It is included to prevent the deadbolt from striking the door jamb in a locked position.
Thus, when the lockout device 334 is engaged with (e.g. abuts with) the lock point actuation slide 324 in this manner, actuation of the deadbolt 310 and the auxiliary lock bolts to the locked/extended state is prevented.
also
The lockout device 334, when in the lockout state, prevents actuation of the deadbolt 310 and the auxiliary lock bolts. This protects the secondary door component 106 as well as the multi-point locking arrangement from damage to a user trying to close the hinged panel 104 relative to the secondary door component 106 with the deadbolt 310 and auxiliary lock bolts in an extended state.
Patent Grant 10760303
The patent states that this device is meant to be held in by the strike plate when the door is closed. It allows the top and bottom shoot bolts to be engaged but when I cut it off and substitute a small bottle cork the shoot bolts operate correctly when the handle is lifted.
The lockout device 334 includes a contact end 342 that is configured to contact a strike plate 144 (FIG. 1) or other portion of the secondary door component 106 (e.g. a door jamb) when the hinged panel 104 is in a closed position. While it is typically understood that the strike plate is a separate component secured to the doorjamb, for simplicity of explanation, the door jamb or strike plate may be referred to generically as a strike plate.
Also
As noted previously, strike plate 144 may be the same strike plate that defines an opening for receiving the deadbolt 110 or a separate strike plate or a portion of the secondary door component as mentioned above.
Patent Grant 10760303
The patent does not show the correct alignment of the strike plate or the number of holes required.
I tried resetting the strike plate so that the cut outs were not opposite the device. I tried filling the strike plate opening with a wood block. But these options did not work so when the mishandling device gets stuck in the strike plate now I just cut it off and hold it in the locking position with a small bottle cork.
It appears that the strike plate is the wrong one or it is incorrectly installed by the Therma-Tru door assembler. However when I tried to move the strike plate so the mishandling device fully met the metal I was unable to line up the deadbolt.
These doors have been a headache in general and of course its either because they were installed incorrectly or the house is shifting but the front door warped and it has had to be reframed a couple of times and several of the doors have shifted so that they cannot be opened easily. Also the paint job was terrible and it has peeled twice. For the expense I wish I had purchased foreign made doors from Alpen.