The Wear and Tear of the Lock Door Cylinder

The lock door cylinder is at the heart of your door’s security and is crucial to keeping out intruders. Cylinder locks are often used on shed doors, garden gates and cellar doors. They also provide a good level of burglary protection for houses and flats. But if the cylinder is worn, your door could become vulnerable to attack and break-ins.

If your cylinder has been compromised, it’s important to take action as quickly as possible. It’s not only a threat to your privacy and safety but may affect your insurance claim should you be the victim of an attempted burglary or break-in.

A cylinder is a complete assembled shell and pins (tumblers), usually round in shape but can be oval too. It is screwed into the latch bolt to secure the door. This bolt is then locked in place by the strike plate mounted on the frame of the door or jamb.

When a cylinder is worn, it can cause problems when locking and unlocking the door. This is because the key and cylinder are designed to work together as a pair, so when one wears, it can have an impact on the operation of the other.

A common sign that your cylinder is wearing is when the key starts to get stuck or hard to turn. This is an indication that the pins inside the cylinder are starting to move and rub together. This can result in the lock becoming harder to operate and will eventually wear away the internal pins.

If you have a key that gets stuck when inserted into the lock, it is likely that the inner pins are worn out and need replacing. A good way to check is by using a mirror to view the inner side of the cylinder. You will notice that the pins inside are a different colour to the rest of the cylinder. If they are black, this is a sign of internal damage and the lock needs replacing.

The more pins a cylinder has, the more secure it is against attacks such as lock picking, bumping and lock snapping. It is also important to choose a lock that has anti-drill protection as this will prevent criminals from drilling into the ‘core’ or plug of a Euro Cylinder and damaging the spring drivers or operating pins.

You should also look for a cylinder that can be master keyed if you need to control access in a building, such as a block of flats or HMOs. This system allows you to have a single master key that opens all the cylinders but each door has its own differ key, which only operates that particular lock.

We have a range of different cylinders for you to choose from including a DDA-standard disabled thumb turn that fits both Euro and Oval profile cylinders. Our cylinders are easy to measure up for and can be fitted the DIY way or by a locksmith.