Different Locks explained Part 3

This section of Locks Explained looks at the Euro Cylinder:

The Euro cylinder is most commonly used in UPVC double glazed doors with multi-point locking mechanisms. However, some mortice locks have them as well, but the principle is the same. Turning the key in the barrel turns a cam which then operates the locking mechanism in the main body of the mechanism itself. I will do a piece about locking mechanisms in the future, but for now, I am going to concentrate on the cylinder itself.

The first thing I need to draw attention to is the thumb turn – shown here:
Euro cylinder lock

Instead of being operated by a key on the inside, it has this handy part which you can turn to unlock and lock the door.

Very few people have this on their locks, but if you do and your lock does not display a British Standard Kite Mark, be warned, because they are extremely easy to bypass. Without the Kite mark, if this lock is on your outer door it might just as well be left unlocked. I do see them a lot in buildings with secure entrances, but if you are in any doubt, talk to your local locksmith and/or building manager.

Now let’s take a look at a Euro cylinder without the thumb turn, which is the type most of you will have in your double glazed doors:
locks explained
Almost every door that requires you to lift the handles before locking, has one of these going through it.

Locks explained
When the cylinder is in place, a screw passes through the mechanism and holds it tight by screwing through this hole.

You may have heard the term ‘cylinder snapping.’ When a burglar uses this method, this is the part that breaks. You can see there is not much metal here holding the whole thing together.

The next part is the cam:
lock cam

When the key is rotated, it too rotates which you can see here. This picture shows the cam position when the key is out. Lock cam position

and this one with the key in and part turned;
Euro cylinder camWithout going into too much detail, snapping the cylinder allows the burglar to operate the parts of the mechanism which the cam would move, and they can be inside your home in less than a minute without the need for any power tools.

The good news is that there are a few things you can do to stop this. You can have an anti-snapping device fitted inside the handles. You can have new handles that are resistant to attack. But they do not stop traditional lock picking and drilling is still an option for the determined burglar. Also, the insurance company will still pay up when you are burgled because for now at least, most accept these locks as suitable. In fact, if your locks have to be replaced, and these were the ones you had before, they will only pay for like for like replacements leaving you just as vulnerable. Many burglary victims will tell you that once it has happened to you, it will likely happen again.

So what if you don’t want to make that call to the insurance company after the burglary? What can you do to drastically reduce the chances of your home being burgled? Well, firstly, you can go to your local DIY chain and buy a BS3621 kite marked cylinder. These are anti-snap and in many cases will deter the opportunist. However, they can be picked (with patience) and can be bypassed in other ways. It’s a lot harder, but you still might need specialist handles to be really secure.

Or you can opt for the ultimate Euro Cylinder. At the time of writing, and to the best of my knowledge, this is the best cylinder you can have without the need for additional parts;
BS3621 kite marked cylinder
 You can see from this picture some studs that run through the bottom. These

hold a reinforced bar aimed at the prevention of cylinder snapping.

                               

                    
Kite marked Euro cylinder

Coupled with this part, which is weakened intentionally so that the front snaps off, rather than the whole thing breaking in the middle. The burglar is not going to easily get to the internal parts of your door.

Locks explained

From the front, the lock looks like this;

It is highly recognisable from a distance, meaning the seasoned burglar might not even venture past your front gate because he knows this will be no easy break in. Someone who takes the time to put one of these locks on is probably going to have increased window security as well, so why bother looking when next door’s house looks just as big, has just as nice a car on the drive, but has visibly easier locks to get past? If however he does get close enough to take a good look at the lock, not only will he see that kite mark, but he will also see those three stars. Those stars have a big message. They state that this lock is so good, it doesn’t need the extras. You can make your security three stars with a British Standard lock and some other bits, but this lock does it all in one. I’ve had to bypass one so far. I have specialist equipment and I can tell you it took me a lot more time than a burglar would probably be willing to take and I had to replace a fair few tools afterwards.

So, you can’t snap it, and it is extremely resistant to power tools. What about picking? I’d love to see a TV show where the hero gets out his trusty lock picking set and faces this!

This is the key;
Key for anti-snap lock
To pick this lock, not only do you have to get these dimples in the right place, you have to get them the right size, because the pins inside the lock are doubled with a pin within a pin. Not only that, but the flat circle you can see is a magnet which can appear anywhere along that key and must tally with the correct magnet position in the lock itself.

For extra security, very few people can cut you new keys for these locks. Only the holder of the key card that comes with the lock can get copies made.

Here is the card;
anti-snap keys

 

So, you can rest assured no one is going to make copies. Even those few who do cut these keys cannot copy from another key. It must be done from the code on the card. That makes these locks brilliant for landlords of long term tenants and short term holiday lets.

I like these locks so much, they secure my own home.

If you have any questions regarding the above information, please feel free to get in touch via the contacts page.

Thanks for reading

admin January 13, 2016

Different locks explained / Which lock is best? /

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 /

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 /

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