Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [lock]

A device for securing access, typically on a door, and typically controlled with a key or combination.

Typical kinds of locks include locking door knobs, deadbolts, and padlocks. In addition to keys and combinations, fingerprint readers and wireless locks are now available for homes.

409 questions
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How to get locks that are keyed alike?

I'm looking to replace 3 sets of deadbolts and doorknobs with new keyed alike handles and deadbolts (they don't need to be high security or anything, just regular exterior entry). All of the big box home improvement stores I've been to don't have a…
user105037
12
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8 answers

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 from the garage side. I wish to disable this…
Guy
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5 answers

What is this kind of door lock called in English?

Would it be called "overlap door lock"? Instead of being installed inside the door, it is screwed outside of the door.
Gustavo
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What type of key profile is this?

I have acquired a chest for which the key was lost years ago. Since I don't want to destroy the lock or the chest, I try to find out what key I need. The chest and key are of german manufacturing as far as I know and as far as the previous owner…
Trish
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2 answers

Bedroom door lock

We hire people to care for my mom 24/7 in her home and we want one of the bedrooms to be off-limits to them. We lock the door from inside and then use a little screwdriver to unlock it. It was simple, just feel a groove and turn…
Duke Leto
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5
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3 answers

How can I open the latch mechanism on a Schlage keyed entry lock without the doorknob?

I have a problem almost exactly similar to How to open a door that has the insides of a door handle inside without a door knob but I have a more complicated mechanism. Basically while installing the lock and checking for alignment, I inadvertently…
allquixotic
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How to install a replacement lock in a mailbox?

How do I install this lock in my mail box? Where do I twist/turn/rotate/pull to separate the thick front part from the end part?
BlueMoon93
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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 would probably just slide over the holding thing.…
jobukkit
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4
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1 answer

How could my Schlage SecureKey lock reprogram itself?

I have an old Schlage SecureKey installation. (Yes, I know about Schlage having lost the lawsuit almost a decade ago.) I haven't had any problems with the lock. Recently, a weird thing happened. Leaving the house, and locking the door, the lock felt…
Kaz
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Can I fix this lock so the outside handle is not always blocked?

I have a Yale mortise lock, 8847FL. I’ve set everything so it works for the side of the door it’s on, but every time I lock it, it flips a switch so even after unlocking, it’s impossible to turn the door handle from the outside. I can unlock it with…
Tango
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3
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1 answer

Key stuck halfway in door lock

My bedroom door has a lock on it and the key is stuck between a 90 degree turn and the top (pictures below). The weird thing is that when I turn it counter clockwise it moves the latch bolt just a tiny amount and then gets stuck again. I’ve tried…
EGJ
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3
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2 answers

How to loosen this strange nut of a cylinder lock?

I bought a new letterbox lock (Burgwächter ZBK-70, pdf datasheet/drawing), but the bar is too short. I'd like to exchange that bar, but I have no clue how to loosen the bolt. So far, I tried it with telecom pliers, but it didn't work. What is this…
dodi
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Is this slot on a European style lock cylinder normal?

When trying to change the cylinder of my lock (European version), I discovered that it has what seems to be an extra "slot" along the external part: It looks like it prevents standard cylinder to fit (this is a Heracles lock). Is this normal? (I…
WoJ
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2 answers

I screwed up with my Kwikset lock during rekeying

I bought a Kwikset rekey kit to rekey the locks at home. However, at the beginning I did not turn the lock to "lock" position; instead, it was in unlocked position. I then followed the instructions given with the kit. In the end, it turned out that…
Martin
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Door lock stuck, will NOT retract

Interior laundry room door leading into garage. Keyed door lock will NOT retract no matter what I do. Can't take door off hinges b/c middle hinge is one of those spring loaded kind that doesn't have a pin. Stopped by a locksmith this morning who…
Flash_Gordon
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