To thumb turn or not to thumb turn

by admin

For the majority of people the locks they use on a daily basis are the locks on there homes and because most homes now are fitted with modern double glazing the locks in there external doors will be Euro cylinders.

The Euro cylinder is hugely popular type of cylinder but was you aware it’s also available in a thumb turn version? Most homes are fitted with the standard Euro cylinder that uses a key to lock and unlock from inside and out, a thumb turn Euro cylinder still uses a key to lock and unlock from the outside but on the inside instead of a key the cylinder is manufactured with a fixed nob or thumb turn that you just twist to lock and unlock from the inside with out the need for a key.

Not only can this option be convenient but it also has a lot of safety implications also – we have all had to yell to the postman to wait while we track down a key to unlock and open the door but what if we ever needed to exit a property quickly in the case of a emergency and having to find a key to be able to unlock the door could a be a matter of life & death.

Now the last line can come across as over dramatic but in a move to make homes safer laws and safety practices are in place for certain types of propertys like HMO’s (houses of multiple occupancy) and apartments/flats are always now fitted with locks that can be opened from the inside without a key – like Euro thumb turn locks.

In fact Nottingham city council wanted all private landlords to change at least one lock on all of their properties to a lock that can be opened from the inside with out a key inline with all of there own housing that now are or in the process of having thumb turn locks fitted but it was changed in court when they set up the Landlord licensing scheme – we can only think it was about cost to individual landlords especially those with a lot of properties who were already unhappy with having to be forced to pay to be able to rent homes in the Nottingham city.

Away from the obvious safety use of a thumb turn lock being fitted it also has a very practical use in homes.

If a door is locked and the key is left in on the inside it can prevent someone with a key gaining entry and that is not ideal, it could be a unwanted early wake up call to open the door when a shift worker arrives home or a slightly drunk young person who’s arrived home after a night in Rock City.

Attempting to unlock a door with a key left in inside can result in damage to the lock in some cases called a slipped cam this results in the cam being out of alignment so when you try to lock or unlock the door afterwards you are unable to remove the key and you will need to replace the cylinder.

The very worse case of leaving a key on the inside after locking the door is when someone inside requires assistance and are unable to remove the key inside and are the only people in, even when they can call friends or relatives who have a key to come and help because the key is inside it can block entry – in these instances a locksmith should be called but if it’s a time sensitive call 999 who will make entry destructively.

Because a thumb turn lock leaves no option of a key being left accidentally inside when locked this will never be a problem.

So fitting a thumb turn lock or replacing my lock for a thumb turn option must be a no brainier and there are no downsides?

We would love to say yes but like all aspects security especially locks clever people like locksmiths will always find exploits especially locksmiths as we need to be able to unlock all types of locks without a key and these knowledge always finds a way to filter down and can be used by criminals.

Because of the design differences on how the lock operates some thumb turns are able to be opened using a bypass method that is not available to a lock that requires a key to be used on both sides so it’s important to only fit a Euro thumb turn that is not vulnerable to this bypass method, unfortunately this venerability is not visible so getting advice from a qualified locksmith is always strongly advisable.

If you would like more information on adding thumb turn locks to your property then give our team a call today and speak to a experienced locksmith who can advise you on the most suitable type and at a budget you require call 0115 8320195

LS Locksmiths is local family run locksmiths based in the heart of Nottingham we offer a incredibly fast same day service, thats affordable while only using high quality branded products. Our business counts numerous letting agencies, landlords and returning customers who use and recommend our low cost, fast and service.

LS Locksmiths Nottingham is not a franchise, we do not sub contract to national locksmith companies. We never charge a call out fee and prices quoted are fixed totals no VAT.

LS Locksmiths
72 Noel Street
Nottingham
NG7 6AU