Different Locks Explained Part 2

The mortice lock (sometimes spelt mortise) and often referred to as a ‘Chubb’ lock.

When your home insurance talks about 5 lever locks, it is referring to this type of lock and not the multi-point locking system of the type found on upvc type doors.You can have two main types of mortice lock.

This is the deadlock;   
IMAG0795 (2)
 













And this is the sash lock – essentially a deadlock with retractable latch;

IMAG0796 (2)




The two pictures are 5 lever mortice locks and made to British Standard 3621 quality. The following pictures show what makes them such high quality:


IMAG0797The black layers you can see in between the hard steel plates, is designed to snag hack-saws, stopping any potential attack where a wide gap between the door and frame might allow for this to happen. The bolt itself comes out a long way to ensure anyone attempting to ‘pop’ the door with a crowbar is in for a serious struggle. In burglaries I have attended where the door has been opened with a crowbar, the wood of the door has split rather than the lock breaking. That is because the keep that sits in the door frame is a solid construction as well. Two and three lever mortice locks have a much smaller bolt and usually, the keep is just a thin piece of metal that goes over holes cut into the wood.


A five lever mortice lock keep looks like this:
IMAG0804
It will be made of a thick hard plate metal and secured with four deep set screws.Two and three lever mortice locks can be picked relatively easily, because tools can be inserted up into the lock from the key hole from where the burglar can manipulate the levers.

On a BS3621 5 lever mortice lock, that method of attack is made all the harder by the anti-pick curtain, shown here:  

IMAG0801
This round bit is the part you put your key into and stops any manipulation of the levers above.






You can see it again in this next picture which also shows the hardened steel plate that stops standard drills making any holes where burglars need them to move the levers and therefore open the lock.IMAG0799 (4)

















Levers

Now, onto the levers themselves. Because this is a 5 lever lock, there are obviously five of them. That means trying to pick one of these (if the burglar is willing to spend the time trying to get past the anti-pick curtain), is really difficult. There is a technique, but it requires holding just the right pressure as you do each lever in turn. If you make it to the fifth one, you are either very determined, or very lucky. These levers also have anti-pick traps, which in some cases, will render the lock completely unusable. Certain brands wear very easily and poorly cut copied keys can set these traps off, so make sure the person cutting any extra keys uses ones that have the brand name on them and has plenty of experience.
Here are the levers:
IMAG0802 (4)








If you just don’t know whether or not your locks are up to standard, there is one way to ensure it meets the necessary standards. It should display the British Standard Kite Mark like this:
IMAG0803














Now this piece only covers the basic mortice locks. There are other mortice locks which are in a bit of a grey area. For example, horizontal mortice locks which have the key hole and usually a knob on a side by side set up rather than a lever handle above the key hole. If you have one of these, the chances are it is a 3 lever lock and not insurance compliant as a standalone lock. There are 5 lever versions but these are expensive and do not always work with older doors. You can also have narrow fit mortice locks for doors that do not have much space into which a lock will fit. Non-standard 5 lever mortice locks do not carry BS3621 kite marks, but often satisfy insurance companies if they are made aware of the circumstances in which they have been fitted.

If you have any doubts at all, contact your local locksmith who can either advise on your best course of action, and may be prepared to word a letter to your insurance company explaining unusual circumstances. Remember even if the burglar gets in through a door that has the appropriate lock on it, some insurance companies will refuse to pay out if any one of your other locks is not up to standard.

If you require any more information regarding the locks mentioned above, please do not hesitate to contact me using any of the methods on my contacts page. If there are any other locksmith related topics you would like me to cover, please either leave a comment or drop me an email, my address can be found on the contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin December 16, 2015

5 lever mortice locks / British Standard locks / Which lock? /

Different Locks Explained

There are many different types of lock, some are insurance standard – some are not. In my blog I want to look at the pros and cons of the different locks. Part one is the Nightlatch lock.

1. The Nightlatch:

The Nightlatch lock is often referred to as a ‘Yale’ type lock. Here, I am going to look at some examples and explain the pros and cons of these locks.
Night Latch Standard Width Door

This is the most basic nightlatch. The key or the knob rotate to withdraw the curved latch. The small snib pushed up or down (depending on brand and side of door lock is mounted on) holds the latch either in or out. When the snib is activated the knob and key will not operate.

