help with lock description pls

suered

Dear all

doing quotes to renew contents description and am now worried about which answer to pick for the patio doors:

I have a choice between:
top and bottom operated key lock (am assuming that this is the kind that you have a long cylinder key for and is not an integral part of the door)

central rail key operated lock

key operated multi point lock

It's the last two that are confusing me - it's PVC patio doors, that both open outwards (as opposed to a sliding arrangement) - so does that make it a central rail by default - or does the fact that there are 3 locking points that I can see make it the last one?

Many thanks in advance

glider3560

Phone up the company in question - they'll be able to tell you exactly what they mean by each.

mattymoo

glider3560 wrote: »

Phone up the company in question - they'll be able to tell you exactly what they mean by each.

I bet they can't you know - most underwriters don't have a clue about lock types.

Suered - key operated multipoint locks are the norm on modern UPVC doors. With the door open, turn the key in the lock to see what happens. You should see bolts slide or rotate across to where the frame would be. There may also be some sliding type devices called mushroom headed bolts. These move up and down on the door and engage in slots on the frame.

A central rail key operated door is quite an odd term. In fact, if you google it in quote marks, the only worthwhile result is another thread on MSE. I also posted an answer there so I'll repeat it here.

"Central rail - terminology is a bit odd there but I suspect it is along similar lines to a key operated multi-point locking system. These are found on UPVC doors. When you turn the key, mushroom headed bolts slide across to engage locking points in the frame.

EDIT - just did some digging on this. I spent 15 years as a Security Surveyor for insurers and never came across this term. It seems that Endsleigh use it in their quote engine and I suspect this is where Confused have picked it up from. I suspect if you were to ask Endsleigh staff they could not describe such a lock as the term has no recognition in either Google or the security industry in general.
Closest thing I can think of is a multipoint lock with espagnolettes, top and bottom. Use google images to see what I mean. "

suered

Thanks, Mattymoo - and apologies for posting before searching I'll go with the multi-point - there are definintely 2 little mushroom type things as well as the bolt where the key is.