Should the lock be replaced?

[micky]

My brother and SIL live in 1973 building**. They are on the 17th floor of an 18-story building, and the sliding glass door (patio door) to the balcony has a broken lock.

I'm polling all of you, that is, all except the ones I've filtered out, to see if you would spend $20, or even 5 minutes, to replace the lock.

The window guy was here today, rappelling from the roof, in a little chair. He'd have no trouble breaking in via the balcony, but I don't think he'd do it. Who else would?

**Surprisingly old to me. When I moved to Brooklyn NY and in 1974 lived in a building from 1930, I thought that was old, and why the receptacle in my room was so loose that when a heater was plugged in, it got so hot it set the hard rubber plug on fire. Only 1.5 inches of flame but still. And this place too, remodeled but the guy did't think to check the receptacles, and one I've noticed will only hold a plug if everything goes right. A truck passing by 17 flights down would probably knock something out, and my charger wouldn't stay in in the first place.

[danny burstein]

Maybe.. Can they properly close the sliding door so that there's a decent air seal without the lock working?

[Scott Lurndal]

Put a properly sized stick in the bottom door channel to prevent the door from opening.

[micky]

Lemme go check. It has weatherstippign on both inner and outer side of but I can't push the door in far enough to get the benefit, even pulling from the end away from the latch. It's florida, just north of Miami Beach and it's been maybe 61 at night. It must be leaking some air and they must be paying to heat the place.

Will a new latch make it more likely the door will shut well? It needs something like this:

leverage from that, so that won't help. But I'm leaving on Friday and her daughter-in-law, only 27 and from Peru, seems really good at this stuf. She got the old broken handle off when was stymied. :-(

She'll probably put it in, whether I order it or she does, because she or maybe it's my sil who wants to do it "right", even if it won't help.

I was off a year, it's built in 1972. Almost 52 years old. My building was built in 1930 and I lived in that apt. from 73 to 83. so for 9 years it was younger than this one!

Were receptacles of higher or lower quality in 1930 than in 1972.

There was only one receptacle that caused trouble in the 1930 building. I actually almost never plugged anything in more than once to the ohters while there, except in the maid's room, where I lived, it had a simplex? unitary? mono? receptacle. That is, not two of them. There must have been another outlet in the little room because I had a lamp and a clock-radio.

[Scott Lurndal]

Quality perhaps was higher. Usability was lower - they didn't have ground pins until the late 60's.

[hubops]

• 1 That's the old trick for some added security - the locks on the old sliders were quite weak - a lift and strong pull would release and/or break them. John T.

[Clare Snyder]

For a sliding door a "stop stick" is a LOT more effective than a standard latch lock. Kick locks are a close second. Loose receptacles??? DEFINITELY have them replaced - by someone who KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I would normally say "qualified" but I KNOW the question here would be "qualified by who" and someone would mention permitting and licensing being a "cash grab" by the municipality or "extortion" by the unions - so I'l just "say what I mean" - someone who won't make a bad situation worse-----

[Clare Snyder]

Grounred plugs and wiring started in the mid '50s and were required by code starting in 1962

[Ammo Up]

A border hoppin' criminal that your Democrats let in?

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I have used a receptacle in an older building, that was so bent inside that a plug wouldn't go in unless you squeeze the prongs together.

[Dean]

I like Scott's suggestion. The electrical outlet should be GFCI if it's located outside. The alternative is the breaker for the outlet can be GFCI.