Can My Locks Be Keyed Alike?

One of the advantages of having a locksmith rekey your home or business is that, depending on your locks, they can key everything alike so that you only have to carry one key.  However, before you request this service, you should understand that in order for two or more locks to be keyed alike, they must be on the same keyway.

            A keyway is a lock manufacturer’s set of specifications for their keys and locks.  These specifications include the key’s blade shape as well as the spacing between each cut made on the key and the depth of each cut made.  The location and depth of each cut made on the key corresponds to a stack of tumblers inside the lock.

            Because spacing and depth vary between manufacturers, this means that if a key you have fits into a lock cylinder, you should not immediately assume that lock cylinder can be rekeyed to accept your key.  The lock could still be on a different keyway due to a different depth and spacing arrangement.

Dexter deadbolt cylinder (left) and Kwikset deadbolt cylinder (right) with the correct keys inserted and rotated

             For example, a Dexter “DE6” key can be inserted into a Kwikset lock and vice versa.  If a locksmith attempted to rekey the Kwikset lock to accept a customer’s Dexter key, the locksmith would likely have to fabricate new pins.  Further, even after installing the fabricated pins, these pins would most likely rest on the slopes adjacent to each cut on the key and not in the center of each cut.  This means that if the key is even slightly adjusted when it is inserted, the lock will have a “sticky” feel or not operate at all.

 

Here the Kwikset key has been swapped with the Dexter key.  While both keys will fully insert into their counterpart's lockset, they cannot properly be rekeyed due to different cut spacing

            The two most common types of keyway in North America are the Kwikset keyway and the Schlage “C” keyway, also referred to as "KW1" and “SC1” respectively.  Sometimes, the keyway will be indicated on the head of the key in the form of an alphanumeric code.  For example, many aftermarket keys will be stamped “KW1,” indicating that they are made to be cut for and used with most Kwikset locks.  While the keyway is generally not indicated on a lock body, knowing the lock manufacturer can help a locksmith determine what keys will be needed ahead of time.

            However, if the make of your lock corresponds with the key you wish to use, you shouldn’t have a problem having your locks keyed alike, so long as the key can be fully inserted into your lock.  Also, some locks use replaceable cores, meaning that a new core with your desired keyway can usually be installed.  For example, most Schlage deadbolts may have their cores replaced with aftermarket ones that accept the “KW1” keyway.  This saves the customer the cost of having to purchase new hardware so that everything may be keyed alike.  However, this should only be done after any warranties on the existing hardware have expired, as using an aftermarket core could void the manufacturer’s warranty on your lockset.

A Brief Overview of Overhead Door Garage Locks

Garage door locks come in various designs depending on when the garage was built.  Older garages, particularly those on homes within the city of Rochester tend to utilize two locking rods, which are operated by a “T” shaped handle and a rim cylinder.  When the garage is unlocked, the door must then be manually raised.  Newer garages tend to come equipped with an electrically powered automatic opener that interfaces with a transponder and/or a keypad that is mounted on the secure side of the structure.  This article will focus solely on the manual type of garage door locks found on older homes.

One of the largest manufacturers of garage door hardware is the Overhead Door Corporation (http://www.overheaddoor.com/Pages/LandingPage.aspx).  This company’s founder C. G. Johnson developed the first upward-rolling garage door in 1921, which revolutionized the garage door industry.  You can usually discern one of these doors, as the outside handle will typically indicate the company name and the city of the franchise that sold the door.

 

Overhead Door in locked position (inside view).  Notice the two horizontal rods and the disc connected to the handle

This type of door is secured by two sliding rods, which slide into openings created in the track that the door’s rollers travel on.  This effectively immobilizes the garage door.  These rods are controlled by a locking “T” shaped handle.  This handle is secured by a cylinder, located about six inches above the handle.

Sometimes, these handles may be spring-loaded.  If a very strong spring has been used, this can make it difficult to unlock the door even with the proper key.  If this is the case, the following trick will get you into your garage and save you the hassle of a broken key:

1. First, make sure you have the correct key.  The correct key will rotate at least partially (about 20 to 45 degrees), usually clockwise
 
2. Apply gentle pressure to the handle in both directions to feel for spring tension.  The handle will not rotate very far, but there will still be a little bit of “play”.  If there is no “play” at all, then this could indicate a larger problem

3. When you feel spring tension, gently rotate the handle a few degrees against the direction the spring is pulling
 
4. Now you should be able to rotate the key about 90 degrees using very little force
 
5. Release the handle to unlock the door

If this tip has helped you, or if there is a different type of lock that you would like me to write about, please leave a comment