Questions tagged [lock]
A device for securing access, typically on a door, and typically controlled with a key or combination.
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How do I un-stick the release button on my Yale door knob?
I'm rekeying my door locks (Yale door knob/locks). To remove the knob, you press in the release button & slide the knob off. The release button is stuck and I can't depress it enough to slide the ...
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How do you install a slide lock when the door frame isn't level with the door?
I need to lock a door without a keyhole from the inside and got recommended to use something like this:
However, my door frame isn't level with the door
If I would just mount it there, the slider ...
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Making or obtaining replacement parts for a multi-point window locking mechanism
When I bought my house, it was fitted with multi-point locking systems on the windows. One or two of these have failed - an internal cast-metal half-cog has disintegrated. There is no manufacturer's ...
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Am I required to have a doorknob lock on my exterior door?
I have both a deadbolt and a doorknob lock on my door (actually, all three of my doors). I've noticed that this is a consistent pattern at most houses and apartments that I've visited in my area (I ...
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How do I remove this doorknob?
We live in a townhouse built in the 40s ... probably renovated in the 50s ...
I want to replace this doorknob with one that has a key lock.
I can't figure out how to remove it!
I was able to ...
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How do I repair latch lock that has unscrewed?
In the image, part C has detached from part A. I assume that this happened because part A moved slightly each time the door was opened. Part C cannot be screwed onto part A because of the square shape....
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Which cylinder door lock shield design is most secure?
I'm planning to place a shield on my front door and would like to know which of the 3 shield designs is the most secure option and why.
Basic design characteristics:
Top Left:
the outside part of ...
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Key card door lock?
I'm looking to add a card scanner door lock to an existing door that currently only functions with a key and a simple pull handle. It has a mortise-style lock so the backset on the door (to the ...
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Where can I find a key for my old locks?
My house was build in 1938 and the whole house has these door knobs everywhere. I believe they were made by Dexter. Is there a way to ID them properly and, if so, where can I find someone who makes a ...
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How can I control this electronic door release with an Arduino?
I am planning on fitting this GK311-1224 ANSI Release to a door and using a simple switch and Arduino as triggers.
Are there any examples of a typical installation for a lock like this.
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How can I remove a dead bolt?
I'm trying to remove a 16 yr. old Titan Dead Bolt. I have it disassembled but cannot get it out of the door. There is no strike plate on the door that I can remove. There is only a brass ring that the ...
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Can these locks be rekeyed to the same key?
I have 3 external doors on my house. Each has a different key. Two are Schlage sets and one is a Norwalk. The Norwalk blank says AR1 on it, and the Schlages are the standard version.
The Norwalk is ...
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How do I repair this old door lock?
An old knob on my bedroom door fails to retract to its normal position. I opened the lock in an attempt a repair it and discovered two loose springs.
I suspect that the loose springs aided a third ...
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Is it safe to oil a lock? [duplicate]
I have a very sticky door lock, is it safe to oil it with standard household oil?
Will oil degrade the security of the lock in any way?
If it's safe, how should I apply the oil?
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Without Access to the Garage Interior, How Can I Replace the Handle/Lock?
I have an external garage, with a manual overhead door (no powered opener). There is no side access door.
After the recent winter, I tried opening the garage again, and the handle will not turn. I ...
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Did I break my door lock by locking it from the inside before exiting?
The lock on my front door is broken.
When I leave my house, I lock the door handle from the inside, then close the door and lock the deadbolt with the key. My boyfriend is trying to tell me that ...
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How to get a new tumbler pattern to re-key existing locks?
I suspect I don't know what terminology is correct which is why I can't find any information on this via google.
Say I have standard door locks (Schlage or Kwikset) that are fairly new and I have ...
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Is it possible to rekey an Andersen exterior door with Kwikset SmartKey?
I want to use the Kevo lock on my front door and have my back doors have the same physical key (even though they clearly will not have electronic keying).
To do this, I need to replace the cylinder ...
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Weslock Double Locking Deadbolt Impossible to Remove from Door:
I have an old Weslock double-locking deadbolt which is dying a slow death.
After removing the outer mechanism, I attempted to remove the inner mechanism simply by tugging.
But I've pulled on it so ...
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How to drill a hole in the wood without an electric drill?
During a travel in Laos, I need to drill some holes into a double-door's wood to install a locker. The wood is rather hard, and I don't have an electric drill (and can't find it).
I only have 2 small ...
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Can someone unlock a locked door and lock it back again without the key?
Is it possible for someone to unlock your front door get into your house and then lock the door again without being supplied with a key?
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How can I remove a jammed, broken key from a lock?
I have a key to an apartment mailbox that was almost impossible to get the key in and out of to unlock, and in trying, my roommate broke the key off in it. From looking in with a light, it seems that ...
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Are garage door locks that cannot be opened from the outside available?
I would like to replace my garage lock with a lock face that does not permit opening it from the outside. I don't have a key to it anyway, and right now it's the weakest link of my home security.
I'...
