Door Locks

Keith W

Keith W

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Hi All,

Have just got the keys to my new flat and one of the things I want to do is change the locks.

The flat currently just has a standard, very badly fitted, euro cylinder

I was thinking of replacing this with a ABS high security euro cylinder or is that just over priced/overkill?

Or should I just replace it with a standard euro cylinder?

Any assistance or thoughts greatly appreciated.

Take care,

Keith
 
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The door is UPVC hence the euro cylinder

The Mets advice is geared toward wooden doors
 
Standard Euro cylinder offers very little security, I would recommend an upgrade ... hopefully the door also has multi-point locking.
 
Have just ordered an ABS high security euro cylinder, £40 though :eek:
 
Keith W said:
Have just ordered an ABS high security euro cylinder, £40 though :eek:
Click to expand...
Small price to pay for piece of mind. Good security also gets you an insurance discount :)
 
The lock turned up today so will be fitting it tomorrow
 
I'm a locksmith! Euro cylinders are weak! Where abouts are you?
 
I've got some blocks which stop doing what I do with a euro cylinder to get in
 
Yep that will do it! Good choice!
 
Beats any door lock lol

BEWARE-OF-THE-DOG-9008.jpg
 
Leave the door open! No one will come in! If you over secure the house it makes people think there's something worth nicking
 
There have been a massive spate of break-ins around my area since before Christmas.

They seemed to be fairly opportunistic in nature to start with i.e. doors/windows not secured properly whilst the owners were out but in the last few weeks there have been a number of burglaries where doors/windows have been smashed at night whilst the owners were alseep upstairs. I'm lead to believe that a double glazed unit doesn't make much noise when it's smashed?

We put an alarm on the house when we moved in, it's only a wireless Yale jobbie but it will call designated telephone nuumbers should it be activated.

Up until a few weeks ago, we mainly relied on the door contacts at the rear of the property but with the nature of the latest spate of break-ins they simply wouldn't be effective. Having a wife that lived at a property that was burgled and a 9 month old daughter I decieded to up the ante a little.......

Motion sensors have now been fitted in each room at the rear/side of the house where access would be possible if the glass was broken and interior door locks have been fitted to the doors that lead to the other parts of the house in the hope that the less determined burgular would hear the alarm after the gaining entry and scarper..... if not their progress to other parts of the house would at least be slowed a little.

I am considering getting a couple of anti-snap euro cylinders for the back doors but not sure they'd be worth it given the above (the front door is a composite fitted 2 years ago with a high security euro-cylinder)
 
when all this "bumping" was about I fitted CISA locks to all our doors :-)

funny flat keys with dimples
 
Interesting insights into higher security cylinders.

A few years back we had big name double glazing fitted including doors. Does anyone know what 'level' of security the cylinders are in those locks? And if wanted upgrade just how straightforward is it and if done DIY are there any insurance implications?

TIA :)
 
Changing the cylinder lock in a door should be a five minute job - literally. I'd advise you to remove the lock and measure the internal/external section lengths of the lock before you order. There is one screw holding the lock in the door frame - as long as this is not corroded then it's a few minute job to change the lock.

I had one that was corroded in and had to use a screw extractor and a bit of lateral thinking to remove it.

Any insurance implications should be positive!
 
Can I check a quote I have received to:
  • 3x 3star insurance approved cylinders @£40 each(£120)
  • 2x yale cylinders @£12each (£24)
  • Key alike charge @£10 per lock(4 in total £40)
  • Labour charge to change all locks £70
Is this reasonable - would you change anything?
 
I had to call out a locksmith a while back (tenants had lost keys). Whilst he was snapping the lock to get it out he showed me how to change euro cylinders. It really is remarkably simple. Key + screwdriver + 2 mins and it's done.

Here's a link on how to do it - http://www.upgrademylock.com/upgrade-my-lock/how/

The only tricky thing is that it's crucial to measure the old lock correctly. Measure both sides because they are often different and note which is the outside and which is the inside. If you're really stuck then leave somebody at home and nip down to your local locksmiths with the old cylinder.

@Rapscallion those key alike charges are a little higher than my local chap charges and I'd do the labour myself (mine would charge a bit more than £70). But that's not a bad price for a serious security upgrade. The link above that shows you how to change them seems cheaper but when I need something doing with locks I go to my local locksmith. Prices are higher than (say) Screwfix but I'd like him to be in business when I really need him.
 
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