The key in the door lock broke: how to pull out the chip yourself, ways to open the door

Many people desire high security locks, but they rarely pay attention to checking them from time to time. As a result, they risk not getting inside their own home. Locks have a limited lifespan and can deteriorate due to environmental conditions, careless or hasty opening, or forced entry attempts. If you have a broken key in the lock, you should remember the tips below, and then you can fix the situation within 10-15 minutes.

Signs that the lock is malfunctioning

There are several signs that may indicate an impending breakdown. Here are the main ones:

• slow turn of the key or turn with a delay – means that the internal mechanism of the secret is skewed or rusted;
• turning the key too quickly and easily means that the secret roller has worn out and needs to be replaced;
• the key is hard to insert – dirt or foreign objects got into the secret well;
• a loose door handle or a secret pad – can lead to key breakage due to uneven distribution of finger pressure;
• free scrolling of the key several times in a row means that the teeth of the secret have worn out or the return spring has weakened.

When, when opening the door, you find at least one of the above signs, you should immediately take care of installing a new secret or completely replacing the lock.

How to get the key out of the door yourself?

If the key is broken in the door lock , you should know what to do first of all. A broken key in a lock can seem like an emergency and your first instinct is to call a locksmith. In fact, you can save some money and fix the problem yourself with a few simple tools.

Remember – you cannot use your broken key again.

Many people think that even if their key is broken in the lock, the lock should still be opened by inserting the rest of the key. Do not do that. By trying to insert your key, you will push the broken part of the blade further into the lock.

How to remove a key chip

Below we have provided a few recommendations on how to get a broken key out of the lock for the most common types of designs:

If the key is broken in a lock with a lever type of mechanism

• If there remains a protruding part of the key from the core or the so-called “larva” of the lock, then you can try to rotate it with your hands or with the help of improvised means to its original position and remove it from the lock. With a lack of effort, in this case, pliers or pliers will help, with which you can tightly grab a piece of the key.
• Sometimes it happens that it is rather difficult to turn and extract a key fragment. In this case, it is recommended to inject aerosol mineral oil into the core and gently tap the fragment with a hard object. After that, with the help of thin metal objects, focusing on the edges of the core, you can remove the chip.
• In the initial position, you can remove the key fragment from the core using a powerful magnet or glue. It must be applied to the part of the key that remained outside the lock. Then you need to connect both halves and after a few seconds remove the already glued whole key.

If the key is broken in the lock with a cylinder type mechanism

• The protruding part of the key from the lock should be turned to its original position and removed with pliers or pliers that can fix the chip.
• If part of the broken key does not come out of the keyhole, then you can drill a small recess in the fragment and screw a screw or self-tapping screw into it. Then, using pliers, you need to try to open the door or remove a piece of key from the lock.
• In the case when the key is broken, and the door is in the open position, you can disassemble the secret mechanism of the lock and remove the stuck part of the key.
• You can also pick up a brass or copper tube with an inner diameter so that the broken end of the key fits snugly into it only when it is heated. After the tube has cooled, you can try to turn and pull the key out of the keyhole with pliers or by bending the protruding part of the tube to an angle convenient for work.

Breaking the key in the lock is a very unpleasant thing and it is better to monitor the condition of the mechanism and do its prevention in time than to use the methods listed above. Handle your lock with care and lubricate the secret with WD-40 and it will last you for years.