Broken Key Extraction in Philadelphia, PA

Where keys break in Philadelphia

A key usually snaps because it took more force than it was cut for. In Philadelphia a few situations supply that force again and again.

• Worn cylinders in old houses. Census estimates date four in ten Philadelphia homes to 1939 or before. A worn key in a worn cylinder needs extra twisting, and each twist fatigues the metal at the shoulder.
• The street-side vestibule lock. The rowhouse manual counts the entry vestibule among the defining features of 19th-century workingman's houses in Center City and in South, North and West Philadelphia. In such an entry the outer lock is the one facing the street and its weather, while the inner one sits sheltered.
• Storefront grille locks. Germantown, Lancaster and Woodland avenues are on the Department of Commerce's list of commercial corridors, and many shops there shut behind gates or grilles. Those locks sit outdoors and get worked on every day the shop opens, in all weather.
• Frozen mornings. A key forced into an iced cylinder is a classic break. Let a de-icer do its work first.

What not to do

• Do not try to turn the lock with the stub left in it, and do not push a spare key in on top of the fragment. Both can drive it deeper or jam the pins.
• Do not use glue on the broken end. Glue that runs into the keyway turns an extraction into a replacement.
• Do not keep using the lock after pulling a piece out yourself if part of the blade may still be inside.
• Keep the broken-off half. It shows the cuts and helps when a replacement key is cut.

What to send with your request

1. A photo of the keyway showing how much of the key is visible.
2. Which lock it is: street door, inner vestibule door, garage, unit door or storefront grille.
3. Whether the door is locked or unlocked, and whether the key broke while turning.
4. Whether you have a working spare.

If the cylinder is damaged once the piece is out, lock repair may follow. Read about broken key extraction, or see the Philadelphia notes on local doors.