Broken Key Extraction in Chicago, IL

Where keys get stressed in Chicago buildings

Census estimates put 26.2 percent of Chicago homes in buildings of two to four units, against 7.5 percent across the country. Buildings like that pack several locks together: a street or lobby door, a unit door, and possibly a basement, storage or mailbox lock, each with its own key. In a greystone whose flats share one street door, that cylinder is turned by every household. Heavy use and repeated key copies wear the cuts and the cylinder together, and a worn key that binds is the one most likely to snap.

Cold weather adds strain

Moisture that gets into a keyway can turn to ice overnight and leave the plug stiff, and a key turned against a stiff plug is under real strain. Thaw a frozen cylinder with lock de-icer and never force the key; a twisted key can snap. If one does, stop turning and leave the plug alone.

What not to do

• Do not push the broken piece deeper or keep turning the key.
• Do not glue the pieces together or put glue anywhere near the lock.
• Do not dig with a knife, wire or paper clip. Scratches and packed debris make extraction harder.
• Keep both pieces of the key. They show the cut and can help in making a new one.

What to send about the lock

• Which lock: porch, side, unit door, shared street door, or another lock in the building.
• How much of the key is left: flush with the face, or a piece you can grip.
• A photo of the keyway and of the broken pieces.
• Whether you are also locked out. If so, see house lockout.

The broken key extraction page covers the service itself. A cylinder damaged in the break may need lock repair afterward, and the Chicago page describes local housing.