Emergency Locksmith. UPVC repairs. Car keys & remotes. Ross on Wye. Forest of Dean. 01594 541156 / 07736 038346
Keys were lost to this old (pre 1984) style garage door lock in the Forest of Dean. A key could be obtained to the code on the lock but that leaves the missing key unaccounted for. Simplest and most secure was to pick the lock on the back of the handle to enable it to be replaced for a brand new lock.
Although the lock above is Union branded they are commonly seen with the L&F variant instead.
If your UPVC door is difficult to lock, or hitting the frame – get it adjusted. Leaving it will end up breaking the mechanism and being unable to open your door, or unable to lock it.
Take a look at the part above and how extremely worn it is. It is part of the mechanism of a UPVC front door that eventually jammed shut. This door must have been wearing against the frame for several years. We were called to open the door and carry out repairs. Repeated strain and force required to lift the handle eventually broke the gearbox. A simple adjustment would have stopped this from happening.
Some unusual multipoint mechanisms can cost over £200 just for the part.
We were called to repair a set of UPVC French doors. The door wouldn’t lock because the multipoint mechanism had broken. This was caused by the door swinging open with such force against the wall that it was ripping the door off its hinges. This in turn caused the door to drop out of alignment.
Because of the failed gearbox the customer had temporarily secured the doors by tying the handles together with a shoelace.
If you are experiencing any difficulty locking a UPVC door, 90% of the time it is due to mis-alignment. Unless you get the door correctly adjusted the gearbox will fail. This will result in a door jammed shut, or cannot be locked.
Not much going on here at the moment. Most people are already locked down at home so they’re not losing car keys or locking themselves out.
Here are some pictures of the replacement of keys for a ’93 Ford barn find. There were no keys with the vehicle. It is possible to make a key without having to strip the lock but I wanted to clean inside the lock as the old grease was like treacle.
Locked in? Locked out? Unable to secure your property? If you need an emergency locksmith we will still aim to help you whilst maintaining social distancing and taking necessary precautions.
If your routine maintenance can wait until the risk is lower then please wait!
During this special period our locksmith services cover Mitcheldean, Cinderford, Coleford, Ross on Wye and the Forest of Dean in general.
Look after the vulnerable. Help where possible. Stay safe.
Not posted anything for a while. Let’s see how long winded fitting a cat flap can be. Customer’s cats wanted a flap fitting but the design of the door prevented a simple installation. The door needed adaptation from a 3 panel/2 bar lower section to a single section panel.
We picked this British Standard 5 lever lock to open a commercial premises for the client. The main key had been lost and the spare key was several hours away.
BS locks are designed to be difficult to open without the key. They have to have a certain number of possible keys, a minimum specific time for a cutting attack on the bolt, and various other limits. They certainly aren’t easy to pick unless you know what you’re doing. This lock is a Union Strongbolt and is one of the more common locks.
Electronic PCBs don’t like getting wet, let alone going through a full hot wash. It might have been OK without the hole in the case. Here’s a remote we had to replace for a customer.
Here are a few keys and remotes that we’ve programmed recently
Modern vehicles have immobilisers fitted to prevent theft. These immobilisers look for a transponder chip in the key or the remote. It must be the exact same chip programmed into the vehicle for it to start. Although somebody else’s key may open your locks (a slim possibility) it will not start your vehicle unless your immobiliser has been previously been programmed to accept it. The metal part of the key is very cheap to replicate. To replace the transponder can involve quite a lot of work.
The latest type vehicles with smart remotes that you can keep in your pocket are actually quite vulnerable to theft. It is possible that a thief can steal your vehicle if your remote is in range. These smart / proximity remotes should not be kept within range of your vehicle. Keep them at the back of the house, or invest in a blocker bag, or metal box.
When double glazing becomes misty or full of condensation it is an indication that the seal between the glass has failed. A blown double glazed panel also won’t be as thermally efficient.
Below is an example of the improvement achieved by replacing a misty double glazed unit.
Double glazed units come in several thicknesses. This is set by the UPVC frame that you have. To increase the insulation of the glass you’ll be looking for coated glass and argon filled. Coated glass such as ‘Low E’ will have the benefit of being cooler in summer as it can reflect solar radiation.
Panels that are low to the floor will probably have to be BS or toughened glass. This is to protect children who may run into it and otherwise shatter the glass into dangerous shards.