Category: Blog
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When installing hardware make sure you can’t unscrew it from the door from outside
Usually you want to secure your belongings from the outside world. Someday we may share all of our belongings equally but until then, make sure that locks can’t be unscrewed off the door! Recently I saw two examples of doors that could be opened by removing one or two screws. The first one was pretty…
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The Problems that Lurk Beneath the Surface
Today I was rekeying a house. I pulled the lock cylinders apart in order to replace the brass pins, a process that guarantees the old key will no longer work but a new key will. I was surprised to find that all of the lock cylinders had either two or three pins inside. These lock…
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Is your basement door safe?
When considering the security of a building I think it is important to consider what entrances a criminal would attempt to use first. The criminal wants low visibility and the path of least resistance. This usually means the front door will be left alone because it is usually visible from other peoples’ houses and the…
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How do you know if your doors are secure?
I offer people the option of taking the locks off their doors to bring to me so they can save money on rekeying them but then they miss out on potential problems I would notice and bring to their attention. This made me think it would be helpful for people to know what to look…
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How to secure a lift-up door?
Sometimes lift up doors need to be secured but there is no place to attach a lock. I get requests from time to time to install locks on lift up garage doors and if there is not a place to attach a padlock on the inside of the door or there is no secondary entrance…
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Manipulating Safes
I’m learning how to manipulate safes. It’s maddening work, it depends on methodical work with little room for mistakes over the course of an hour or more. It is a real thrill when you hear the click that signifies you dialed the safe open though!
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Pocket Door Lock Security Upgrade
For heightened privacy, ask for the addition of tubular locksets to your sliding pocket door.
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Paint is the enemy of locks
Painters are constantly ruining locks. They do this by Ruining the lock when trying to remove it from the door without knowing how Not reinstalling the lock correctly Painting the lock and getting paint inside the lock Shutting the door when the paint is still wet, thus effectively gluing the door shut Putting thick layers…
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This door is missing something…
This door on Capitol Hill in Seattle is bananas! Two exit devices on one door requires some coordination if you’re trying to get out. Hopefully you’re not in a hurry. Imagine if there was a fire and there was a lot of smoke. You’re coughing, you can’t see, and the door won’t open when you…
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That isn’t a strike plate!
The DIY crowd too busy to read the instructions sometimes does things that are just bananas, like installing this deadbolt faceplate in place of a strike plate. The hole in this faceplate is just barely larger than the bolt intended to sit inside it, so it would be nearly impossible to lock this door. Strangely…