Doors Dictionary

Your uPVC front door, uPVC French doors and patio type doors are fitted with a multi-point locking system of some sort. There are literally hundreds of different types of locks available on the market for uPVC doors. If you wish to replace an existing door lock you need to know the type of lock that is currently fitted in order to find a suitable replacement.

How to Identify UPVC Door locks 

• Is there a manufacturers name badge or stamp on the lock end face plate?
• What is the locking type and how many are there on the long metal strip on the edge of the door?
• What width is of the long metal lock strip on the edge of the door?

Types of Locks Available

The locking mechanism for uPVC doors come in variety of different types.

• Deadbolt
• Hook
• Centre latch
• Mushroom roller cam
• Roller cam
• Anti-lift pin and hook

Match the existing lock on your door with one or more of the following:

Multi point locking types

Lock Dimensions

Locks are available in a number of different sizes. In order to identify your lock size there are two measurements required as follows:

A - BACKSET – The distance from the door leading edge to the centre of the key cylinder

B – CENTRES – The distance from the centre of the key cylinder to the centre of the handle spindle

See diagram below

How Secure are These Locks

From a security point of view the door furniture on PVC front doors are often weak.  Mushrooms roller cams and rollers cam locks, for example, which connect with a simple strike plate are generally easy to force open allowing access to an unwelcome quest. Hook type locks and dead bolts are considered much more secure. If you have a mushrooms roller cam and rollers cam locks fitted and they need replaced it may be wise to upgrade. Note it may be an insurance requirement.

Another area of weakness in door locking systems can be the key cylinder itself, particularly the ‘Euro Profile Cylinders’ type which are commonly used throughout the country. It appears that burglars can overcome the inherent flaw in these cylinders in seconds and gain access to your home with ease.

There are basically two method of bypassing the cylinder…..

Lock Bumping

Lock bumping involves the use of a ‘Lock Bumping Key’ which is a legitimate tool used by locksmiths to disable a lock when instructed. The process involves inserting the bumping key into the key hole and striking the key with a hammer. This action pushes the key in and the pins inside the cylinder jump up for a split second allowing the plug to turn thus opening the lock. A lock bumping key in the hands of the wrong person can be used to open numerous cylinder type locks without difficulty.

Lock Snapping

Lock snapping does not have the same aura as lock bumping but nonetheless is equally effective. This method involves snapping off the front external face of the cylinder and literally pulling the remaining bit of the mechanism out of the door allowing access to operate the multi point locking system and gain access. This method will leave more obvious evidence that someone has broken in as the entire lock mechanism has been ripped out. The burglar is aided when a cylinder sticks out beyond the door face because the incorrect length of cylinder was fitted. This means they can easily grip the end of the cylinder with a pair of mole grips an remove the cylinder. The cylinder should not protrude any more than 2-3 mm at most beyond the face of the handle. Another method employed is to screw a screw nail into the key hole and then pull the cylinder out with a claw hammer. Both methods only take a few seconds.

The key cylinder usually controls the locking systems, such as multipoint locking system, dead bolts etc. and when ripped out will expose the inner locking mechanism and override it easily, no matter how expensive or elaborate it is, with a screw driver.

Some manufactures have overcome problems with lock bumping but only a few have addressed the lock snapping issue. These are available to match the existing euro profile cylinders and replacement is easy. These new cylinders cannot be bumped and cannot be opened after snapping. Statistics have indicated that a burglar will spend 2 to 3 minutes on trying to force a locking system on entrance doors before giving up. The new cylinders may not stop unwanted access entirely but will slow the burglar down.

Upgrading the cylinders and lock strips on the front entrance door is recommended. You should note that uPVC patio door locks and uPVC French door locks are also equipped with the same locks and cylinders, therefore upgrading these doors are recommended.

Manufacturers of Lock Mechanism for UPVC Doors

If you are not happy with the level of security offered by PVC type doors then you should consider steel security doors.

If you found this article interesting you may want to read about uPVC patio doors and uPVC front doors.

Also try reading lots of information on PVC French doors. 

The choice is yours……