Getting Rid A Broken Key Remains Explained By A Houston Locksmith
Jiggle The Key Gently And Slowly
It might sound overly simplistic, but quite often people yank on their key as hard as they can in frustration when it would more effective to calmly jiggle it. Before doing anything too drastic, simply gently wiggle the key, while pressing down on the cylinder of the lock with your other hand’s index finger. It is quite common for a key to stick once in a while, so it may only need a bit of extra movement to get it freed up.
Ice The Lock In Order To Free Up The Key
If your key will not jiggle free, another inexpensive and quick solution is to use ice to get your key out. Cold temperatures cause the metal to contract, so when you apply ice to the key it should make it shrink and enable it to more easily slide from the lock.
Just wrap up a piece of ice inside of a paper towel in order to prevent drips and then press it onto the head of your key. Wait a couple of minutes and then try to remove the key again. If necessary, jiggle it slightly. Remember that in colder weather the method will not be as effective.
Lubricant Can Help Get Things Loosened Up
Whenever your key will not budge, if you add a bit of lubricant it can go a very long way. Try to spray some WD-40 on it or put a couple of drops of graphite lubricant inside of the lock cylinder. Jiggle the key and work it further inside of the lock and then try taking the key out again. If the key doesn’t come loose still, call a locksmith so that you don’t break your key or don’t make the situation worse.
Key Sill Will Not Unlock The Lock
How about the times when your key goes inside the lock, the door won’t open? A few potential things can cause this, most of which are easy to remedy.
First of all, you want to ensure you are right the right key. The same style of key often fits all of the ways into a lock that it isn’t configured to open. It is a good idea to double check to make sure you are using the correct key before doing anything else.
After you know you have the right key, try to jiggle it gently while it is inside of the keyhole and see if it turns. Make sure to careful to not apply excessive force. Otherwise, you will end up having to use on the above methods to get your broken key out of the lock.
If it doesn’t work to jiggle the key, there could be debris or dirt lodged inside of the lock that is preventing it from working properly. Usually, that can be remedied by using some of the spray lubricants we mentioned previously. Just apply some lubricant to the keyhole and key, and then re-insert the key a couple of times to work it down inside of the lock.
Whenever a key won’t open up the lock after the lubricant was applied, you might have a bigger obstruction inside of the lock or a more serious issue that you need to deal with. You could try to run a small piece of wire inside of the lock while the key is inserted to find out if you can find a blockage. However, that may cause damage or could make the problem worse if you aren’t experienced when it comes to working with locks.
At this point, your best option is to get professional help since your lock might have a more serious problem such as a corroded pin or pin chamber that is worn down. These problems can be handled only by somebody who has the proper experience and training in order to avoid damaging the lock.
What If I Am Unable To Fix My Lock On My Own?
Although it would be nice being able to fix everything on your own, there will be times when you need professional help with your keys or locks. When this time comes, it is very important that you have a trustworthy locksmith you can rely on to deliver quality service at an affordable price.
Contact us today or visit our blog for more locksmithing insight.
