With the average family house normally having at least a Front door, Side door, Back door or Patio door and then a garage with one or possibly 2 locks, if we were to walk around with one key on our key ring for eerie lock we would soon feel like a jailer doing the rounds.
Well,
There is a solution which is to have all the locks irrespective of type made to work on one key.
On the majority of older, more traditional locks this could be in the form of re-keying the levers in side to operate off of one key. In the case of cylinders such as are fitted in the modern Upvc doors the again the inner parts are changed to achieve the same result but in a different way.
This solution is a very good option for commercial building as well as they often have many doors and again this could be the perfect option for your building.
Pic 1 – Mortice Key Bit 
Pic 2
For bigger properties this is a very good solution and there is also an added bonus, should you require a key to operate every lock but want to issue a key to staff to operate a certain lock or locks, this can also be achieved. This process we call Mastering which we will look at in a later post.
So rekeying or Keying Alike to give it the correct term, how do we do it.
The cuts on the end of the keys are called the “bit” and normally every key would have a different bit as determined by the cuts in the blade (see pic 1)
The “bit” on the key would then operate the Levers or in some locks known as Detainers, fundamentally the same thing, (see pic 2). Look at the hight of the notches cut in the ends, all different!
Pic 3 – Old set in case 2 new to the left 
Pic 4 – Checking as we put them in 
Pic 5 – one done, one set waiting
Each lever would line up with one of the cuts on the key from front to rear or left to right depending on how you viewed the lock case.
As the key is turned the lock operates and providing the key is correct the lock will open, if the wrong key then the lock remains closed.
By replacing the levers / detainers in the lock so that all the locks have the same configuration, then only one key need be used for every lock with that configuration. This is what we term Keyed Alike. (see pic 3).
On the majority of locks this is a fairly straightforward alteration.
In cylinders that utilise flat keys (see pic 7) the principle is the same but the process differs. The inners are still replaced but the manner of how is different and more time consuming.
Pic 6 – All in being checked 
Pic 7 – Cylinder key with cuts on the top
If this is something that would benefit your home environment or your business, then why not call Sharon to book your survey and get a non-obligation quote on: 01736 309 303 or 07503 985 947 or why not email us at: .
With the majority of these jobs, there is no alteration required providing the locks are relatively modern, if this were not the case then it might be that an upgrade would be required to achieve the final result.
