Broken Key Extraction in Bridgeport, CT

Where keys break in Bridgeport

A key usually snaps when it is turned against resistance: a worn cylinder, one packed with ice, or a door pulling hard on its latch. Bridgeport's housing adds a few pressure points.

• Shared entry doors. Statewide, about 15 percent of homes are in buildings with two to four units. One street-door lock may be used by every household many times a day, which wears the pins and the keys together.
• Old cylinders. Sterling Hill in The Hollow and Gateway Village in the East Side and East End are historic districts that show where older houses stand. A worn cylinder paired with a key cut from a copy of a copy is a common place for a break.
• Winter mornings. Meltwater can turn to ice inside an exterior lock overnight, and a key twisted hard against ice is likely to snap.

What not to do

• Do not use glue to pull the piece out; it can bond to the pins and ruin the cylinder.
• Do not push the stub deeper or keep turning the half you still hold.
• Do not use the lock again until the piece is out, even if the door is open.
• Keep the broken half. Together with the stuck piece, it shows the full cut of the key.

If the door is open, leave it that way or secure it with a second lock you can still operate.

What to send

A broken key extraction request is easier to act on with these details:

1. Photos of the broken half and of the keyway, straight on.
2. Which lock it is: building entry, unit door, deadbolt or padlock.
3. Whether the door is locked or open, and whether anyone is shut out.
4. Whether a landlord, co-op or building manager controls that lock.
5. Your neighborhood and nearest cross streets.

Once the piece is out, a damaged cylinder is a job for lock repair.