Should I Repair My Own Locks?
Apr26

Should I Repair My Own Locks?

With the world of the internet today, it seems it is possible to do anything yourself rather than hire a professional. Within just a few minutes you can find a YouTube video or an article of how to do almost anything.

 

However, when it comes to repairing locks on the doors of your home, you are probably asking the question: “Should I repair my own locks or have a professional do it?”

 

While some projects around the house are great to DIY, when it comes to the safety of you and your home and repairing a lock, you should leave it to the professionals. You may save a bit of money by doing it yourself, but you could make a mistake that could end up costing you a great deal more money in the end.

 

We are going to take you through the reasons why it is better for you to have a professional locksmith repair your locks.

 

TOOLS

The tools that are required for repairing a door lock are not always ones that a person typically has lying around the house. And just going to the nearest hardware store and buying them doesn’t mean that you actually know how to use them. A professional locksmith, on the other hand, is trained specifically in his tools and how to use them.

 

EXPERIENCE

One of the biggest things that a professional locksmith have that you likely do not is experience. Repairing locks is a major part of a locksmith’s job and is something he is performing on a regular basis. Chances are good that you, on the other hand, have rarely (if ever) repaired a lock. Thus, you may find yourself getting mixed up, frustrated, or incorrectly repairing it. You run the risk of locking yourself out and having to break in to your own home, which will cause even further damage.

 

SAFER LOCKS

If you repair your door lock on your own, you will likely head to the nearest hardware store and pick up your materials there. However, locks like the ones you find there are the ones that are usually the easiest for someone to pick. By hiring a professional locksmith, you have options of more secure locks that are higher quality and harder for someone to pick.

 

PROFESSIONAL INPUT

You may have already decided that you need to repair your entire lock, when indeed you really don’t have to. A professional locksmith will be able to look at your lock, listen to what your needs and concerns are, and tell you whether he thinks you need to change the locks entirely or whether you can simply rekey them. In the end, this could potentially save you a lot of money (and time).

 

KEY COPIES

If you repair your lock yourself, you will have to go to the hardware store to get new keys made. When you hire a professional locksmith to repair your lock, he will make copies of the new key for you and save you the trouble of a trip to the hardware store.

 

SPEED

Since you are likely new to repairing locks, even if you have a YouTube video to follow, it is going to take you a long time to get everything done correctly. Because a professional locksmith is regularly repairing locks, he will be able to do it extremely quickly and easily and save you the concern of having a broken lock.

 

OTHER SERVICES

When you hire a professional locksmith to repair your lock, you will have an opportunity to have him analyze your security needs and help you pick what will best protect you and help you rest easy and night and while away from home.

 

So to answer your question, “Should I repair my own locks or have a professional do it?”, the answer is “no.” You can never be quite sure that you have done it correctly until something goes wrong and your lock breaks again. Also, you will waste a great deal of time and potentially money tracking down all the tools and materials you need, trying to follow along with the internet directions, and repairing something that you are just not familiar with.

 

With a professional locksmith, you know that your high quality, high security locks have been properly installed and that you will no longer be concerned about the safety of your home. Not to mention, they will be able to complete this type of task so much more quickly than you could have imagined.

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Lock Bumping And Ways To Prevent

Many homeowners are unaware of a potential security risk that over 90 percent of American households today are susceptible to Lock Bumping, according to Littleton Locksmith Pros. The following is a brief explanation of how residential locks work, what Lock Bumping is, and also the best methods of preventing your home from falling victim to this domestic security threat. The normal American house has Pin Tumbler locksets introduced.  The essential mechanical components of Pin Tumbler Locks contain a progression of spring stacking stacks known as stick stacks. Each stick stack is made out of a Key pin, which is the pin that touches the core when it’s initially placed into the lock, and then there is the Driver Pin, which is the spring-driven pin. The proper alignment of all Key Pins and Driver Pins is what enables a locks cylinder to be turned. This proper alignment is accomplished when the correct key is inserted into the lock. A lock will not open if there is misalignment, which will occur when no key, and or an incorrectly cut key is inserted into the lock. Lock Bumping is a Lockpicking technique used specifically to bypass Pin Tumbler locksets. The Lock Bumping method is carried out by the user placing a key created for the sole purpose of “bumping” your pin tumbler lock, which is called, a bump key, slightly into the key hole entry way of any Pin Tumbler Lock, and then proceeding to strike the Bump key with a very small amount of force, which will in turn cause the pins within the lock to give way for only a split second, but in that split second anyone willing will gain almost immediate access, leaving little to no evidence of a forced entry onto your property! These reasons combined with the fact that Lock Bumping Keys are inexpensive and easily made is what makes Lock Bumping a serious threat! Advances in lock technology seem to be met with new ways of breaking front door locks. Bumping, drilling, or snapping of locking cylinders are now highly common methods of forcing entry through a front door. They each require tools, and as such true high-security locks have reached an impressive level of sophistication.

