Fireworks at Vista CA, taken from
my patio early 2000's.
WOW... WHAT A MESS!!!!
THE KITCHEN
LIVING ROOM
MASTER BEDROOM
MASTER BATH
WALK-IN CLOSET
GREAT ROOM
GRAFFITI ROOM
THE EVIDENCE
THE ENTRY
This is what I recently encountered at an "REO" property I was sent to re-key for one of my clients.
IT'S NOT THE 1960'S
I grew up in a small town in Iowa in the 50's and 60's on a dead end street. We played in the street until dark most summer days and then would play hide and seek in the neighborhood with out fear of criminal activity.
Today I here of crimes in broad daylight... criminals are getting bolder and it's up to you and me to make it as hard as possible for them to succeed. Keeping windows locked and doors locked with deadbolts and where necessary double deadbolts. I recommend double deadbolts on doors where there is glass that can be broken for someone to reach in and unlock the door.
I was recently made aware of a product to keep from getting exterior doors kicked in..... the Door Devil... my wife won one online and we just installed it on the front door. Our garage doors swing out and are nearly impossible to kick in... and they have security hinges.
In any case as a locksmith I have been to police lockouts where time required me to have to kick in the front door. It may do damage to both the door and the jamb requiring replacement of one or both.
Today I here of crimes in broad daylight... criminals are getting bolder and it's up to you and me to make it as hard as possible for them to succeed. Keeping windows locked and doors locked with deadbolts and where necessary double deadbolts. I recommend double deadbolts on doors where there is glass that can be broken for someone to reach in and unlock the door.
I was recently made aware of a product to keep from getting exterior doors kicked in..... the Door Devil... my wife won one online and we just installed it on the front door. Our garage doors swing out and are nearly impossible to kick in... and they have security hinges.
In any case as a locksmith I have been to police lockouts where time required me to have to kick in the front door. It may do damage to both the door and the jamb requiring replacement of one or both.
With this product the criminal is going to have to use more force than most people could muster without busting out a jam.
PROTECTO - KEYED
When re-keying locks I often run into locks that have been "Contractor keyed" or "Protecto-keyed". This is so contractors that build the house can have access and then when you move in your turning the key makes it so they will not be able to use their key anymore.
One problem I have found with this system is that the wafer thin master pins that are sometimes used, make the lock bind when your key is turned to open the lock. This will make some people use graphite or other lubricants to try and make the lock move more smoothly. The only problem is that over time this causes the lock to bind even more. Sometimes scoring the of the plug.
When I find locks that are labeled "Protecto-keyed" I will take the lock completely apart and re-assemble with only the required "Top and Bottom Pins". This eliminates future problems that might be caused by these pins binding in the lock.
The thing is this is not something that is only done with one lock manufacture, I find locks of Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Dexter and Ez-set. The lock may or may not be labeled with some kind of recognition, but when pulled apart it is usually a subtle sign of ball bearings or sometimes one or more wafer pins gets caught on the wrong side of the shear line when I pull the plug out. In any case when I see the sign I remove the problem before it is one.
If you are having problems with your locks or see your locks labeled as such, it is a good idea to have preventive maintenance done and have those pins removed.
Have them Re-Keyed by a locksmith that knows about this problem!!
One problem I have found with this system is that the wafer thin master pins that are sometimes used, make the lock bind when your key is turned to open the lock. This will make some people use graphite or other lubricants to try and make the lock move more smoothly. The only problem is that over time this causes the lock to bind even more. Sometimes scoring the of the plug.
When I find locks that are labeled "Protecto-keyed" I will take the lock completely apart and re-assemble with only the required "Top and Bottom Pins". This eliminates future problems that might be caused by these pins binding in the lock.
The thing is this is not something that is only done with one lock manufacture, I find locks of Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Dexter and Ez-set. The lock may or may not be labeled with some kind of recognition, but when pulled apart it is usually a subtle sign of ball bearings or sometimes one or more wafer pins gets caught on the wrong side of the shear line when I pull the plug out. In any case when I see the sign I remove the problem before it is one.
