How difficult is it to fit a lock?

[Tom]

After being messed about by 3 different companies on the internet (who advertise goods, take your payment, then inform you they don't actually sell that item!!), I've finally got hold of one of these http://www.discountlocks.co.uk/Chubb-3J60-Detainer-Mortice-p/chubb%203j60%20detainer%20mortice.htm

My next problem is getting it fitted :roll: The guy who was going to fit it for me is now totally consumed by babysitting duties, now his 2 girls (aged 12 and 13) are on school holidays and must obviously need their a*ses wiping every five minutes because he's too busy now :roll:

So, here I go again, ready to add another small skill to my list :roll: How hard can it be to fit this lock to my outward opening stable door? I know the spring-loaded thingy needs reversing first. Is it just a case of opening the case, changing it around and screwing the case back up? Then, do I just fit the body to the door and fit the other bit in a chiselled out hole in the frame (making sure they line up, of course. In my case, I need to pack the case out, which I know how to do)? Or, is there more to it? Am I missing something? Would it be simpler to get a locksmith out? If so, how much should I expect to pay?

As ever, I'd be grateful for any advice anyone can offer me

 

[Penners]

Do I understand correctly that you want to screw the lock against the face of the door, Jaqy, rather than setting it into a mortice in the door?

If so, then I think you've got the wrong lock there. That's a mortice lock - you have to cut out a deep mortice within the structure of the door to accept the entire body of the lock. It's not an easy job, if you've never done it before.

If you want to screw the body of the lock on the face of the door, you need a rim lock. They look quite similar, but are designed to be fitted this way.

Here's a typical one:

http://www.discountlocks.co.uk/Union-1439-Rim-Sashlock-p/union%201439%20rim%20sashlock.htm

That one has to be ordered in the correct hand, but you can get reversible ones. I reckon it would be advisable to get a reversible one, as your door is outward opening, so you need to be sure that you have the correct configuration of tang, tapered in the correct direction to be pushed back when the door is slammed.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Yeah - what Penners said. 8)

But anyone who can plumb the waste trap of their sink can fit a mortice lock to a door. You'll need a drill with some wood bits (and a depth gauge is helpful), a mallet and some basic wood chisels.

The rest is simply measuring carefully, using the template supplied, and following the instructions.

Nothing complex to it.

 

[Tom]

Hi Penners Yes, it's going to be mounted on the door rather than set into it. I was told to get this type of lock because the door closes onto the outside part of the frame, so the lock needs to be packed out. Eventually, the whole thing will be encased in a bespoke metal and wood case (meaning more expense on extended steel keys :roll: ).

 

[Tom]

Thanks, FW It sounds like a lot of other jobs really.....'measure twice, cut once' theory. Sometimes I just need someone else to say, "Sure you can do it. Get on with it 'n stop whingeing!" :lol:

 

[Penners]

The other consideration with a stable door is whether it's thick enough to accommodate a mortice lock.

But you also have to think about is the "housing" of the tang when the door is closed. A mortice lock's tang pops into a rectangular hole in the striker plate, which is cut into the door post. If your lock is set on the inside face of an outward opening door, when you close the door the tang may overshoot the door post altogether and pop out against the inside face of the door post. It all depends on how the door is mounted in its frame, and the configuration of the door frame.

Could you post a photo of the door in its closed position? What I particularly need to see is a close-up of the place on the door where the lock would be mounted, and the door frame beside that place.


**Jaqy, I can't get back to this tonight, so I'll check again in the morning**

 

[worms]

Jaqy,

I'm wondering why you want to fit a mortice lock to a stable door in the first place! But then perhaps I have not understood the job in hand.

Is this a "stable door" in the sense that is a single piece door to a rough building where you keep a horse, where a hasp and padlock might do? A "stable door" that is a two-part door (still with horse), where you need to be able to lock both pieces singly or together (and needs to be horseproof)? Or a "stable door" on the house where the locks need to be less agricultural?

 

[Penners]

I'm wondering why you want to fit a mortice lock to a stable door in the first place

I confess I made an assumption that this is a house door, and that Jaqy therefore needs to comply with her insurance company's security requirements.

 

[Flyfisher]

My understanding is that multi-lever locks are usually only required on the 'final exit door'. Otherwise, I believe almost any form of lock is acceptable (unless perhaps there is glass in the door or a nearby window) or even just sturdy bolts.

 

[AMc]

I wussed out the last time I had to fit a mortice lock and paid someone else to do it.
Having bodged up fitting a catflap in a new door I decided to use my brain a bit more and practice fitting the letter box on the old one first (!) resulting in a much better job. If you do DIY I can heartily recommend finding a block of wood roughly the same thickness as the door and having a practice run at cutting the mortice. Ruining a whole door is very, very annoying.

