Replacing a lock on a metal entrance door in an apartment

If you have the right tools and a basic understanding of the process, replacing a lock on a metal entrance door in your apartment can be a simple task. Replacing a broken lock or upgrading for security purposes are two tasks that don’t always call for expert assistance.

Obtain the following tools before you begin: a new lockset that fits your door, a flat-head or Phillips screwdriver, and perhaps a drill bit if you need to drill new holes. To start, unscrew the screws from the interior lock knob. By doing this, the knob and door can be separated, exposing the cylinder mechanism.

After that, carefully remove the cylinder by unscrewing the plate surrounding it. The cylinder itself is fastened with screws that are located inside. To remove the old cylinder from the door, loosen these screws. You must install the replacement cylinder in the same location, so pay attention to how the old one is oriented.

After removing the old cylinder, place the new cylinder inside the door from the outside. Make sure it fits the keyhole correctly, then use the included screws to firmly secure it in place. Verify again that the cylinder is securely fastened and does not sway.

Reattach the plate surrounding the cylinder on the inside of the door after it has been installed. As you tighten the screws, make sure it fits flush against the door surface. Next, line up the interior knob with the cylinder on the door’s other side. Use the included screws to secure it.

To verify smooth operation, test the new lock by turning it and inserting the key. Make sure the latch engages correctly and the knob turns by checking the door from both sides. Congratulations! You’ve successfully changed the lock on your metal front door if everything goes according to plan!

Step	Description
1	Gather necessary tools: screwdriver, new lock, and drill if needed
2	Remove the old lock by unscrewing the screws and carefully pulling it out
3	Prepare the new lock by checking its fit and alignment with the existing holes
4	Install the new lock by securing it with screws and ensuring it operates smoothly
5	Test the lock to make sure it works correctly before finishing

Types of castles

Based on the locking mechanism’s principle of operation, all front door locks can be classified as either lever or cylindrical. The way the keyhole and key look makes it easy to identify what kind they are. Lever locks, as seen in the picture, have an oblong keyhole that is visible through.

The key is lengthy. The round rod has soldered (welded) components at the end that are used to open and close the door (see photo).

There is a tiny keyhole on a cylinder lock. Not even a through hole is present. The image displays the traditional keyhole design.

The keys have a tiny size. possibly come in various forms. Options for traditional keys with single-row tongues for pins (pins) are shown in the picture beneath numbers 1 and 2. There is a half-disc key under position 4, a cross-shaped key under position 3, and a punched card key (the most complex, with counterpins) under position 5.

Every kind of lock has a unique replacement or repair technology. In this project, we’ll examine how to fix or replace the lock on a metal entrance door that has a cylinder design.

Features of cylinder locks

In England, cylinder locks first appeared in the 19th century. This accounts for the lock’s second name, "English." It’s nearly hard to find a location where this locking device isn’t in use thanks to its hidden mechanism’s dependability and simplicity of repair (replacement).

The English lock is found in many places, including offices, public buildings, private residences, apartments, and interior and exterior doors. It can be surface-mounted (also known as "box" due to their shape) and placed directly on the door leaf, occasionally in a special groove, or mortised, which involves installing it in a specially cut (for wooden doors) or prepared (for iron doors) space in the door leaf (see photo). Typically installed to improve security in addition to mortise locks.

Strict standardization is one of the characteristics of English locks; the core, or cylinder, is made with a 1.7 cm diameter and 3.3 cm height (the length can be any). Although lock bodies come in a range of sizes and shapes, all manufacturers (Abloy, Mul-T-Lock, Apecs, KALE, etc.) adhere to the DIN standard and standardize their products to the same core size.

Old locks made in Finland and the Soviet Union, as well as some products made by Chinese companies, are the exceptions (RIM standard). This method makes it possible to interchange cylinders made by different manufacturers, which simplifies the repair of English locks to just replacing the front door cylinder.

Reasons for replacing the larva

In an apartment, changing the lock cylinder on the entrance door is done when:

• the apartment or house has changed owners (the previous owners may have had duplicate keys);
• tenants change (the reason is the same);
• the simplest locks from the developer were installed, which does not meet the needs of the homeowners;
• several keys are lost or stolen (intruders can install a lock that they match);
• signs of taking impressions were found;
• several thefts were committed at the entrance;
• an attempted burglary was detected (the lock was partially damaged or the neighbors scared off the burglar);
• signs of wear of the lock mechanism are recorded: the key turns poorly. It often jams when turning 180 o . To close or open the lock, you have to repeat attempts by shaking the key in the hole; the key rotates, but idle; Difficulties arise when trying to pull the key out of the keyhole – the move can only be made in an intermediate position; extraneous sounds appear (crunching, creaking, clanging) when inserting the key into the hole and turning the lock.