If you are having problems with your locks or see your locks labeled as such, it is a good idea to have preventive maintenance done and have those pins removed.
Have them Re-Keyed by a locksmith that knows about this problem!!
A STREET NAMED JELLY
ON MY WAY TO A NEW JOB THE OTHER DAY I RECEIVED A CALL FROM AN AGENT WANTING ME TO RE-KEY A HOUSE ON JELLY STREET IN HEMET CA.
JOKINGLY I TOLD MY WIFE THE STREET NEXT TO IT WOULD PROBABLY BE NAMED JAM.
WHEN I GOOGLED THE DIRECTIONS, TO MY SURPRISE IT WAS.
THE FIRST TURN WAS FROM N. LAKE ST ONTO ORANGE GROVE AVE.
THE SECOND TURN WAS ONTO MARMALADE LN FROM ORANGE GROVE AVE.
THEN FROM MARMALADE LN ONTO NECTAR AVE.
THEN YOU PASS ORCHARD AVE.
THEN PASS JAM STREET.
THEN I RE-KEYED THE HOUSE ON JELLY WAY, THEN I LEFT TO SEE WHAT THE STREETS IN THE OTHER DIRECTION WERE NAMED.
McINTOSH DR WAS NEXT, THEN...
THAT'S RIGHT DELICIOUS DR.
Drill or not .... and where I drill!!
I seem to be running across this type of damage more and more. Someone with half a brain ruins a Schlage combo on the front door of a bank repo and replaces it with a cheaper lock.
Mind you I use these locks on repos myself, I just try to find a less expensive way to get into the house. This house having a side garage door with a Kwikset combo. Here is from $80.00 to $120 worth of locks.
This guy really knew a thing or two about locks. He took a deadbolt from the security door and put it in place of the Schlage on the main entrance door without the latch, then installed this knob in place of the Schlage knob.
Mind you I use these locks on repos myself, I just try to find a less expensive way to get into the house. This house having a side garage door with a Kwikset combo. Here is from $80.00 to $120 worth of locks.
This guy really knew a thing or two about locks. He took a deadbolt from the security door and put it in place of the Schlage on the main entrance door without the latch, then installed this knob in place of the Schlage knob.
I noticed the matching Kwikset knob was still on the security door so I opened the Nu-Set lock, re-keyed the Kwikset knob and the dead bolt and replaced it with the one matching the dead bolt. I did have the latch for the deadbolt in the van so I installed it then the dead bolt.
This house wasn't too secure because the garage exit door had not been changed or re-keyed!!!
This house wasn't too secure because the garage exit door had not been changed or re-keyed!!!
REO PROPERTIES
If you have recently purchased a bank owned property, realize this many bank owned properties are re-keyed to the same key as yours. I know, because the agents tell me the banks are requesting that because they have people come clean and keep an eye on them until they sell. That means there may be hundreds if not thousands of keys out there to open your front door. And believe me the banks do not re-key them when you buy them.
My best suggestion is get the place re-keyed asap... the average house has five locks and that would cost about $125.00 to $150.00, depending on where in Riverside County you live it may be slightly more.
My best suggestion is get the place re-keyed asap... the average house has five locks and that would cost about $125.00 to $150.00, depending on where in Riverside County you live it may be slightly more.
PROTECTO KEYED??
Sometimes called construction keying, it can cause your own keys not to work. The other day as one time this last year the key would not enter the lock fully. What I found when taking the lock apart was that several of the wafer thin master pins used had bound in the pin hole. Thus not allowing the lock to properly function. Part of the problem was also the use of both graphite and an oily lubricant like WD-40, causing the lock to be gummy. It was the combination that caused the gumming in the lock.
Solution remove the master pins and degrease the lock and reassemble.
Just like new!
Solution remove the master pins and degrease the lock and reassemble.
Just like new!
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