The part that the key goes into is called a ‘Rim Cylinder’ and can be bought as a separate part. This means if you lose your key, the locking part can be purchased quite cheaply without having to buy the whole lot. They are also easy for the amateur to fit as well, especially if there is already a hole for the rim cylinder to fit into as this passes from the front to the back of the door and into the back of the nightlatch itself.

The downsides to this lock are that as it is cheap, it doesn’t always last very long. If the snib is not activated, a burglar can bypass this lock in seconds. It is possible to accidentally knock the snib as you leave the house and because the latch will retract just a little bit, if you slam your door, you can now be locked out with the key being useless to you. Getting in from this position involves complete destruction of the lock and possible damage to your door. This lock carries no British Standard rating and therefore on its own will invalidate your insurance. Even if the burglar enters through a different opening, having this lock as your only lock on a final exit door will stop the insurance company paying out.

While I see this as a main lock on far too many occasions, I would only use it on internal doors like B&B rooms or if you rent a holiday home and you need to keep some rooms unused, etc.

It can be used on main doors, but there should always be another lock as well, preferably one that is British Standard 3621 with a kite mark.

This is the next level of nightlatch:

This one is a bit more robust than the one before. It’s fitting is slightly more complicated and more tools are required to fit it into place. It operates the same as well. But you can get these in a deadlocking version. That means, if you turn the key an extra turn, the latch is held in place just as the snib would do on the inside. On this example, the snib is black. While this deadlocking action gives slightly more security than the cheaper nightlatch, it does throw up its own problems, because now, if you accidentally rotate the key to the deadlocked position, step inside and slam the door, you will be locked in. The inside lever will not turn enough to free you. You will have to exit from another door or window, and unlock it again from the outside. This, of course is dangerous if you only have one door and fire breaks out.

Again, this lock is not rated to BS3621 and therefore not adequate security on its own.

Finally, the BS3621 Nightlatch:

This one really does the trick. The Rim cylinder is now protected against drilling. The latch comes out further and protects itself against a burglary method called “slipping.” Because the snib is a push button, you cannot accidentally lock yourself in or out as you could with the previous two locks. And because it carries the kitemark, it will satisfy most insurers as a stand alone lock without the need for others. While this is still possible to fit yourself, it can be fiddly and if not done properly, the automatic deadlocking feature will not work. In the image you will notice that there is a key hole on the lever. If you lock the lever in place, a burglar who has entered through another opening wil not be able to open this door and escape with all the stuff he is carrying. However, in the event of a fire, you must be sure where your keys are. There are versions that do not have this locking handle that still conform to BS3621.

Part 2 – coming soon, will be Euro Cylinders & Part 3 Mortice locks.

Should you have any questions regarding the locks above, please get in touch through my contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin December 2, 2015

Different locks explained / Which lock? /

Choosing the right locks

This time of year, as the dreary rain seems to go on for ever, is when locks really start to fail. Moisture builds up either direct from the rain, or through condensation caused by warm temperatures inside and cold temperatures outside.

But replacing them is not always as straight forward as you may think.

A C Locksmiths Norfolk

When buying anything from food to the latest phone, you have a wealth of information and often, experience to help you choose the product that is best for the job. With food, you might know that your children only like one brand of sausages, for example, and with the new mobile phone, you might be better with an android over a windows or iphone.

We even change our cars more often than we change our locks, it would seem, and research thoroughly before making that purchase.
But what if we need a new a lock?

The next time you are in a DIY store, have a quick peek in the locks section. The small shops will have brands you have never heard of (often because they are cheap) and the larger chain stores will have more well-known brands, but even then, will be limited to one or two brands, because that brand will give them a better discount for exclusivity. And with no real comparison web-sites, buying your own locks is an almost blind affair.

Even when replacing same brand products, you might find that the new version is a different size to the old version, a bit like mobile phones, that then need you to purchase new size cases or other add-ons.

