Who should pay? Lock.

DaftyDuck

Have you any oil (even cooking oil) to help free it? Are you locked out at the mo? Presume not from the posting.... Try a bit of oil of any kind on the key, or stick a wire in the lock (hairpin?), then run dribbles of oil down.

HappyMJ

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Have you any oil (even cooking oil) to help free it? Are you locked out at the mo? Presume not from the posting.... Try a bit of oil of any kind on the key, or stick a wire in the lock (hairpin?), then run dribbles of oil down.

I wouldn't use cooking oil.

Just get the lock out of the door and figure out what to do next. If you were to shake it whatever is stuck in it might fall out.

shoe*diva79

Sorry for the delay, tried poking something into the lock and then tried my key in the lock - key snapped in it. I have now taken the whole lock off so am going to phone around for someone to lend me the money to buy a new lock which Ill then send the receipt to my landlord and deduct from next months rent.

Thanks for the help guys.

DaftyDuck

HappyMJ wrote: »

I wouldn't use cooking oil.

Neither would I, if I had access to anything else. It might have helped free grubby grot in there.

Snapping a key in the lock does, unfortunately, change it to not being so clearly the LL's responsibility, in my opinion. It takes some force to snap a key.

G_M

shoe*diva79 wrote: »

Sorry for the delay, tried poking something into the lock and then tried my key in the lock - key snapped in it. I have now taken the whole lock off so am going to phone around for someone to lend me the money to buy a new lock which Ill then send the receipt to my landlord and deduct from next months rent.

Thanks for the help guys.

1) snapping key in lock makes it your fault.

2) deducting cost rom rent without following the shelter process (as advised earlier) puts you in rent arrears

Of course, LL may simply accept your actions and absorb the cost, but legally he does not have to.

p00hsticks

OP, as G_M says in post #19, you shouldn't need to replace the whole lock, just the cylinder

bluesnake

shoe*diva79 wrote: »

I wouldn't have a clue how to change a lock and am currently out of work so money is very very tight, £15 is several days food my my children and I right now sadly.

If you get a locksmith in London you probably will not see much change out of £65. If you get an emergency locksmith out of hours from yellow pages, you will probably not see much change from £350

Pixie, generally speaking you should do not put WD40 into a lock, although in the case it is already broke, so makes no difference WD40 is a water dispersion/displacement agent, it will attract dust, and eventually either become a grinding paste, or stick the lock. The lube for locks is graphite powder and comes in Vicks nostril squirt type bottle. On a working lock never use cooking oil. On anything mechanical never use cooking oil unless you want it to bind or sieze fairly soon :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXAo7zSN-9o
the only issue with the video is after 1:17 where he then puts in the two screws that hold the cylinder - do not overtighten them as it may cause the lock not to work and you may also have trouble sliding that case on too. Just tighten it to the point where it is not loose.

Put the key in the lock while the door is open and try the key @1:36. Don't lock yourself out. Then try opening the lock from the inside first and only then when successfully with a child behind the inside of the door and lock yourself out and try it again.

if the key is broken and stuck there is a locksmiths tool call a 'key extractor'. It is basically a straight fishook which you push in the key usually at the cut edge and on the way out hopefully the barb catches on the key.

thesaint

Surely you know a man that can do it for you?
A new barrel is less than a tenner, and will take minutes to replace.

GolfFoxtrot

thesaint wrote: »

Surely you know a man that can do it for you?

Or woman

Pixie5740

bluesnake wrote: »

Pixie, generally speaking you should do not put WD40 into a lock, although in the case it is already broke, so makes no difference WD40 is a water dispersion/displacement agent, it will attract dust, and eventually either become a grinding paste, or stick the lock. The lube for locks is graphite powder and comes in Vicks nostril squirt type bottle.

Yes, I know what the WD in WD40 stands for.

As well as a water displacement WD40 is also a light lubricant and degreaser and because it is light it evaporates quickly so it shouldn't hang around long enough to attract a lot of dust or gum up the lock like cooking oil will. Yikes.