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Door locks|Broken locks
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Unfortunately, door locks weren’t made to last forever. Eventually, all door locks will break depending on the quality.
Door Lock
When a door lock breaks it could be crucial that you fix it as soon as you can. A broken door lock can compromise the security of a property as it isn’t functioning to its full capability.
You may need to replace a broken lock or sometimes you can just repair your lock. As locksmiths in Toowoomba, we carry a lot of spare parts for locks in our service vans and workshop. Or replacement locks where required. There are a lot of little moving parts inside a lock, occasionally there is just one simple broken part stopping it all from working together.
A common occurrence in a lot of older style homes, especially in Toowoomba where we have stunning Colonial and Queenslander homes, is building or house movement. The foundations of a house can often move and shift causing a door to not meet up with the striker plate on the frame of the door. Weather can also play a major part in house movement, colder months versus summer months there is always a slight adjustment in the ground. All these causes can give the user the impression that they have a broken lock but this may not be the case. This can be a simple fix where a locksmith can make an adjustment to the part that the lock actually locks into.
broken door lock
A factor of a broken door lock could also be that it is faulty. Sometimes there are faults in the manufacturing of the lock, there are a lot of moving parts that make a lock work. If one of those small parts isn’t doing it job correctly it can cause the whole lock to not work. Depending on the situation it could cost more for a locksmith to pull apart the lock and try fixing the broken lock.
Many people would worry that if their lock cannot be repaired, they will have to buy a new lock that might not match the rest of the doors on the house or business premises. There are plenty of options on the market that you will be able to source the exact same or very similar fitting lock. Toowoomba Locksmiths have a number of suppliers with all different products, the chance of not finding what you are after for a replacement lock is slim to none.
Matching New Lock
The new lock could also be changed so it can match a current key for your house. This just involves the lock being taken apart and the internals of the lock being rearranged, for example: the same key will operate both the front and back door. This eliminates having a different key for every door in your house, it is one universal key.
Garage Door Remotes | Garage door
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Whether you have a roller door remote, tilt-a-door remote, or a panel lift, all Garage door remotes come in a huge range of brands and frequencies. It is imperative that you choose the correct remote for your motor and receiver, purchased from a reputable stockist. Buying Garage Door Remotes online can be costly if the incorrect remote is selected for your requirements.
Adding and deleting Garage Door Remotes can be a simple process, and providing the correct remote is selected it can be a DIY job to reprogram. Or for peace of mind have a trained technician from Toowoomba Locksmiths to clear your receiver’s memory and add remotes as necessary.
Garage door
The Garage door is often overlooked when changing locks on your property which can mean anyone carrying old remotes may have unauthorised access to your home or garage. Be sure you know who holds remotes for your garage door – Old tenants or property owners, unwanted family members or old tradespersons may have these garage remotes and could potentially access your property without your knowledge.
Deleting old remotes is Easy and highly recommended whenever you are unsure who may have remotes, anytime you move into a new home, or if someone you know has a remote unlawfully.
Remotes can operate a large range of openers. For instance, Roller door remotes, tilt-a-door remotes, panel lift remotes, and even some auto gates, could possibly all use the same remote. Selecting the right remote means you could have one remote that operates different garage doors and gates without having to carry more than one remote.
If your remote is no longer working it can be due to a few reasons:
- The battery is old and may need replacing
- Sometimes there may be an issue with the receiver or motor
- You may simply need a new remote if there is an internal fault
This can be diagnosed by contacting any of the knowledgeable staff at Toowoomba Locksmiths.
Security screen and Security Door Locks
Posted by admin in Home Security | 4 comments
Security screen, commonly known as screen door locks are often the most heavily used doors in your home. Each time your main door is used the security screen is often used as well. Not only do they offer additional security to your home when locked in conjunction with your main glass or timber door but they offer the ability to secure your home while still offering fresh air to flow through.
There are 4 main brands of security Screen door locks commonly used in the Toowoomba Region, these are Whitco, Lockwood, Doric and Austral. Toowoomba locksmiths stock a wide range of these brands for both Sliding Security Screens and Hinged Security Screens. Whitco and Lockwood are the most common and longest used brand of Security Door Locks and although are no longer manufactured in Australia are still both high quality and affordable. It is important the correct brand and model is selected to ensure smooth replacements and correct security requirements.
If your Security Screen Door Lock stops working, there can be many reasons for this. Like any mechanical item, Security Door locks are not designed to last forever however with care and servicing, you can be sure they will keep your home secure for many years. There can be many reasons why your Security Door Lock has stopped working, these can include but are not limited to:
Reasons your Security Screen Door Lock May stop working
- Ground movement causing the lock to no longer meet its strike correctly
- Attempted or successful break-in
- Incorrect fitting
- A build-up of dust or foreign objects either inside the lock
- More commonly inside the hole in the frame of the door
If you are replacing one of your screen doors locks and want to use the same key with the new lock, this can usually be easily achieved as the cylinder can most commonly be removed from the old lock and work well in the New Security Lock.
It is easy to mistake a broken Screen Door Lock with a repairable fault. The best way to establish if you need a new security lock or if the lock can be repaired is to contact one of the Knowledgeable locksmiths at Toowoomba Locksmiths.
Why you should change locks on your house
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Have you recently had concerns about the security of your house, but don’t have the funds for replacement locks?
A common misconception to house owners is that to change locks on their house, the only option is replacement locks. However, you don’t have to replace the whole lock to maintain confidence that your house is secure, simply rekey your lock cylinders.
Changing locks may seem like a large and expensive task but actually, for a knowledgeable locksmith, it is quite fast and efficient. Changing lock barrels is significantly cheaper than replacing locks as you can reuse the lock handle etc. We simply just take apart the lock, adjust and rearrange parts inside ensuring the old keys will no longer work and therefore be able to unlock the door. A new set of keys are then cut to work with the reconfigured lock on the inside.
Why you should change locks
There are several reasons why you would want to change your locks. We commonly have people contact us when they have their keys lost or stolen. Lost keys may be able to be tracked back to your property, leading to you feeling that your house and family are not secure and safe. We recommend changing locks in this situation to stop any intruders being able to possibly gain access into your property.
Moving into a new house
Moving into a new house maybe another scenario why you might consider changing your lock barrels. You can never be 100% sure that previous owners and tenants have returned all the keys. Builders and subcontractors from a newly built house might be a factor as well. More commonly then not builders and subcontractors would have at some point in time, required keys into your house to perform tasks. Changing the locks will eliminate them from gaining entry later.
Unfortunately, there are also sometimes family break downs in play, with upsetting circumstances. Sometimes a broken family may have some issues where you no longer want to have a family member to have access to your house for whatever reason. Rekeying your locks will eliminate this person being able to access the property with old keys they may still have, ensuring the safety of your family.
Replacing garage remote
Don’t stress about a garage remote in the wrong hands either. A garage remote and motors can be easily reprogrammed. You can eliminate remotes that may be in the hands of someone you wish not to have access. We reprogram the motor to no longer recognise any remotes, then re-introduce the remotes possessed by the homeowner, meaning any old garage remotes that use to work that haven’t been reprogramed will no longer be able to open the garage door.
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