Door Locks & Home Security

With such a vast range of door locks available it can be difficult to know which one is required for your doors. We can narrow the most common ones down to; bathroom locks, mortice locks, rim locks, night latches and multipoint locks. A picture always helps! See the diagram below for a clear illustration of each of the locks.

door-locks

Bathroom Locks

bathroom-lockbathroom locks have a lock case which combines the latch function with a lock (deadbolt) function. The locking function is performed by turning an oval knob or similar turn, which in turn throws the deadbolt and locks the door. The UK standard for the square spindle which operates the locking function is 5mm. The depth of the bathroom lock case usually matches any latches used in the same area. This is 63mm or 76mm for levers on backplates or levers on roses, and 100mm, 125 or 150mm for knob sets.

Mortice Locks

mortice-lockThere are different variations of mortice lock available; 2 and 3 lever or 5 lever locks. Each lever within the lock can have 6 or 7 variations which multiply the variations. 3 lever locks typically only have 200 different key options, whereas 5 lever locks have around 15,000 key options. Hence, 3 lever locks are used on internal doors for a low level of security and 5 lever locks are used for external doors. Generally, household insurance companies require you to have insurance rated locks on your external doors. This can be seen in the form of a kite mark on the visible part of the lock in the door edge. The specific British Standard to which the locks are Kite marked is BS3621.

Rim Locks

rim-lockrim locks are found on the outside of the door and may also serve as a decorative feature. These are generally operated by knobs, commonly known as a rim knob set. Rim locks are extremely low security, mainly because they can be quickly removed from the door with a simple screwdriver and secondly, because the average rim lock has as little as 12 different key options.

Night Latches

night-latchGenerically known as Yale locks, night latches are fitted to household front doors in conjunction with a deadlock. Their main purpose is to operate as a slam lock and provide instant security to anyone using the door. In summary this means that once you come through your front door and close it behind you, no one can gain entry through the door without a key.

Multipoint Locks

multipoint-lockThis type of lock is becoming more common in household situations. Multipoint locks are commonly used on patio and conservatory doors, as well as uPVC front and back doors. As the name suggests, instead of one locking point they have several – typically 5 points. They are frequently identified by their lift to lock operation and the use of a cylinder lock. The types of lever handles to fit these locks are many and varied and we suggest you contact one of our technical sales advisors to determine the handle set you require.

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