questions about mortise key cylinders

several lengths..

some of the OLDER cylinders were shy of an inch in length.. new are 1" or 1 1/8" and can get even longer.. thats why the spacing washers are sometimes used.. what was the OLD Schlage cylinder? a 6 cut key? if you stuck on a 5 cut cylinder, that will NOT accept a 6 cut blank, there could be the difference..

--Shiva--

Shiva Thanks for your help! Will a Medeco mortise cylinder replace the current cylinder (assuming it is the same length)? I see Medeco cylinders offered on ebay. Thanks Vic

You have to measure the old Schlage cylinder you removed from the lockset and order a new cylinder that is the same length and has a compatable cam on the back to operate the lock...

If you don't know how to do this I suggest that you take the ORIGINAL cylinder that was in the lock to a locksmith shop to order a Medeco cylinder that will be compatable with the lock and also to ensure you can obtain extra duplicate keys from a local source... Not every cylinder sold on eBay will allow you to do so...

Evan, ~~ formerly a maintenance man, now a college student...

ok, there are 'problems' with Medeco cylinders.. lets talk like it was a car.. you got a brand x, and can go ANYWHERE in the country and get parts.. Medeco, due to their system, can have a 'locksmith owns' the keyway. you 'cant go nationwide for all the parts.. IE- key blanks.. This means that if you need MORE keys, you may not be able to get them duplicated.. You may have to have the internal parts replaced to fit the 'local locksmiths key'..

WHY do you want Medeco? pick resistance, or key copy resistance?

There might be better cylinders out there, depending on your need..

part 2.. the tail piece might be different, and might have to be changed to work your mortise lock case..again, might require a trip to a local locksmith..

part 3.. length WILL probably be different and you will need a different coller to 'both protect' this new cylinder, and make it not so easy to remove'..

--Shiva--

So did you just need different keys or was there something wrong with your cylinder? In either case you probably should have consulted your local locksmith. Probably cheaper in any case.

They come in lots of flavors, but they do interchange to some degree.

Most probably. Yet you should consult with your local locksmith to make sure you get one that will work, and will fit your needs.

Most probably. Yet you should consult with your local locksmith to make sure you get one that will work, and will fit your needs.

Guys, thanks for your responses! Roger:

cylinder? In either case you probably should have consulted your local locksmith. Probably cheaper in any case.

I wanted to rekey a condo mortise lock so I went to my local locksmith. The rekeying was more expensive than a new mortise lock cylinder. $25 vs $20. I bought a new US Lock cylinder. This is the cylinder which was about 1/8 inch shorter than the no name old cylinder. I was able to move the mortise lock mechanism slightly so that the new lock cylinder would engage the threads on the lock. I then had difficulty aligning the edge plate of the mortise lock because of the short cylinder, so I had to turn the cylinder counter clockwise one turn. The locksmith sold me a shorter cylinder than the old one it was replacing.

What do you think of the brand U.S. Lock? What cyilnder would you recommend as a replacement?

I actually would have had the original cylinder rekeyed. But if you wanted to go the replacement route, take it back to the guy you bought it from and have him exchange it for the proper length, or perhaps he can give you a thinner trim ring. Moving the lock body is not a good solution as it may first seem, this can cause a bunch of mischief down stream.

The US Lock cylinder is not bad, but not as good as the Schlage. If I remember correctly I do not think Schlage stamps their brand on the face of the cylinder. They finish the face of the cylinder rather than crimping on a finish scalp.

Ottawa Canada

I'm not sure what your reason for changing the lock on your condo unit is, but I hope you know that your fire insurance on the unit is null and void if you do not provide a copy of the key(s) needed to gain entry to the unit to your building superintendqant!

Bearig this in mind, if you just want to lock out any keys the previous owner may have kicking around, your best and simplest thing to do is to just ask the building manager to have their locksmith change the lock. This way old keys are locked out with no risk of unwanted interchange within the building and the superintendant's master key will let him and the fire department in should an emergency occur.

Brian

Insurance requirements, and fire dept. needs, may be different.

The important point here is that in some areas -- and by some leases/condo agreements, more importantly -- you do need to provide a key to the landlord or maint. staff. Make sure you know what rules apply to _you_, which may not be the ones you expect.

If you're worried about abuse of spare key, tamper-evident containers are one way of establishing evidence.

Gosh, are the insurance policies in Canada written with such draconinian clauses? Sounds like BS ro me.

In an emergency the fire department has very rapid ways of neutralizing a lock on a door, probably a lot faster than finding the building manager.

Roger:

Fire Departments don't like using those entry methods when they don't have to do so... Lots of on-the-job injuries occur that way...

Many Fire Departments require keys be available to them on-site at larger commercial properties and multi-unit residential dwellings in a secured Knox lockbox that only the Fire Department can open... Some larger buildings have these lockboxes at multiple points around the exterior to accomodate the fireground deployment plan for that particular site to allow multiple engines to have access at the same time without entering through the same doors...

That is due to that fact that in a large building the Fire Department will examine each and every room, especially in the fire area (and above and below it) for damages before they clear the scene and turn the premises back over to the owner/owner's representative... That is an awful lot of doors to knock down without keys being readily available...

Evan, ~~ formerly a maintenance man, now a college student...

Even so, yopu woudn't loose your fire insurance you might loose a door or perhaps get a ticket.

Ottawa Canada

True, the Fire Department will let themselves in, but in the event of a pipe breaking and you flooding out the folks for five stories below you, your Homeowner's Insurance will be toast if your superintendent can't get into your unit to deal with the problem!

Brian

Just ask your insurance lady.

Nomen Nescio ( snipped-for-privacy@dizum.com) writes: > Brian K. Lingard said: >

Again I don't believe this is the case in California, but Ontario may have different laws.

There are a number of things that you haven't told us that might make our answers more useful. Is the door made of wood or metal? In either case, how thick is it? Did the old cylinder have spacer rings under it?

It is unlikely that the change in cylinder length is important unless the door is wood and thicker than 1 3/4". As for only getting the new cylinder into the threads 1/2 turn, that is a problem nearly everyone has had with a mortise cylinder at some time because they are very easy to cross thread. Place the cylinder in the hole and then turn it CCW until you feel it be pushed toward you and then move inward. That will tell you if the starting point of the thread on each item are lined up properly.

However, before you do that look at the back end of both cylinders and see if the piece attached to the end of the plug is the same shape on the old and new cylinders. If it isn't, it will need to be before the new cylinder can operate the lock. It is usually possible to switch that part from one cylinder to another, so do that.

Mortise cylinders in the US today are almost universally standardized for diameter and thread pitch. They have not always been so and if your mortise lock is 80 years old or more your cylinder could have a different diameter or thread pitch and it is very unlikely you will be able to replace it, just have it rekeyed. The length of a mortise cylinder can be nearly any size you happen to need, I actually have one that is 13 inches in length made for a door 15 inches thick.

Medeco cyl>

You need to chase the threads with a tap and die set. You can get one from a locksmith distributor for about $185.00.