Locksmiths tend to carry their favourite brands for use in emergencies, but when doing upgrade work, they can advise you on the best product to fit your personal taste and budget. Sometimes replacing a particular type of lock can be really expensive. I come across many older properties in Norfolk that have ‘Horizontal’ locks, where the key-hole and knob are in a horizontal straight line rather than above one another. Most of these are three lever types and not conforming to insurance standards. The five lever replacements are pretty costly and, as the key-hole and knob positions are completely different, wood filler is also a requirement, which then needs painting, making the whole job a lot more than just purchasing the lock and sliding it into position. My usual advice to customers with these old three lever locks, is to leave them in place and have an extra British Standard 3621 lock fitted as am additional piece at a fraction of the cost. This obvious seeming solution never seems to cross the minds of those customers who have needed the upgrade. But only because locks are not something we think much about.

It’s worth making use of your local locksmith, if only to confirm your own ideas. Quite often, though, you may learn something new about home security that could be of great benefit.

My security checks cost nothing more than a friendly chat and perhaps a cup of tea. I will praise your security when it is good and advise you if or where it can be improved upon. I will tell you why certain brands might not be worth having and why the ones I recommend  are best. I will even tell you what ones are the best of the rest if the best ones are too expensive.

To arrange a visit or ask about any of the issues raised in this or any of my other blogs, please contact me through any of the ways noted on my contacts page.

If there is any other locksmithing subject you would like me to write about, please do the same.

admin November 18, 2015

Best locks for your property /

Holiday Home Security and Lock Maintenance

Lock maintenance

The summer season is well and truly over as the sky turns grey and the cold, wet weather moves in. If you have a holiday home that you let out during the summer months, now is the perfect time to review the condition of your locks and security.

Holiday home security
In my job I see holiday homes catering for all budgets, from basic amenities, to home from home comfort with installed luxuries like internet connection and satellite TV. But no matter what the level you are offering, it is always embarrassing when your customer’s holiday is set back by problems with the locks, and they find themselves locked out (or in some cases, locked in) because the locks have not been maintained properly.

Most property service companies are reactionary, so even though the problem will be resolved, it can still lead to you having to refund a customer and can even mean you have to cancel bookings, which has the knock on effect of possibly losing you recommendation business in the future. While maintenance is not an absolute guarantee that nothing will go wrong, you can at least rest in the knowledge you have done all you can to give your customers a hassle free holiday, and you not wasting time chasing property managers to get the job done.

Holiday homes with multi-point locking systems on their doors are probably the most likely to create problems, particularly if they are near the sea. Moisture creates rust, especially when these mechanisms are set into wooden doors and customers slam doors or leave them open to blow in the wind. These doors should have a service at least once a year, but preferably at the start and end of high season.

Yale locks seem to cause no end of problems with people managing to deadlock the door while it is open and then slam the door, effectively locking them in unless someone unlocks the door from the outside. Standard Yale type locks should be replaced with BSI3621 models to avoid this and other problems.

Mortice locks can throw up a problem where a part inside slips and it becomes impossible to insert the key. These locks should be checked by removing from the door and checking the tightness of the screws as wooden door expansion and contraction can loosen these screws.

These are just some of the problems to be avoided. There are many more. But the good news is that you can guard against all this for free. The cost of routine maintenance carried out by a professional locksmith is a business expense and therefore can be claimed as part of your expenses when submitting tax returns, effectively making the work free.

AC Locksmiths is ready to take on regular contract work to maintain the locks of your holiday home. I can liaise with your letting company to coincide maintenance with changeover periods and help prevent the problem that can mean your customers demand their money back. Should you require any more information on the above subjects, please contact via any of the methods listed on the contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin October 22, 2015

Holiday home security / Home maintenance / Lock maintenance / Rented property /

Keys & security

Do you have your front door key on the same keyring as your car key?

Does your car have an inbuilt sat-nav or do you hide your sat-nav in the glove compartment?

If so, you could be seriously compromising your home security.

Keys & security

Sat Nav theft

Most of us set a home destination into our sat-navs. Some keep a record of your journeys. This means if someone steals or finds your keys, they could have all the information they need to find out where you live along with the keys to enter your home easily and take what they want. Even if you use your mobile phone as a sat-nav, all that needs to happen is for your bag to go missing with your keys and phone in it, and they have all the info they need once they have hacked your password.

