Snapped Key, Need My Door Opened

Key Snapped In Need Of A Locksmith

Your key snapping in the door can happen to just about anybody and for some apparent reason it always seems to happen at bad times but here at James Locksmith Cardiff we will be with you as quick as possible to help out. There are certain factors as to why your key has decided to snap but some unfortunate times there could be just about no apparent reason, other than  just really being very unlucky. Due to the key snapping you may think your fortunate to have a friend or relative near by with a spare in there possession but as you have the broken key stuck in the lock the spare won't work. To extract the broken key demands a locksmith in cardiff as extraction of the key is tricky and requires special precision tools and some patients. 95% of times extraction of broken keys is possible but on rare occations destructive methods are needed and a new lock may have to be installed but this is only in extreme circumstances. 

If for any reason the key in the door which is snapped is the only key you have, We will use our knowledge of locksmithing and open the door with our incredible set of skills and then change the lock with one which you require with a set of new keys from our stock. If you have snapped your key in your door no matter what time of day or night, phone James your Locksmith in Cardiff for a free no- obligation over the phone quote as I'm sure we will be able to help.

Why could have my key snapped

  • Cheaper metal from copied key which is weaker than original key
  • Too much pressure used to open the door
  • Lock seizing or seized which requires more presure 
  • Key bent and been impacted from object to re - straighten
  • No reason at all just wear and tear 

Why not opt in to a year subscription of 24 hour insurance for lock out's which would save save on average of £200 for 3 callouts of maximum use. 

 

Top Tip

If you are aware that the key you are using is damaged in any way and you continue using it knowing that it has been dramatically week'n you are asking for trouble, due to these keys only having a thin piece of metal binding the cuts for the pins or leavers together. James Cardiff Locksmith highly recommend that you instantly stop using this key and get a new one made. Worst case is you only have the damaged key available to copy and a copy of it can't be made as the damage is significant. Which means a new lock would be the option best suited which would come with new genuine manufacture keys and brand new working parts which are not worn from years of continuous use. A new lock being fitted would be considered to be a lot cheaper than phoning for a Locksmith in Cardiff at unsociable hours after the key had failed in the lock.

Locks seizing up and failing is not uncommon. When you think of a lock and how many times it is used for example the average person opens the door in the morning USE 1, Locks it as they are leaving to go to work USE 2, Comes home to re-open the front door after work USE 3, Then  locks it as they go to bed USE 4. This is based on 1 Day but times the 4 uses of the lock a day over a period of 365 days for the year would give you a total of 1460 uses of that lock. At some point all locks fail and 90% of the time they give you some indication that there life span is up. 

  • Key is difficult to insert 

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  • Bolt won't retract without force
  • Handles are tough to push down
  • Latch doesn't come fully out any more
  • Key won't turn unless spend 5 minutes moving clockwise and anti clockwise

 

Auto Locksmith - Key Snapped 

We are not only a general locksmith we deal with thousands of Auto / Car Locksmith services. One of many auto services we deal with is when you have snapped your car key in your ignition barrel or door lock. We have the equipment knowledge and skill to do a full key retraction at the road side.

How To Lock And Unlock Self Locking Latches

James Cardiff Locksmith are forever seeing People Snap their keys in these Mechanisms which Self Lock from the Latch.

Clients of ours are under the belief that as soon as they shut the door that the door is Automatically Locked which Is in fact a complete misimpression and completely as far from the actual truth as possible. The Door is Not Locked From The Latch on these doors. You still have to lock the door. 

Example 1 - You come home and are in dire need of a toilet so just shut the door behind your self the door is not locked but the self-locking latch is in use. This is okay as you have just entered your home intend to lock the door later on but want peace of mind no one can just walk in behind yourself. 

Example 2 -  You leave for work early in the morning and don't intend in coming home until later on that evening. On your way to work when leaving your home, you have just shut the door behind yourself but have not locked it and just used the function of the self-locking latch. This is most certainly a bad idea as leaving your home for any long periods of time or any time unlocked is really truly not a good thing to be doing. Burglars as well as any professional locksmith can determine whether a door is locked or unlocked but shut with a self-locking latch. You should never leave your home a building unlocked which is the bottom line. Whether you have a self locking latch on the door or not. Having a self-locking complete lock is fine as that is its job but a latch is called a latch for a reason and a lock is called a lock for another. 

 

Locking The Door

  • Shut the door as you would usually.
  • Lift the handle fully to engage the mechanism into the keeps on the receivers. Make sure handle is fully lifted. 
  • Insert the key and turn to the locked position. Which is common for the top of the key when inserted to be rotated towards the locking Style / Jamb. The key needs to be rotated 360 degrees to be able to extract after locking. 

If When you lift the handle and it is isn't able to be lifted to its full capacity or you cannot rotate the key a complete 360 degrees you will almost certainly need a locksmith. James The Locksmith operates In and around Cardiff. Please don't hesitate to call. 

 

Unlocking The Door 

  • Insert the key into the lock. Rotate the Key 360 degrees to the unlocked position but leaving the key in the lock. The rotation most common for unlocking is more common than not for the top of the key to be rotated away from the locking Jamb / Style. 
  • You then need to disengage the mechanism. This is done by pushing down on the handle which would release all parts of the lock other than the latch. 
  • The only part which is now holding the door shut is the latch but due to it be a self-locking latch the handle on the outside of the door will not operate this. You then have to twist the key a final little rotation to pull back the latch in the unlocking position, and then the door will open. 

The main reason why people snap the keys with this type of door is mainly due to not releasing the mechanism before forcefully twisting the key very hard. You have to release the mechanism on the lock by pulling down the handle before you can twist the key to disengage the latch. To pull down the handle you will need to unlock the door first. If you snap your key in your lock you will almost certainly need a locksmith and providing you live in or near Cardiff we can help.