Just moved into a new house and the upvc porch door has a lock fitted with a handle attached. The key to the lock is lost and I would like to replace it. I can open and close the door using the handle, but the previous owner had lost the key to the lock. I have seen the barrel on sale in the local diy store and thought I'd get the old lock out to make sure of the size before I bought the new barrel. My problem is I can't get the old lock out. I was told that the key is needed to remove the barrel in order to replace the lock. I obviously cannot do this as I don't have a key. How can I get the barrel out in order to replace it? Any advice would be much appreciated.
upvc porch door lock problem
- Thread starter seneca
- Start date
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Yes you need the original key to take out the cylinder.
One way (and not nice) is to drill out the cylinder. I have done this a few times and it can take about an hour and several drill bits.
A locksmith should be able to do this for you.
One way (and not nice) is to drill out the cylinder. I have done this a few times and it can take about an hour and several drill bits.
A locksmith should be able to do this for you.
A locksmith would have the cylinder out within a few minutes (destroying the cylinder), or a little longer if picking the cylinder. You could be drilling all day unless you know exactly where to drill, and could possibly do more damage than good - leave it to a pro (but get a price agreed first 
)
)thanks for the info,
any idea how much a locksmith would charge?
If I were to attempt drilling it out myself, where should I 'aim' the drill bit?
(I'm assuming I would need a decent drill bit, the way I figure is if I made a mess the locksmith surely wouldn't charge extra to drill it out... would he?)
any idea how much a locksmith would charge?
If I were to attempt drilling it out myself, where should I 'aim' the drill bit?
(I'm assuming I would need a decent drill bit, the way I figure is if I made a mess the locksmith surely wouldn't charge extra to drill it out... would he?)
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A locksmith is likely to charge by the hour, unless you can get them to agree on a fixed price for the job - for this they will want to see the job first.
Rates vary according to area, but budget on £40-50 per hour during daytime hours. Make sure you get a local locksmith, and not one of the call centres - who will probably send you a plumber who moonlights with a drill and calls himself a locksmith. Look down the side of the advert (Yellow Pages etc.), and look for an address in your local area - don't be fooled by the local telephone number.
Take a look on theinstituteofcertifiedlocksmiths.org.uk for a local police and skills vetted locksmith.
Rates vary according to area, but budget on £40-50 per hour during daytime hours. Make sure you get a local locksmith, and not one of the call centres - who will probably send you a plumber who moonlights with a drill and calls himself a locksmith. Look down the side of the advert (Yellow Pages etc.), and look for an address in your local area - don't be fooled by the local telephone number.
Take a look on theinstituteofcertifiedlocksmiths.org.uk for a local police and skills vetted locksmith.
HandyHands said:
We can't find "www.theinstituteofcertifiedlocksmiths.org.uk"
but I found
http://www.theinstituteofcertifiedlocksmiths.org/
What a prat - can't even remember a website address
P.S. I wasn't taking a pop at plumbers in my last post, I could have substituted plumber for electrician, gas fitter, glazier etc. etc. These call centres, and some of the jerks they employ, just take the p*ss.
P.S. I wasn't taking a pop at plumbers in my last post, I could have substituted plumber for electrician, gas fitter, glazier etc. etc. These call centres, and some of the jerks they employ, just take the p*ss.
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