So how do we protect ourselves?
For a start, never save your home address in your sat-nav. Use an address a couple of roads away. You should be able to find your way for the last bit of your journey. Try to keep door keys and car keys separate. This may be a hassle, but could save you from burglary. Keep your phone and anything else that holds personal information away from your keys. Not only does keeping your phone out of your bag/case make you safer, it has the added bonus of making you easier to contact as you are more likely to hear it ring. Yes, your phone might be more exposed, but better your phone than the irreplaceable things like Grandad’s war medals, or a young one’s christening bracelet (two items stolen from a recent burglary victim I spoke to).
If you would like any more information about the above issues then please feel free to contact me via my the ways listed on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin September 24, 2015

Keys & security / Sat Nav risk /

When do you need a locksmith?

When do you need a locksmith?

Locksmith superhero

Firstly, let me say that I am not trying to do myself out of work, but I have attended a surprising number of jobs where I was not actually required at all. I thought I’d give you two examples – and maybe they could help others save some money:

The first was to a sliding patio door that was double glazed. Everything worked fine in the open position, but when the door was closed, the mechanism just would not lock. I immediately started looking for all sorts of things around the locking part of the door, but all seemed to be in good working order. Then I did what I should have done from the start. I stood back and looked at the whole door. The answer was obvious. My customer had an insect curtain made up of lots of thin wispy strands that hung down. A few of these wispy strands had got caught between fixed section and sliding section of the door, and were stopping it from going the last millimetre that would allow the door to lock. In just a few seconds I had everything working again, but this highlights that before calling a locksmith, a quick look at your door for any obstuctions could save you money.

The second case needs a little explaining. Among the many types of insect curtain around at the moment, are magnetic ones that magically close themselves behind you as you pass through. They are great, and can be obtained quite cheaply. At night, you simply tie them back like curtains. But, if you have a double glazed door, when you tie them back, you are moving the magnets closer to the metal keeps in the frame, and here is where danger happens. My customers had tied back their insect curtain and shut the door, not knowing one of the magnets had attached itself to the door frame. As they engaged the locking mechanism, the magnet was torn from its place in the curtain and pushed into the hole where one of the mechanism hooks slid into place. Somehow, the magnet managed to get on top of the hook, and wedged, making the door un-openable. Not knowing any of this until I found the magnet, made the job very frustrating as there was no apparent reason for the door not to work.
So, if you have a magnetic insect curtain, be sure it is not stuck to the frame in any place before you lock the door.

 If you have any questions about the above, or if you do run into lock problems and cannot find an obvious cause, or you simply need help with them, please do not hesitate to get in touch via any of the ways on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading

admin August 13, 2015

Checking your locks / saving money /

Double Glazed Doors & Heat


The heat is on!

Door 4



There have been some very hot days recently, and the direct sunlight on many UPVC doors is keeping me busy. I have already mentioned in previous blogs that the sun has an effect on these doors, warping them and causing problems. If this sounds like a problem you are having, do not force the door handles up or down as this could break the internal mechanism.

If you can use another door, do so for the rest of the day. One customer of mine thought his door was completely stuck in the morning when the sun was shining straight on it. I was busy all day and could not get to him until the evening, at which point the door had cooled and was working fine again. So if you can, wait until the door has had some shade, or evening has come around, and then try the door again – it may save you a locksmith fee.

If your door is still causing problems when it cools down, call your local locksmith before putting too much pressure on the handles. Usually your locksmith can rectify the problem by adjusting the door hinges, or other parts of the door to make it all operational again.

Please remember that this problem can re-occur, though and you may need to call your locksmith out again, especially if it gets really hot.

If you have any questions regarding the information above, please use any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading

admin July 14, 2015

Double Glazed Doors in the Heat / UPVC door repair /

When do you need a locksmith?

I am writing this piece in light of a recent job I attended. I travelled around 40 minutes to a job which was a problem with a double glazed door that was not locking. When I got there, I had fixed the problem before the customer finished explaining it to me. All that had happened was that a screw had come loose, and the part that the latch goes into on the door frame was at a slight angle, meaning the latch was going out all the way when the door was closed. In some upvc door mechanisms, this stops the door from locking. It took seconds to fix. Because I was sub-contracting to a national company, the customer had to pay the full cost, which with VAT was over £100.

