Broken Key Extraction in Columbia, SC

Where keys snap in Columbia

A key breaks where a lock gets heavy use or pushes back. In an apartment building with a shared street entrance, every resident turns the same cylinder, so it wears out sooner than a single house door. The University neighborhood near USC has some of the city's earliest apartment buildings, and a key that snaps at one of their shared entrances is a matter for the building.

Older houses are the second pattern. Cottontown/Bellevue was built mostly between the early 1900s and 1945, and a house of that age may still have original hardware, or a door that has settled out of line, so the key ends up doing the work of pulling the bolt.

Commercial doors add leverage. In the Vista, a storefront, rear or loading door in one of the older commercial buildings can be heavy and stiff, and it is tempting to use the key as a handle. That strain snaps keys. See commercial locksmith for business doors.

What not to do

• Do not push the stub further in or try a spare key on top of it.
• Skip glue tricks; glue that sets in the keyway can ruin the cylinder.
• Do not grip a tiny exposed piece with pliers and twist; it can break off deeper.
• Keep the broken half. Both pieces together can be used to cut a new key.

If the lock was already stiff or is damaged, lock repair may be needed once the piece is out.

Who to tell and what to send

If the key broke in a shared building entrance, tell the property manager first: that lock belongs to the building and may be on a key system you cannot change on your own.

In a request, include:

1. A close photo of the keyhole showing any visible stub, and a photo of the broken piece.
2. Which lock it is: house door, unit door, shared entrance, padlock, storefront, rear or loading door.
3. Whether the door is locked or unlocked right now.
4. The neighborhood or nearest cross streets.

Service details are on the broken key extraction page, and the neighborhoods above are described on Columbia.