Broken Key Extraction in Raleigh, NC

Where keys break in Raleigh

A key rarely snaps out of nowhere. It has usually been stressed first: worn thin, copied from a copy, or forced against something inside the lock. A few Raleigh settings make that more likely.

• Pre-war cylinders. Five Points and Mordecai, inside the Beltline, are typically pre-war neighborhoods. Where an old cylinder is still in service, its pins and the key that runs them wear together, and a hard twist can shear the blade just past the bow.
• Ice. Freezing rain can glaze a keyway, and a glazed keyway resists the key, so people push harder. Use a lock de-icer rather than hot water, which can refreeze inside the cylinder, and clear the ice before the key goes in again.
• Shared locks. In a townhome community, a gate or mailbox lock may belong to the homeowners association. If a key breaks in one, contact the association first; it may want to authorize the work.
• Towers and apartments. In a Midtown high-rise or any apartment building, the unit door, a building entry and a mailbox can each have a lock. Say which one it was.

What not to do

• Do not push the other half, a spare key or anything else into the keyway; it drives the fragment deeper.
• Do not put glue on the broken piece to pull it out, because glue that reaches the pins can ruin the cylinder.
• Do not keep turning the key stub or forcing the handle while the fragment is inside.
• If the key broke while you were locking an open door, leave it open until the piece is out.

What to send

• a close photo of the keyway with the fragment visible, and a photo of the piece you still hold
• which door, gate or lock it is, and whether it is locked or unlocked right now
• the maker's name on the lock, if you can read it
• whether the lock is yours, your landlord's or the association's
• whether the fragment sits flush with the face of the lock or deeper inside

If the fragment comes out but the lock stays stiff, lock repair is the next step. The Raleigh page says more about the neighborhoods named here.