Rekey Business Services
Is it cheaper to rekey business locks or change locks?
The cost to rekey a lock is less expensive than changing locks. By rekeying business lock, you are saving $16 per lock on average. But savings can be even greater if you can preserve a costly high-security lock that you will not have to pay to replace with another high-security lock.
How long does it take to rekey business locks?
The time to rekey a business lock depends on the lock and situation. The average lock tumbler replacement for a commercial grade lock takes around twenty minutes per lock. This includes time to remove the lock, rekey, and properly reinstall the lock onto the door.
Can you rekey all types of business locks?
If the lock can be rekeyed, United Locksmith can rekey it. The exceptions include broken locks and locks not built to be reassembled. A broken lock needs to be replaced, and a lock that cannot be taken apart cannot have the components removed for rekeying.
Is it possible to rekey a master keyed business lock?
If your business’ door lock uses a master key system, it can be rekeyed. But the process is more labor intensive. A new combination of pins must be installed that does not match another lock in the system, and that still functions with the master key, grandmaster key, etc.
Can I rekey business locks myself?
Rekeying a lock presents the risk of breaking the lock if it is done improperly, so it is better to use a commercial locksmith. If the plug is not returned into the cylinder correctly, the pins will drop into a chamber early and seize up the lock. It is possible to do it yourself, but it presents great risks.
Professional Commercial Lock Rekey
United Locksmith is the best choice for commercial lock rekeying. Hiring a professional can accomplish a variety of goals that are achievable when you rekey business locks. With a trained locksmith, you are doing this without the risk of damage or mistakes you are vulnerable to while doing this work yourself.
One of the differences between rekeying or replacing locks is the steps are not as simple as using a screwdriver. Rekeying even the most basic lock still requires specific tools that have no other utility other than for rekeying. And the process of using these tools effectively requires the type of practice you really only get with training.
If you were to rekey business locks yourself, you could potentially do every step perfectly and still run into issues. The most common non-procedural mistake is the use of the wrong size pins (or other mismatched internal components). Decoding the lock incorrectly sets you up for failure.
There is also the matter of having access to the correct internal components altogether. Patented locks will have internal components that are only available to security professionals who have been vetted by the lock manufacturer.
How To Rekey Business Locks
To rekey commercial door locks, you need a few speciality tools and parts, such as a plug follower and replacement tumblers (pins, wafers, disks, etc.). From there, you need some training to properly perform this process without harming the lock.
It is best to leave this work to a professional locksmith, but as a customer, you may wish to know a little bit more about how commercial lock rekey services work. The basic process can be broken down into five rather low-resolution steps.
1. Open The Lock
Looking ahead to the next step, we know the lock needs to be disassembled, which requires the lock to be opened. If you are experiencing a business lockout, you need to solve this issue before moving forward in the process. And the door probably needs to be open as well.
2. Disassembly
In the case of most business locks, you have to remove the entire cylinder to rekey it. This will likely require you to back out set screws and pull the lock out of its housing or out of the wall itself. With the lock freed up, look on the back of the cylinder for a retention clip (often a C-clip). Pop this clip off, but do not remove the plug just yet.
3. Remove the Plug
To remove the plug, rotate the key to approximately the 9’oclock or 3’oclock position (depending on the way the lock opens). You can pick an office door lock into this position if you do not currently have a working key. With the plug rotated, the pins are not at risk of falling from the housing into the plug as you pull it out.
Push your plug follower into the housing so the plug slides out the other end. Leave the plug follower in the housing so the driver pins and springs do not jump out of the lock. You can also dump out the key pins for the analysis in the next step.
4. Swap Components
You need to match the new key with the new components. Locksmiths have key decoders, so they can find the pins that correspond to the key’s groove depths. Many locksmiths can do this by looking at the key, but they will always double-check before re-installing the plug.
5. Re-Assembly
Before pushing the plug back into the housing, it must be rotated, similar to how it was when you removed it. This keeps the driver pins from springing down into the plug, which will jam the lock before the plug is fully inserted. With the plug in, resecure the C-clip, put the lock back together, and reinstall it.
Reasons To Rekey Commercial Door Locks
When you rekey business locks, it allows you to accomplish a few different goals, such as saving money on new locks and invalidating keys that may have fallen into the wrong hands. You can also rekey several locks so they can all be opened with the same key.
1. Change Access
When you rekey business locks, you are able to change which keys can open the door. This is great if you have laid off an employee or lost a key and worry that it may have fallen into the wrong hands. You can easily update your physical access control with a commercial lock rekey service.
A professional locksmith can also accommodate any existing master key systems that the building is using, so you are not violating any lease agreements or disrupting any required access hierarchies. If you rekey business locks, you can preserve the access protocols you have with new keys.
2. Key Alike
You can have multiple locks rekeyed to work with a single key. Keyed alike door locks add convenience to a workspace by reducing the number of keys required to open various rooms, entrances, and storage spaces. This added convenience can streamline access and security.
It is sometimes a good idea to pair commercial lock rekey services with commercial lock installation so new locks can be integrated into an existing network of locks. For example, if all the locks in an office are already keyed alike, you would want the new lock rekeyed to match the others.
3. Save Money
Whether you are looking to change who can open a lock or simplify access with keyed alike locks, if you rekey business locks, you can better accommodate a tight business security budget. New commercial door lock hardware can be quite costly, especially if the lock is high-security.
One of the more costly parts of commercial door lock replacement is buying new locks. If you rekey business locks instead of fully replacing them, you end up just paying the cost of labor rather than labor plus parts.
Limitations Of Rekeying Business Locks
The cost-benefit analysis is not as simple as seeing the savings and everything else you get when you rekey commercial door locks. There are limitations to rekeying, which is why it is so important to contact a locksmith and have them assess your situation and prescribe the proper solution.
With so many types of commercial locks, you will find certain ones are not built to be rekeyed. Also, you should not rekey business locks as a method of repair. And rekeying itself is not sufficient to add security to a door.
1. Repair
If you rekey business locks, chances are it will not fix the locks. The key pins in a lock are very rarely the source of a broken lock, and these are the only parts being replaced when you rekey commercial door locks. But before you move on to changing the lock, understand that this may also not repair the damage.
With the assessment of a professional locksmith, you can know what about the lock needs to be repaired. These repairs may require you to adjust a door strike plate or even trim the door. But the important thing to remember is that you will not find your repair when you rekey business locks.
2. Lock Type
There are types of commercial locks that cannot be rekeyed. For example, you will need a commercial mailbox lock change, desk lock replacement, and file cabinet lock replacement because, for the most part, the cylinders for these locks cannot be taken apart and reassembled.
Certain electronic locks will not have keyed cylinders, so it is an impossibility to rekey business locks such as these. However, you will probably not need electronic lock installation to change access or set it to the same code as another lock.
3. Security
When you rekey business locks, this does not offer a security upgrade. You ask a locksmith to add security pins and anti-drill pins, but this is not something that comes standard with the rekeying kits you would pick up from a hardware store.
If you are attempting to improve your office security after a break-in or are trying to be proactive with security by switching to a high-security lock, it is not enough to rekey commercial door locks.
