Broken Key Extraction in Idaho Falls, ID

Why keys break in Idaho Falls

A key usually snaps when it is turned against resistance. Several things here set that up:

• Older cylinders. More than a quarter of Idaho Falls homes, 27.8 percent by 2024 Census Bureau estimates, were built before 1960. A cylinder that old can have worn pins and a keyway full of grime. If a key has to be jiggled to turn, that is the warning.
• Iced locks. The city's snow parking rules under Title 9, Chapter 5 begin November 14 and end March 15, the months when a lock can ice up overnight. Twisting a key in an iced lock on a cold morning is a common way to break one. Use de-icer instead.
• Sticking doors. A door that has shifted in its frame makes the bolt bind, and the key takes the strain. If a key turns hard on one door only, see lock repair.

What not to do

• Do not glue the broken piece to anything to pull it out; glue can seize the pins.
• Do not put the spare key in after it, or push the fragment deeper.
• Do not spray oil into the keyway; oil holds dust.

A key broken in a car

If the blade broke in a car door or ignition, the car may stay where it is for a while. Section 9-4-27 of the City Code allows a disabled or inoperable vehicle 24 consecutive hours in one place on a street or alley. If your car cannot be moved, put the street and how long it has been there in your request. If the other half of the key is missing too, see car key replacement.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What to send

1. A close photo of the keyway showing the broken piece, and one of the half you still have.
2. Whether it is a house door, garage, gate, mailbox or car, and the cross streets or neighborhood.
3. Whether the door is locked or unlocked right now, and whether you have a spare.
4. For a car, the year, make and model.

Once the piece is out, ask whether the cylinder should be replaced; see lock replacement. The service is on broken key extraction, the city on Idaho Falls.