Broken Key Extraction in Naperville, IL

Where keys snap in Naperville

Broken key extraction removes the snapped-off part of a key from a door cylinder or car lock so the lock can turn again. Afterward the lock either works with a new key or needs lock repair.

• Frozen mornings. In the northeast of the state, where NOAA reports average snowfall above 40 inches, moisture in a keyway turns to ice on a cold night, and the natural reaction is to lean on the key. The blade twists where it meets the head and breaks off inside.
• Older houses. Naperville's Historic District, designated in 1986, holds Queen Anne houses, American Foursquares, gable-front and Italianate homes and bungalows. Houses like that can carry long-serving cylinders, and a worn one binds more easily, especially with a key copied from a copy.
• Shared locks. In a townhouse community or a building with a manager, an entry or gate lock may belong to an association rather than to you. If a key broke in one, tell the association or manager first; they may need to approve the work.

What not to do

• Do not keep turning or pushing the stub that is left; that drives the fragment deeper.
• Do not use glue or improvised tools on the fragment. Glue that reaches the pins can seize the cylinder.
• Do not spray oil in to loosen it. If the lock is also iced over, use lock de-icer instead.

Keep both halves of the key. A new key can often be cut to match the broken one.

What to send

1. A close photo of the lock face, showing whether any of the key sticks out.
2. A photo of the piece still in your hand.
3. Which lock it is: front door, garage service door, shared entry, mailbox, or a car door or ignition. For a car, add its year, make and model and say whether a spare exists; a car left without a working key may also need car key replacement.
4. The address or cross streets, the subdivision name if you know it, and for a shared lock, who manages it.

The Naperville page describes the housing behind these locks.