The best new high-security front door locks from leading companies feature mechanisms designed to thwart drilling and bumping. Firstly, hardened steel rods in the locking cylinder body and the core itself increase resistance to drilling. Furthermore, hardened steel tumbler pins increase resistance to tampering and core extraction.New high-security locking mechanisms have been developed in addition to those inside the core locking cylinder. Machined metal dead-bolts increase impact resistance but the impressive modern locks feature hooks. When a door is locked, from two to four machined metal hooks are thrown into metal keeps in the door frame. These provide greatly increased structural resistance to brute force. Also, they are not affected by successful tampering of the main locking cylinder. That’s right folks. If your main lock is somehow overcome, hook locks provide a further line of defense in your front door.

Another high-security feature in modern front doors is the use of a dual-spindle in the locking mechanism. In reality more of innovation than technology, a dual spindle will allow the internal door handle to lock and unlock the door independently of a key, while from the outside a key is needed to open the door. For example, if you wanted to lock your door from the inside, but couldn’t find your key, the internal door handle alone can be used to lock the door. From the outside, the door is locked, and a key is then required to open it. It might seem like a small addition, but add this feature to a high-security composite door, and you’ve got a well-rounded door fit to be called high-security.

To compete against all of the sites on the internet that promote the criminal use bumping of a lock, there are public service sites on the web such as lockbumping.org that do provide awareness and methods of protecting your home from Lock Bumping. There are many different ways, and expert opinions concerning this matter, but the popular consensus came down to the conclusion, of a higher security grade level of lock! Yes, the one sure way to prevent your home from a lock bump is to install locks of a higher security grade. The drawback of higher security grade locks is, of course, a more expensive lock, but they can be purchased from your local locksmith or home improvement store.

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Reasons Why You Should Rekey Your Locks
Feb01

Reasons Why You Should Rekey Your Locks

Everybody values his or her possessions. This is the reason you should optimize the security of your home by rekeying your locks. The other benefit of rekeying your locks is that it enables you to protect the lives of your loved ones. Your valuable possessions and belongings mean a lot to you. Do not compromise anything when it comes to security. It is advisable that you hire the services of a professional locksmith to rekey the locks for you. He or she might charge you some fee but it is worth it.You might be asking yourself, Why You Should Rekey Your Locks. The following are the reasons why you should rekey your locks according to the guys at www.seattlelocksmithpros.net:

  1. Lost or misplaced your keys.

Many people normally walk with their keys in their pockets. However, these keys can get lost or misplaced. This can actually give you a headache trying to figure out where you lastly sat and so on. You can also misplace your keys in the market while trying to buying a few items. In such instances, it is always advisable that you rekey your locks. This will go a long way in ensuring that no stranger accesses your house when you are away. Remember that if some people discover that those keys belong to you, they might try to access your house and in order to mitigate this, it is advisable to rekey your locks once you have lost or misplaced your keys.

  1. You moved into a new house.

It is always enjoyable to move into a new house. However, there are a number of issues that you need to address. You need to clean the new house and so on. However, did you know that it is important to rekey the locks of your new home? Remember that the previous tenant might have had an extra key that he or she did not surrender to the landlord. This can compromise the security of your valuable possessions when you are away. This is the reason why you need to rekey the locks of your new house.

  1. If you do not trust somebody who has a copy of your keys.

It is normal to have friends and even give them copies of your keys so that they can access your house when you are away. However, if do not trust your friends with your keys, you can opt to rekey your locks. This will step up the security of your valuable belonging and that of your loved ones. Remember that some of your friends might have evil intentions of stealing your possessions. If you rekey your locks, you will prevent any of them from entering your house without your consent.

  1. If you live in an area that has high insecurity.

Many people like to reside in areas where there is high security. This means that cases of theft and burglary in such areas are very minimal. However, if you reside in an area where cases of theft and burglary are rampant, it is always advisable to rekey your locks. This will go a long way in keeping thieves off. You can always be assured that your property is safe even when you are at work.

  1. If your locks are unreliable

Locks can be unreliable at times. If discover that your locks can be opened by multiple keys, that indicates that they are unreliable. You will be putting your property at risk by locking your house with unreliable locks. Anybody can access your house at any time if at all your locks are unreliable. This is the reason why you should rekey your locks if you notice such a thing. Prevention is always better than cure.

  1. In the event of conflicts leading to separation.

Conflicts are normal between two or more people. However, if conflicts and misunderstanding are not solved amicably, they can lead to separation. If you had employed a houseboy, you might fire him. If you had a wife, you can divorce her. In such events, it is always advisable that you rekey your locks because anything can happen. The same individuals can try to access your house when you are away. Remember that even if you ask them to surrender their keys to you, they might not surrender all the keys. They can remain with a copy of your keys. Do not leave anything to chance. Rekey your locks and your house will remain safe.

Those are the reasons why you should rekey your locks. Your valuables and your loved ones means a lot to you. Guard them from intruders by rekeying your locks. Do not relent. Rekey your locks and you will not regret.

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