 

[Penners]

My understanding is that multi-lever locks are usually only required on the 'final exit door'. Otherwise, I believe almost any form of lock is acceptable (unless perhaps there is glass in the door or a nearby window) or even just sturdy bolts.

I suspect that this depends on your insurance company. Ours definitely insists on 5-lever locks on any door to the exterior - the only acceptable alternative being "secret" wind-out bolts set within the door, top and bottom. These are, of course, impractical for any door in regular use, or which has to be locked from the outside.

 

[Flyfisher]

Yes, I've had those 'secret wind-out' bolts specified for conservatory doors (top and bottom) at a previous house, but I always assumed that was because they were double doors and, possibly, a single centre lock would be rather weak if both doors were 'forced'.

As ever, the devil is in the insurance small print.

 

[Penners]

We once enquired of our insurers whether they had a problem with the dog flap in our back door. The dog was labrador-sized, so the flap was large enough for a slim person to wriggle through. They told us that, had a burglar gained entrance to the house by this method, we would have been completely uninsured. :shock:

By searching around the market, we finally managed to get an insurer to agree that cover would be maintained provided that:

(a) the dog was 'in residence' in the room where the flap was located, or

(b) the closing-off flap was inserted when we and the dog were absent

I only mention this as a cautionary tale to anyone who has a dog-flap.

 

[Moo]

We had a dog-flap like that in our house-before-last. We never had to rush home at the end of the school day to let the children in.

 

[AMc]

Things I don't miss about city living...

Previous friend/landlord insisted we didn't deadlock the back door in case of fire.
Unfortunately he'd fitted the mother of all "cat" flaps and as we discovered to our cost it was reasonably easy to stick your hand through and release the latch. The police actually caught the burglars trying to fence a laptop.

I accidentally locked myself out of a different flat after that and discovered with the loss of a bit of skin and blood it was possible to force my arm through the letterbox far enough to trip the latch - then a few more painful minutes extracting my arm. When we were burgled there the thief took the more direct approach of kicking in the door. The locks all held in their fittings, but the developer had used an interior door so front and back skins of the door came away from them.

In the end you can only make sure you keep the insurance reasonably happy and protect yourself against casual thieves - in the end if they want to get in badly enough then they will.

 

[Tom]

My sincere thanks to all who answered my original post and my apologies for not answering back sooner. Whilst writing the original, I was feeling a little under the weather. However, it turned out to be a little more serious than that and spent the next two days completely oblivious to all that was happening around me! In fact, I'm still in bed now, although I am feeling an awful lot better. I hope to be up and about tomorrow, in time for Christmas and my birthday. The worst of all was the unbearable pain in my hips and the stabbing pain in my shins (obviously the virus was attacking my running injuries!!). It's unheard of for me to stay in bed and I'm really missing being outside with my animals (although one of the cats has kept me company throughout

Anyway, during this time the man has been to fit the lock!! Apparently it looks amazing but I haven't seen it yet. Hubby won't take a picture for me, as he says it won't do it justice, and says I'll have to wait until I'm better GGggrrrrrrr! As soon as I can, I'll post some pictures. Thank you again to all who replied

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Hope you're feeling better again soon Jaqy.

Please don't go on about your ailments though - you'll set Penners off; and you know how much he likes to moan about every ache and pain. He never shuts up about it! :wink:

 

[Penners]

Jaqy - so sorry to hear about your incapacity. I do hope you'll be 100% for Christmas.

Please ignore FW's churlish remarks. He knows nothing of the agonies that we musculoskeletal sufferers have to endure. Just do as I do and smile through your pain.

 

[Tom]

Oh, I'm trying hard to keep smiling, Penners, really I am The trouble is, this damned virus has picked on injuries I got doing one of my charity runs in July (very uneven grass track)....which then I made worse doing the Bupa Great Yorkshire 10k in September :roll: I haven't run since on doctor's orders I have an appointment in January to see an Orthopaedic specialist at Queens Med in Notts in January and I can't wait to get there. I just want to get right, so I can run again. I had planned on running for Lincolnshire LIVES in 2011 and I'm going to be really cross if I can't :twisted:

 

[Moo]

Which just goes to confirm my theory (developed after years of observation) that middle-aged cripples were, invariably, very athletic when young.





Whereas those who (like me) made a point of avoiding all vigorous exercise remain in rude health and don't know the meaning of aches and pains.