Broken Key Extraction in Provo, UT

Where keys snap in Provo

A key usually breaks at the shoulder, where the blade meets the head, after months of being twisted in a lock that no longer turns cleanly. Provo's housing puts many hands on a few locks. The General Plan says more than 40 percent of residents are students, and in a shared rental the building-entry door, the mailbox and a laundry or storage room may be used by every tenant. Copies cut from copies fit loosely and bend a little more with each turn.

Age adds to it. In Franklin, more than four in ten residential buildings date from before 1940, and some of those houses were converted into apartments under earlier zoning. A worn cylinder on an old front door can grip a key hard enough to shear it.

The warning sign is a key that has started to drag. Forcing it against a sluggish cylinder is how half of it ends up inside.

What not to do

• do not push the broken piece deeper with the other half or another key
• do not use glue, which can seal the keyway for good
• do not spray oil into the lock, since it traps grit around the fragment
• do not keep turning the plug; leave the lock in whatever position it stopped

If the lock is on a shared door or storage room, tell the manager, and ask who is responsible for a mailbox lock before requesting work. In BYU contracted housing, the Off-Campus Housing Handbook treats a lost key as a reason to change locks, so tell the manager early and bring both halves of the key so they can see what happened.

What to send with your request

• which lock it is: unit door, shared entry, mailbox, storage or garage
• a close photo of the keyway showing the fragment, and a photo of the piece in your hand
• whether the door is locked or unlocked right now
• whether you are shut out, which may make it a house lockout as well

More on the service is on the broken key extraction page. For a lock that keeps binding afterward, see lock repair or the Provo page.