AC Locksmiths Norfolk

So, I decided to put together a little check list and fix it yourself solution piece so you can save yourself some money if your mechanism goes wrong:

Fix your locks

  • The first thing to check is that your locking mechanism works. This is the easy bit. Open the door and lift the handles. Turn the key to lock it. If all goes smoothly, then the problem is not with the mechanism. Repeat this a few times to be sure. If it is hard to lift the handles or the key does not turn easily, look to see if there is any sign of rust or dirt build up, especially near the bottom. If so, then give it a clean, squirt some oil into every part you can and try again. If you are still having problems at this point, call a locksmith.
  • Supposing the mechanism is working fine, your next task is to check the door has not dropped, or warped in sunlight. With the handles pulled down, slowly close the door. You will see and feel if the door is rubbing against the frame anywhere. If it is, then it is possible that you can adjust the door. Most modern upvc door have hinges that can be adjusted. Look for small plastic caps on the hinges. If you remove these, they should reveal a place to insert an allen key. Turn the key one half turn in one direction with the door open. You should see door move one way or the other slightly. Try to close the door. If it catches more, turn the allen key back to its original position and then another half turn the other way. This should make it easier. Repeat this process until the door closes without rubbing against the door frame. Remember, if you are moving the bottom of the door one way, you may need to move the top of the door the other way to make it straight. And only do half turns each time. This can be a tricky process, so unless you feel confident, call a locksmith to do this for you. On older upvc doors that are pinned through the hinges, you might notice that the hinges are bent. This is a job for the professional – possibly a upvc repair engineer would be your best bet, although some locksmiths do undertake this work as well.
  • So now we have a door that closes without catching on the frame, but still will not lock. In most cases, there is something to adjust. If the door has sliding rollers, you will see they have slots for allen keys. You can rotate these to make a slight difference. Only turn a quarter turn before testing to see if it makes a difference and do this for the complete circle to find out which position is best.
  • For hooks, bolts and latches, the adjustment is with the keeps on the door frame itself. There is usually something you can turn with either a screw driver or allen to help the moving part of the mechanism fit better. Here it is trial and error until you get the feel of what helps where.
  • If the door is still not locking after you have fiddled and adjusted, always taking note of original positions, it might be time to get creative. This is the point where you need to remove the keeps from the door frame, one by one to see which one is causing the problem. Every time you take one off, try the door until it locks. If your luck is like mine sometimes, you will them all off before you find the culprit. Replacing the offending keep a few millimetres lower usually solves the problem. Put the remaining keeps back one at a time and test the door with each replacement just in case one or more of the others is also causing a problem.

If none of these measures rectifies your problem, or you are not comfortable with carrying out the tasks, then call your local locksmith. There are still things that could potentially be causing the problem, but hopefully by the time you get to this, you will know you have done all you can to save yourself paying out money needlessly.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please get in touch via any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin June 18, 2015

Door lock checklist /

Is your builder installing the right locks?

I have just come away from a job that is going to cost my customer a lot of money. He had an extension built just last year with lovely bi-fold doors opening out onto his garden. All well and good. The trouble is, the installers put a multi-point locking mechanism into a wooden door. As I have said in previous posts, I personally think this is a bad idea, because wooden doors swell and contract with British weather and the mechanisms either retain water and rust quickly, or the wood swelling causes extra pressure on the moving parts and they break.

Wooden door

The other thing that happens when these doors swell, contract and generally settle into position, is that they do not align in the same position as when they were first installed, meaning adjustments are nearly always needed at some point. For this customer, the installers also used imported parts. I don’t understand why. Aesthetically, they look nice, but you can get plenty of nice looking parts here in the UK, which are easier to replace when things go wrong. I am awaiting results from several suppliers who are taking up much time to try and source the parts I need, but I expect them to all come up blank. I can’t use alternative parts because of size differences which will take away from the desired look of his doors. This is not the first time this has happened to me, and I doubt it will be the last.