The state of the key indicates potential issues with the cylinder’s mechanics: either the edges have been removed or their height has decreased.

For your information, the lifespan of larvae produced in China and Turkey is limited to 5 years, while European larvae have a lifespan of 7–10 years.

The most susceptible part of an English castle is usually the rotary cam that moves the bolts, not the hidden mechanism itself.

How to choose a replacement

The following factors should be taken into consideration when purchasing a new larva:

• degree of reliability (secrecy) of the cylinder (for example, you can easily break a locking device and open a door with a cross-shaped core in the lock using a Phillips screwdriver, and a disc lock can be opened in 5 minutes by beginners who have only a theoretical understanding of the method of breaking and in 2 minutes by professional “burglars” ) – today, locks with a punched card key are the most protected from unauthorized opening;
• core length – must correspond to the thickness of the doors. Allow 3mm discrepancy. In this case, the cylinder on the outside should be flush with the door or buried in it, but not protrude (you can open such a lock in a couple of seconds by hitting the core of the lock hard with a hammer or any heavy object);
• the mounting hole for the new cylinder should be in the same place as the old one;
• type of mechanism that moves the crossbars – a cam or gear;
• type of cylinder: “key-key” (opened from the outside and inside with a key) or “key-turner” (in the apartment there is a rotary handle with which the lock opens and closes).

You can bring the old larva with you to the store and make purchases based on the sample (if the front door is locked with one lock or someone needs to stay in the apartment at this time). In the event that this is not feasible, there are two methods you can use to measure the larva:

• use a ruler or tape measure to measure the main dimensions (total length and distance from the edge of the cylinder to the mounting bolt);
• draw the contours of the core on paper, marking the mounting hole.

For information, the most common lengths of cores that are available for sale are 6, 7, 8, and 9 cm. In this instance, the mounting bolt’s thread can be found anywhere; selection is required.

The color of the larva is another detail to consider. It shouldn’t stand out; instead, it should blend in harmoniously with the color of the doors.

Take note: lock cylinders are produced in compliance with the DIN standard, as previously mentioned. As suggested by the majority of Internet resources, there is no need to record the manufacturer’s name and measure the larva’s diameter. All of them are interchangeable.

How to remove an old grub

Simply unscrew the fastening bolt, and the property owner can replace the cylinder as intended (the specifics of replacement are below). However, it can be challenging to fix the lock (remove the old cylinder) on your own in an emergency (the lock jamming when the door is closed). In this case, the following techniques can be useful:

• reaming;
• breaking out;
• knocking out;
• bumping.

Reaming. You can quickly and humanely (in the sense of preserving the lock) open the door and then extract the cylinder from the lock by drilling a channel along the pins of the cylinder. The resource "How to drill out a lock cylinder" contains professional instructions on how to accomplish this.

Arising. The door is kept secure using the breaking method, but a new lock will be required. Turning the core with a gas (adjustable) wrench is the fundamental step in the process. In order to accomplish this, everything inside is broken by driving a steel plate into the keyhole and turning it along with the secret. The larva is then removed, and a hook is used to open the door.

Takeout. The larva can be killed with a simple 24-27 bolt or a heavy hammer and chisel. The lock needs to be changed, just like in the event of a break-in. Used only in the worst circumstances because it could harm the door leaf.

The basic idea behind knocking out a larva is to place a chisel or bolt on the lock with the head facing up. The larva is then knocked out inside the apartment with forceful blows from the hammer, making it easy to open the door afterwards. Making sure the chisel or bolt does not slide onto the door leaf is the only thing that needs to be controlled. If not, you’ll need to get the door itself replaced.

Making contact. Bumping by itself does not allow you to change the door locks on a metal door or take the cylinder out of the lock. If the keys are lost, it can be used to open the lock and then replace the core. It also keeps the larva’s functionality intact. You don’t need to change the secret if you have extra keys and are certain that the attackers won’t use the lost key.

A type of master key that can only be produced industrially is bumping. resembles a traditional English castle key. Simple to use, but patience is needed. A master key must be inserted into the keyhole and struck in order to unlock a door. The pins receive a transfer of kinetic energy and are flung up erratically. The goal for the burglar is to seize the opportunity to turn the key and unlock the lock.

