Five lever lock matters

[Murmansk]

I fitted two five lever mortise locks on the front door of a friend who lives 130 miles from me, one a sashlock and one a deadlock, both by ERA and keyed alike.

I now find that she no longer trusts someone with whom she left a key for emergencies and doesn't want to claim the key back from them and anyway she can't be totally sure they've not made a copy.

I've been pondering the options - if there were any decent locksmiths nearby I'd take both locks there and get them to swap the levers round but there aren't so it's either new locks or maybe add a third lock?

Anyone got any better ideas?

[Bob Eager]

I'd take new locks, bring the old ones back home, swap the levers at your leaisure, and then you have them ready for next time!

[Tim+]

Maybe

Definitely not. This way madness lies. She clearly has insecurity/paranoia issues already. Adding more locks will not help. She only needs one good lock.

Tim

[tabbypurr]

For some locks you can get sets of levers & key. Or swap the levers yourself & have a locksmith cut new key. If the lock is of the sort where you can swap them.

someone's imagination appears to have run away with them.

NT

[Brian Gaff]

I'm tempted to suggest that she is a very silly billy then considering the situation. Depends on whether the locks are in fact configuarble i suppose, if yes, then get them tweaked and new keys cut. Brian

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well exactly.

It so mimics some one I knew's descent into dementia.

[Michael Chare]

Locksmiths are hard to find. I think this is because they often operate from vans, so you could likely arrange for one to visit her. There would of course be a call out charge.

[Tim+]

Hard to know what you're replying to when NT has completely f***ed up the quoting.

Do you think fitting three locks is sensible or necessary or is the request for multiple locks and key changes a sign of impending dementia (which I would agree with).

Tim

[Bob Eager]

The third lock seems like a bodge solution by the OP rather than a request fuelled by dementia.

The other two...if 'sash lock' means a 'slam and lock' one, then combining that with a mortice is not uncommon. The former for when you're in during the day, the mortice for added security at night or when out.

I reckon taking spare locks, then fixing the removed ones later, is the easiest and cheapest.

[Murmansk]

OP here

Thanks for the thoughts.

The person in question is not the bundle of paranoid neurosis you might imagine at all! It's the person she gave a spare key to who might be more in need of clinical examination!

I only thought of the third lock option as a cheaper means of making the place secure should the holder of the key to the other two locks decide to call round when nobody was in.

I think in the end we'll either leave it or maybe just get a pair of identical locks online and swap them.

[Murmansk]

One is a plain five lever mortise lock the other is a similar lock that has a square hole for the shaft between door handles to go through - designed to be mounted under a pair of lever door handles.

[newshound]

I'd suggest that too, I was thinking about breaking an upstairs window when a friend locked himself out on a Sunday evening, turned out we have a locksmith within a mile or so who sorted him out for £80. Bargain!

[tabbypurr]

quoting checked & correct

NT