So, here is the suggestion. A builder is a builder. While I can’t put up a wall, or do the many skilled things a builder does, I do know about locks. I know what future problems there might be when having new locks installed. I know which locks work best with which types of doors. So does your local locksmith. If you are having an extension, or alteration that means you need new doors with new locking products, get your local locksmith in to advise on the best products. He might charge for his time, he might not, even if they do, that labour charge could still potentially save you £100’s down the line. I still haven’t come across a new build where high security locking cylinders are fitted as standard by the builders. How would they know that the new kite marked diamond standard cylinders are out there? It would be like asking a dentist to perform a limb amputation. Get a locksmith to advise on security.

AC Locksmiths Norfolk

My other recent problematic case has to do with DIY UPVC installation. Now, I know that double glazing companies have a bad reputation, based on hard sell tactics of their sales forces. But once you get past the man in the suit, the installers really know what they are doing, especially the ones who have been doing so for a long time. (Always check the firm has been operating for some time). Buying a double glazed door from a DIY store and installing it yourself is fraught with dangers. When measuring for sizes, you might not realise the doorway is not quite square, or the wall might bulge in places, making all sorts of things uneven. All this can lead to a bad installation. Now, if you installed the door yourself, who can you complain to if it all goes wrong? With a professional installation, you can call them back to re-do it if its not to your liking.

An example is a customer of mine who bought a UPVC DIY door. He used laser equipment to make sure his measurements were correct. He went for a supposedly better make of door. But, when it came down to it, the door doesn’t fit. There is a gap at the bottom I can almost get my little finger into. He did the installation quite quickly, but then spent hours making adjustments so that everything lined up. But he is still going to have to cut bits off and out that should line up better in the first place. If he doesn’t, his door locking mechanism will break sooner rather than later. A professional job does cost more, but there is peace of mind for compensation. He was lucky, I advised him on the correct locks to have because the door only came with standard quality locks.

If you are undertaking any work that requires locks or locking doors, whether doing it yourself, or having it done professionally, ask your local locksmith for his/her advice. It might save you a lot of money in the long run.

If you would like to discuss any of the items on this page, please contact me through any of the methods on my contacts page.Thanks for reading.

admin June 10, 2015

Ask the expert / Door lock installation /

Your Home Insurance is not valid!

Well, maybe yours is – but I am upgrading many homes in Norfolk, that either don’t meet insurance standards, or are woefully susceptible to attack.

It’s quite simple, if your locks do not carry the British Standard Kite Mark, then they are, in most cases, pretty easy to get in to. And, just as importantly, if your door locks do not meet insurance standards your insurers will NOT pay out any money, regardless of what has happened.
Kite marked lock AC Locksmiths

Of course, there are a few exceptions: Some types of lock either do not have British classification, or, as in with padlocks, the rating is done on a European rating instead.

I have noticed some trends in the properties that are poorly protected, but cannot post them because I would hate to hand a would-be burglar the obvious places to look. However, if you are reading this and you know someone who has not got access to a computer, please do them a favour and help them check their locks for the British Standard Kite Mark. If you know someone with old locks, see if they have checked them recently.

Many people still think a 5 lever lock refers to the type seen on UPVC doors. It doesn’t. It refers to mortice (some times called ‘Chubb’) locks, and there are far too many front doors that only have 2 lever or 3 lever locks, which professional burglars can bypass in seconds.

Norfolk is a low crime area and the number of burglaries are coming down across the UK, in part, thanks to better locks and security in general. But they are still happening. Not to scaremonger, but to simply state facts – If your neighbour has good quality locks, the domestic intruder could visit your house instead.

The emotional fall out of a burglary can last for years. Heirlooms and items of personal sentimental value can never be replaced. Instead of thinking it will never happen to you, be sure you have done all you possibly can to make sure it won’t happen to you. Protect your home with British Standard products. Don’t be complacent with thoughts like: ‘Anyone can get in if they really want to’ If that wasn’t true, I would be out of a job. But the idea is to make it as hard as possible for them. If it is going to take time to get in, they probably won’t bother. And getting in is only half the problem; they always want to leave through a door if they are laden with your possessions, so the correct door locks are essential.

If you have any questions regarding the above, or would like to book a free security check, with no obligations, please use any of the methods on my contacts page to get in touch.

Thanks for reading.

admin May 30, 2015

British Standard locks / insurance standard locks / kite marked locks /

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