Broken Key Extraction in Vancouver, WA

Where keys break in Vancouver

A key usually snaps where it takes the most force or the most wear. In Vancouver, those places follow the city's housing.

• Building entries. In the multifamily buildings of Bagley Downs and the apartments and condominiums of Hudson's Bay, every resident turns the same entry cylinder. It wears sooner than a unit lock and can start to grab keys.
• Mailbox locks. Mailbox keys are thin and short, and a stiff mailbox lock twists them easily. In a multi-unit building, tell the manager before booking, since a mailbox or entry lock may not be yours to change.
• Duplex and triplex doors. In Fourth Plain Village's 1930s and 1940s duplexes and triplexes, a shared door may still carry an old, worn lock.
• Vintage cylinders. Arnada's vintage homes may have locks worn to the point that a key catches.

What not to do

• Don't put glue on the key stub, or on a stick, to pull the piece out; glue in the keyway can ruin the cylinder.
• Don't push another key or a tool into the lock; that tends to drive the fragment deeper.
• Don't keep turning the lock or forcing the door.
• If the end sticks out of the keyway, leave it as it is and photograph it; a photo shows what remains inside.

Details that help

• a clear photo of the keyway showing whether the piece is visible or flush with the face
• the broken-off half, kept safe, since it can help cut a new key
• which lock it is: unit door, building entry, mailbox, deadbolt or padlock
• whether the door is currently locked or unlocked
• your neighborhood and the building's name or nearest cross streets

If the key broke in a door that is still locked, the job overlaps with a house lockout. The broken key extraction page describes the service overall; the Vancouver page has the neighborhood profiles.