Lock Advice

Browse by topic

• Lock problems and diagnosis

  Stiff locks, keys that turn without unlocking, doors that won't lock when closed and broken keys: what each symptom usually means and what to do.

• Repair or replace

  How to decide between repairing and replacing a lock, how the main lock types differ, and how to choose a replacement that fits your existing door.

• Home and office security

  Lock-security checklists for moving home, and what to check and replace after an attempted break-in at a Sandton home or office.

• Booking a locksmith

  What affects the price of a mobile locksmith visit in Sandton, and what to prepare before calling about an office or home lock problem.

All articles

• Stiff Door Lock? Possible Causes and Safe Checks

  Why a door lock goes stiff on cylinder, lever mortice, multipoint and sliding-door locks: safe checks, what makes it worse and when to call a locksmith.

• Key Turns but the Door Won't Unlock: What It Means

  Your key turns but the door stays locked. What usually fails in cylinder, mortice, multipoint, nightlatch and sliding-door locks, and what to check safely.

• Door Locks When Open but Not When Closed: Causes

  If a door locks with ease when open but not when closed, the bolt and frame are out of line. Causes by lock type, safe checks and what to avoid.

• Repair or Replace a Lock? How the Decision Is Made

  When a faulty door lock can be repaired, when only part needs changing and when a new lock is the better choice: the factors a locksmith weighs, explained.

• Key Broken in the Lock? What to Avoid Doing

  A key has snapped in your door lock. What to do first, what makes extraction harder, how it differs by lock type, and what to tell the locksmith.

• Moving into a Sandton home: a practical lock-security checklist

  Moving into a Sandton house, complex, estate or rental? Find out who may still hold keys, remotes and codes, which doors to secure first, and what you may change.

• Mortice, Cylinder and Multipoint Locks: What's the Difference?

  How mortice, cylinder and multipoint door locks work, how to tell which one your door has, how each one typically fails and what can be repaired or replaced.

• Choosing a Replacement Lock That Fits Your Existing Door

  Backset, case size, centres, cylinder length and profile, door thickness and handing: the measurements and choices that decide whether a new lock fits your door.

• Caring for Outside Door Locks: Dust, Storms and Highveld Sun

  How dry, dusty winters, summer thunderstorms and strong sun affect outside door locks in Sandton, with safe maintenance by lock type and finish.

• Damaged lock after a break-in attempt: assessment and replacement

  After an attempted break-in: signs of damage on cylinders, mortice locks, strikes, frames and handles, first steps with SAPS and your insurer, and securing the door.

• Office lock problems: information to prepare before calling

  Before calling a locksmith about an office lock: who owns the lock, fire-door checks, who can authorise work, purchase orders, photos, contractor access and master keys.

• What affects the price of a mobile locksmith visit in Sandton

  What drives the cost of a mobile locksmith visit in Sandton: call-out, timing, lock type, parts and access. How to ask for a quote and what a clear quote shows.

• Safe Won't Open? What to Check Before You Call

  Keypad dead, code not accepted, dial or key won't work? Safe checks for home, office and firearm safes, what makes it worse, and what to tell the technician.

• Locked Your Keys in the Car in Sandton? What to Do

  Keys locked in your car in Sandton? What to do first if a child or pet is inside, other options to check, what proof to have ready, and what not to try.