Imagine you are out for enjoying yourself with your friends and when you return back to your residence you notice that the lock of your front door is broken and everything inside is stolen by intruders. This is not a story. It actually happens with a lot of people when they return back to their homes.
Home locks are something that you don’t want to think about as they have been continuing to work devoid of any issue for you and your loved ones. However, there are some imperative security reasons for changing your locks. Changing your door locks is a simple procedure so you can either change them by yourself or can call an expert residential locksmith for completing the task.
Tips on Changing Locks
Locks can become old and get worse after using them over long periods of time and thus they become weak. In The Greater Philadelphia Area if you are using such locks then it is obvious that you are risking the life of your loved ones. Moreover, if you have ever have had a spare set of keys made in the past for your family members or for your friends then it becomes very difficult to keep track of whose hands they have ended falling into. In order to ensure that only trusted people have copies of your keys and for maintaining the security of your residence the best alternative is to start fresh with your door lock. If you are thinking about changing the locks of your door by yourself then here are a few DIY steps for you-
Look at your present lock in order to find out the name of the brand that you have. If you ill but the lock of the same brand from the store then the process of replacing the locks will become easier for you because then you don’t have to make any kind of adjustments to the door.
Use a tape measure or a ruler and measure the backset of your door which means from the door’s latch to the center of the doorknob. Note down the measurement of your door on paper. Maximum doors have 2 3/8 inches or 2 ¾ inches backsets. Few locks are expediently adjustable and can fit both.
You can remove the screws from both sides of the doorknob by using a screwdriver. If there won’t be any screws then each half can be removed from the door very easily.
Then from the edge of the door you can remove the screws that you can take out the actual lock from it.
You can bring that paper where you have noted the measurements or you can just take the old lock with you to make sure that you will buy exactly what you need and you don’t have to bring the old lock with you. But before leaving your home unlocked make sure you have someone trustworthy in your home. Never leave your home empty and unlocked.
When you are finally back at your home with the new lock then you must install then. You simply have to follow the above steps in reverse order. After completing the lock installation process makes sure that the screws are tight.
Unquestionably changing the door locks is not so hard task but if you are living in The Greater Philadelphia Area then it becomes dangerous to install locks by yourself as if they are not installed properly then thieves can enter your residence very easily. You can also install a home alarm system so that they will detect if somebody will try to break into your home. Locksmith can help you in installing all kinds of locks and security systems so that you can enjoy outdoor without bothering about your home at all.