Required tools and materials

The bare minimum of tools required for a planned cylinder replacement is a ruler (tape measure), a Phillips screwdriver (PH2) or a screwdriver with a Phillips head. To replace the core in the event that the lock is stuck or the key is broken, you will also need:

• electric drill with a set of drills (0.5, 1.2 and 3.6 mm);
• pliers;
• screwdriver with a thin and narrow slot;
• small crowbar or crowbar;
• jigsaw.

Replacement instructions

It should be noted right away that the replacement instructions for the cylinder lock cylinder are word for word compatible with all types of doors (Elbor, Torex, Guardian, etc.d). Consequently, you won’t need to search for anything more than what is shown and explained below. We will use pictures to illustrate our lesson.

Step 1: Open the lock by turning it; the bolts need to be inside the lock body. The door slides open. Using a Phillips screwdriver, unscrew the screw at the end that secures the cylinder.

Step 2: To avoid interfering with the key’s passage through the lock body, the key is placed into the keyhole and rotated 10-15 degrees (the cam is concealed inside the cylinder). After that, the cylinder is pushed from the back or the key is pulled inward until it fully emerges from the door.

The steps that follow are only feasible if the cylinder’s lower portion isn’t covered in strips or a rosette using a key-key combination. Additionally, this technology is not compatible with "key-spinner" larvae. In this case, you must first eliminate the interference before carrying out steps 1 and 2 as previously mentioned.

“Key-spinner” larva

The decorative plate on the inside of the doors must be removed in order to release the cylinder using a rotating tongue rather than a key. To accomplish this, remove the four screws in the lining’s corners using a screwdriver.

After that, everything is as it should be: the cylinder is removed, the fixing screw is unscrewed, and the crossbars are in the open position.

Socket

The self-tapping screw with the sawed-off head is unscrewed after unscrewing the socket from the keyhole (upper red arrow in photo) (see next photo).

The cylinder is taken out of the lock body after being released from the lining.

Overlay

Two self-tapping screws, one on the bottom and one on top, secure the trim to the door. Before disassembling the cylinder, they must be unscrewed and taken out along with the handle.

The order of disassembly is reversed. However, the main challenge here is that it’s hard to get into the mounting hole when tightening the mounting screw. Just patience is required; no unique techniques or tools are needed.

To improve security and peace of mind, changing the lock on an apartment’s metal entrance door is a simple but necessary task. You can quickly replace an outdated or broken lock with a new, more secure one if you have the necessary tools and a little perseverance. With the help of this step-by-step guide, you can tackle this home improvement project with confidence and protect your apartment from unwanted access.

Replacing the cylinder lock

Using the following algorithm, the secret in the surface-mounted lock is changed:

• the lock is removed from the door leaf. To do this, use a hexagon (imbus key) to unscrew 4 screws in the corners of the body and two screws at the end of the door;
• unscrew the back cover of the lock (you need to remove 4 screws);
• the larva is released – 2 screws are unscrewed.

The order of disassembly is reversed.

Checking the functionality of the lock

Doors that are open and closed are used to test the lock’s functionality after the cylinder is installed. There should not be any unnecessary noise when turning the key, the crossbars should move smoothly, and there shouldn’t be any backlash anywhere.

In the event of an issue, the cylinder’s screw is unscrewed and reinstalled (the reason for the issues stems from the subtle distortion of the hidden mechanism during screwing).

Many homeowners can complete the task of replacing a lock on a metal entrance door with some assistance. You can make sure that your new lock is installed securely and operates without a hitch by following the instructions provided in this article. This procedure can provide you with peace of mind knowing your home is well-protected, whether you’re replacing a broken lock or upgrading for better security.

It’s critical to select the appropriate lock type for your door and level of security. To prevent any issues during installation, measure your current lock and door precisely. You’ll save time and frustration if you gather all the tools you’ll need before starting.

Even though replacing a lock might seem simple, there are a few things to keep in mind. Make sure that all the parts are correctly aligned by taking your time and carefully following each step. By doing this, you’ll be able to prevent common problems like misaligned bolts or jammed lock mechanisms.

Do not be afraid to ask for professional assistance if you run into any problems or have questions about any step of the procedure. In order to guarantee that your lock is installed correctly and offers the security and functionality you require, a locksmith can offer professional assistance.

In conclusion, upgrading the security of your home by replacing the lock on your metal entrance door is a doable task. You can finish this project successfully if you prepare properly and work carefully. Always keep in mind that your home’s safety comes first, so make the required preparations to properly secure it.

Video on the topic

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