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What kind of (1950s era) lock is this
My home, built in the late 1950s, has these cute little additional locks on top of the main doorknobs to many of the interior rooms. I can't seem to find the correct term for these locks, which would ...
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What kind of lock used to be here?
We're moving into a new place and have been told by the building's management that the top lock on our door is our own responsibility. It appears that the previous tenants had something in the top ...
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What is the name of this cast metal part inside my lockset?
I have a Baldwin front door lockset that doesn't completely retract the latch when using the thumb lever. The handleset is similar to this: model
After dismantling the thumb latch assembly, I ...
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How can I install modern locksets on these interior doors?
I've recently bought my first house which I'm very excited about, got into the decorating phase and decided to replace the door handles - some of which were damaged - with nice new ones. Being a ...
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How do I remove a Kwikset deadbolt with no screws on the inside plate?
My exterior door deadbolt has gotten stuck - it'll open with the lever but not the key. By spraying WD-40 inside the lock, I've been able to get it to work but it's very stiff. I'd like to remove the ...
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How can I make a copy of a door key without a matching blank?
We have an old numbered key, that looks like a regular key, but it seems it is numbered, so the locksmith refuses to copy it without our landlord coming with the original.
Our landlord would ...
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How do I fix an exterior door knob that will unlock but not turn?
My back door (which is only two years old) has a door knob that recently suddenly stopped turning. I can lock and unlock it, but it just won't turn. Here's a picture of the inside of the door knob:
...
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How do I open a padlock after it has frozen?
I do some maintenance on the neighborhood ice-skating rink. To control the lights, there is an outside electrical panel that is locked with a padlock.
This padlock always gets frozen. Every time I ...
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Why did my locked door open by itself?
Why would our front door have opened by itself? It was locked. It has an entrance set - a latched, not deadbolt, knob handled, keyed on the outside and turnsnib on the inside style lock. We have had a ...
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How to remove a doorknob with no visible screws?
I have an exterior lock set with a knob on the inside. I can't get the interior doorknob off. It does not have a hole in the shaft of the knob in which you press a clip down to remove it. It's one of ...
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What are the key criteria to consider when purchasing new locks and deadbolts?
On twitter, the cofounder of GDGT Ryan Block comments:
Surprisingly difficult to find a list of expert-recommended consumer locks, padlocks, etc. Lots on defeating security, but few suggestions.
...
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How can I remove a key that has broken off in a lock?
I broke a key off in the lock of a desk drawer. The lock doesn't look easily replaceable, so how can I remove it? I've tried tweezers but they can't get enough of a grip to pull it out.
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Did I break my Kwikset SmartKey lock by trying to rekey with a key that doesn't fit all the way?
I got a Kwikset deadbolt lock (has key hole on both sides instead of key hole externally with latch internally). This lock uses SmartKey technology so you can rekey the lock to use a new key rather ...
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How do I disable a locking door latch?
I have the following door handle / lock combination that leads out to my garage. The key for the door has long been lost and sometimes someone will turn the internal lock and the door cannot be opened ...
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Which patio door should the lock be installed in?
We are having some patio doors fitted and they are rebated.
The doors open outwards
The left-hand door opens first
We would like to fit a narrowstile lock with a roller (rather than a catch) and I ...
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How can I fit a Schlage lockset in my front door?
I moved into a condo with a Kwikset lockset in the door. I wanted to replace it with a Schlage lockset, but the actual bolt portion of the deadbolt was too large to fit into the pre-drilled hole. If ...
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How can I remove a Mortise Lock and deadbolt from a door?
I got an old door from a junk yard that I'm trying to reuse. The door is going to end up being sliding barn door so I have no use for its existing door knob and lock mechanisms. From what I can tell ...
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Push button lock unlocks when knob turned
Recently my bedroom lock (a push button lock) has been acting funny. It's hard to push the button in and the button and handle sort of need to be jiggled to push it in all the way. Once it's in it ...
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Where do I buy a weather proof combination padlock?
I have a shed that I use a padlock to secure. The last lock I had lasted a year before failing. It cost about $40. My wife prefers combination so she won't need her keys just to work in the yard.
I ...
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Are easy-rekey locks reliable?
I want to replace an old deadbolt and handle on my front door, and most of the replacement sets at big-box home improvement stores are the easy-rekey kind. Kwikset's SmartKey seems better executed ...
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Are there any simple electronic door locks available?
I have an office door I need to keep locked but allow easy access.
It doesn't have to be super secure, it has a proper deadlock for when we are closed, it just has to stop people casually walking in.
...
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What lubricant should I use for an outside garage door lock?
I recently asked what sort of lubricant I should use on locks.
I was wondering if the advice there (i.e. graphite powder) applied to an outside garage door handle lock?
The lock in question looks ...
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How do I install a chain lock on a steel door?
I'm tring to install a chain lock on the inside of my home. I've tried millions of things to get a hole in the steel door. Is a 12 volt drill not powerful enough?
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What is causing discoloration on my bronze-finished lockset?
We bought a bronze finished lockset about five years ago, and now a lot of it is ashy looking and green in some places. It looks a little worse every year. It's on an exterior door facing west. ...
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