Josh-the-Locksmith
25 Years Experience
Austin, TX
Male, 46
I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.
It sounds like you have a mortise lock (8" long plate on the edge of the door held on with 2 screws? If so, that's the way they're designed and you can't change that. You could install a deadbolt above it. Granted the cat would still open the main lock, but at least the door would stay secure.
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Depends on the brand. if it's a mechanical one the code will have to be either decoded by a professional or physically taken apart & reset. If it's electronic, some will have a button on the inside by the batteries that will allow you to program a new code. Schlage has a yellow sticker on the inside of theirs (behind the outside part of the lock) with the factory program & user codes. If the previous owner didn't change the program code, you're good to go.
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If you've never taken a door panel off, take your time, look for hidden screws, and what doesn't screw on, snaps on.
Honestly, you're probably best off taking the lock to the dealer or a locksmith and either getting it rebuilt, or get a complete new one. They get very corroded when they don't get regular use. It's usually not a matter of just cleaning it out. Plus there may be pieces you'll have to replace.
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Yes you can. It should be fairly inexpensive. The dealer can do it, as well as a lot of locksmith. From what I remember, you shouldn't even need to recut any keys. They will need both of your keys to do it though.
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That's not really a question I can answer. It all depends on the laws in the state you live in and on the owner of the lock shop whether he wants to take the time to train someone your age, etc.
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1 time I had to unlock a house for a guy who had a relative recently pass away, and nobody had a key to the house. The relative had a stroke and hit his head on the sink. After I opened the door, I saw a pool of blood coming out of the bathroom where he had died.
I've also had a lot of customers who think either everyone, certain neighbors, or the government is after them. So they end up paying us to put multiple high security pick and drill resistant deadbolts on their doors (interior and exterior). Naturally, the problem doesn't stop because they are senile. They complain about things being moved, or silly things missling like clothes, silverware, pictures, etc.
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Go to your local brick and mortar locksmith shop and they'd be happy to give you that info. I can't do that on Jobstr.
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