Rekeying Vs. Replacing
If you’ve ever been frustrated by losing your house keys or worried about moving into a new home, replacing your old lock with a new one is a common remedy. Many homeowners believe that replacing their locks is their only choice, which is a frequent fallacy. However, the problem necessitates a far better and less expensive solution: re-keying your lock. So, what’s the difference between the two, and when should you rekey your lock instead of replacing it. Avail of residential locksmith services to rekey your locks.
Rekeying your door locks is an option for homeowners, and in certain circumstances, it may be a better option than replacing your complete door lock. There’s no need to be concerned if you’re unsure how to determine which option is ideal for your property. Today, we’ll try to guide you through this question and help you find the correct answer. To do so, we’ll examine what rekeying and changing a lock entail, as well as how they affect your doors and home, as well as other considerations that may influence your selection.
Rekeying
The term rekey may provide some insight into the process and how it operates. Essentially, you’re attempting to re-program the lock’s internal mechanisms so that it will work with a different key without jeopardizing your home’s security. This may appear to be a simple task, but if you are not calling professional locksmith services with extensive training, it can be quite challenging. Simply put, you will keep your old lock, but the key you previously had will no longer operate with it. Before you dive down the rabbit hole of lock rekeying, you must comprehend this basic principle.
Benefits Of Rekeying
- Because the existing lock body is used, the procedure of rekeying the lock is cost-effective, but a few elements are changed to make the lock work with a different key than before.
- A locksmith must obtain access to the lock cylinder to rekey a lock, and to do so, the lock must be removed from the door it is on. You might be able to do this yourself if you know your way around locks, but any of the two, it can be tricky. When it comes to your locks, you don’t want to risk your safety just because you don’t want to call a locksmith company.
- If you perform this rekeying process on your own and make a mistake, you risk jeopardizing your home security. You can try to do this yourself, but we would not recommend it unless you are familiar with locks and their inner workings.
- To rekey a lock, you must concentrate your efforts on the lock cylinder and the key pins contained within it. These are the primary components that must be altered and reorganized. You’ll need the corresponding key in addition to aiming the lock’s cylinder.
- Without a depth chart, pinning size chart, and key decoder, decoding the lock is difficult. A key decoder reduces the amount of guesswork a locksmith must do when deciding which key pins to utilize.
Rekeying your locks can help you feel more secure in your home. This is due to the fact that it is a straightforward means of resetting your key control and nullifying any other keys that may have previously operated your lock. As soon as new homeowners come in, this is a regular practice. People do this to prevent previous owners, or anyone with a duplicate of the key, from entering into a house they no longer own. It successfully ties up any loose ends in their security and provides them with a fresh start.
Difference
When it comes to rekeying the lock, the key pins that are housed within the lock cylinder are the major components that are changed. These key pins are incredibly cheap, especially when compared to the cost of a new lockset. This makes rekeying a very cost-effective choice for homeowners who want to improve their security but don’t want to spend a lot of money. When you call a locksmith, the most you’ll have to pay is the labor cost or the amount of time you’ll spend trying to put it together yourself.
Rekeying (when done by a professional locksmith company) is a quick and painless process that does not necessitate a lot of labor or the use of a lot of gear. You simply need a key decoder, a catch tool, a spanner, and the current key for the lock you’re rekeying to do it. If you have never done it before, it will take significantly longer, but the same can be said for everyone who replaces their locks without the assistance of a locksmith.
The main difference between replacing and rekeying a lock is that you’ll be using a different lock this time. When a lock is replaced, the complete lock body is normally replaced. It’s a lot more expensive than rekeying the lock, but it has its advantages. The main reason for the higher cost is that you will need to purchase a new lockset for the door when you replace it. You do not need to perform this while rekeying the lock, as previously stated. Before you can change a lock, you must first decide which lock you want to replace it with.
Replacing
When it comes to deciding which lock to replace your old one with, there are various variables to consider. The budget you’re dealing with, as well as the kinds of preferences and features you want in your lock, are just a few of these considerations. For example, if you want to convert your lock from a Euro Cylinder lock to a mortise lockset, you won’t be able to do so with rekeying. Once you’ve decided on a lock, you can either purchase it from your locksmith or pick it up from your local hardware shop. Some obvious positives and cons are supposed to offer a semblance of balance, just like anything else.
Installing new locks provides you the chance to truly tailor your security, which is something that many homeowners overlook. When I say personalize in this part, I’m talking about the fact that you have control over how your locks appear and feel, as well as how they interact with the rest of your home security system. You can use longer screws in your lock if you want to. You can even install more security pins if you wish to. Replacing your lock gives you a fresh start in terms of security.
If you replace your locks rather than rekeying them, you now have the option of upgrading your locks and, as a result, your home security. This implies that you can enhance the security measures you already have in place. For example, if you had a Grade 2 deadbolt placed on your door, rekeying would not allow you to upgrade to a Grade 1 deadbolt. On the other hand, you could choose to upgrade to smart locks instead of regular locks. Whatever the situation may be, you now have the option and capability of upgrading your locks when they need to be replaced.
Wrapping Up
Replacing or rekeying depends on your requirement. Avail for professional locksmith services for both rekeying or replacing.