Broken Key Extraction in Charleston, SC

Where keys snap in Charleston

A key rarely breaks without warning. It gives way after weeks of strain from a worn copy, a stiff cylinder or a lock that needs force to turn. Several parts of Charleston's housing add to that strain.

• Shared entries. More than a third of Charleston's homes sit in buildings of five or more units, and every resident turns the entry lock many times a day. Where management issues the entry key, tell management first if one breaks in it.
• Copies of copies. Neighborhoods with many college rental properties, such as Radcliffeborough and Mazyck-Wraggborough, see keys passed from one tenant to the next. Duplicates of duplicates are cut a little less cleanly each time, so the key catches and twists.
• Two doors, similar keys. A single house can have a street door and a separate house door along the piazza. Keys that look alike end up in the wrong lock, and forcing a key that does not fit is a common way to snap one.
• Older West Ashley locks. West Ashley's largest wave of building fell in the 1970s and 1980s. A lock that has turned daily since then may be worn, and a worn lock puts more force on the key.

What not to do

• Don't use glue or a second key to fish the piece out. Glue can seal the keyway and ruin the cylinder.
• Don't keep turning or pushing on the stub; that drives the fragment deeper.
• Don't use the lock again until the piece is out.

If the key broke with the bolt thrown and you are outside, treat it as a lockout and say so.

What to send

• which lock: unit door, building entry, street door or piazza door
• whether any of the key sticks out, with a close photo of the keyway
• whether the door is locked or open

Keep the half you are holding; its cuts help when a replacement key is made. A cylinder damaged in the break may need lock repair afterward. The broken key extraction page explains the service, and Charleston gives the housing background.