Changing euro cylinder; why would you need locksmith?

PhilE

So I'm getting round to changing the locks in my home, they are all upvc.

I've read a few articles saying that its only necessary to change the cylinder which you can do yourself, and seems to be very straightforward and relatively cheap

Now, am I missing something here? Is there some reason why a locksmith would have to do it?

EachPenny

PhilE wrote: »

Now, am I missing something here? Is there some reason why a locksmith would have to do it?

Apart from making sure you get the correct length cylinder and be very careful with the fitting to ensure the mechanism stays free moving, then there is no reason not to DIY.

The main reasons for getting a locksmith are if (a) you don't know how easy it is to change a lock, and (b) you love paying big bills

Carrot007

I dunno they are not all that simple.

I have two doors in the conservatory and the second one did not have a proper release screw. I did have a try but I gave up as you would probably have to remove the inner glass to do it. (Risk of breaking the seal otherwise). Not that that is hard with the right tools. Just more effort that I can be bothered with. Pitty Since they put a gold lock in a silver handle!

WobblyDog

Like most readers of this sub-forum, I would try to do it myself, but there are always the usual reasons that DIY jobs go wrong:
- don't own a screwdriver
- own a screwdriver, but it's made of cheese
- don't know the difference between Philips and Pozidrive
- screw is seized, or head is chewed up
- person has no mechanical 'feel', and applies too much or too little torque
- nearest DIY store doesn't have correct size lock in stock
- newspaper stories about lock snapping make people want to be sure that a good quality lock is fitted.

I would say that some people are 'money-rich, time-poor', but I usually find that employing someone else to do a job is more time-consuming than doing it myself.

d0nkeyk0ng

I don't have much in the way of diy skills but it's pretty easy to change a euro cylinder lock. I ordered replacements online because I wanted the same key to open the porch door and the back door (keyed alike). The important bit would be to measure the cylinder accurately and get one the same size.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

most of them should be as simple as this.

chrisw

Very easy to do. Just make sure you measure each half of the lock correctly.

The mechanism broke on my old lock and it took about 20 seconds to snap the lock open using methods freely available online.

So, don't use too cheap a lock, use the money you've saved on the locksmith to get something decent which is anti snap and anti bump. I went for 3 star Yale platinum locks on the external doors.

Norman_Castle

PhilE wrote: »

Is there some reason why a locksmith would have to do it?

Because you are incapable or unwilling.

Try removing then replacing one of the current locks without renewing the cylinder to see if you can do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9A915L_mlk

alanq

My experience of DIY jobs is that they are never as simple as they appear in demonstrations and something will go wrong. I would fear ending up with a door that would not lock and having to then obtain the services of a locksmith in an emergency which would cost more than organising one in a non-emergency in the first place.

EachPenny

alanq wrote: »

My experience of DIY jobs is that they are never as simple as they appear in demonstrations...

As a general rule I've found that to be as a result of the demonstrator's inability to produce a complete and accurate demonstration, rather than any fundamental difficulty in the task being demonstrated.

My favourites are usually where each and every screw being removed is shown in great detail, then the 'tricky' bit happens in a few seconds and is obscured by hands in the way.

Jackmydad

Euro cylinder locks are an easy job. You need a good quality, correct type screwdriver for the screw, and don't mangle the recess by being ham fisted and letting the screwdriver ride up out of the recess. The screw usually comes out very easily.
It's then just a matter of aligning the cam with the lock body by turning the key a bit, pull the old one out, and put the new one in and replace the screw.