Broken Key Extraction
Why Call 24/7 Emergency Locksmith?
Mobile Locksmith for the Lehigh Valley
1,500+ Five-Star Reviews, BBB A+ Accredited
No one welcomes the sight of a key broken off in the front door. Our locksmiths come to you, remove the piece and get the lock working again.
Keys wear thin, and one cold morning or one hard turn is enough to snap one off in the lock. The piece left inside blocks the lock, and digging at it with pliers or glue usually pushes it deeper.
How we get it out
Call and tell us where the lock is and if you still have the other half of the key. We come to the door, so there is no need to take the lock off. You’ll hear our pricing structure for removing the piece and for cutting a new key before we start. We use extraction tools made for the job, so in most cases the piece comes out and the lock keeps working.
Until we get there, leave the broken piece where it is, and don’t try a spare key on top of it. Keep the other half, because we can often cut a new key from the two pieces.
Getting the piece out is half the job. You still need a working key, so we cut a replacement on site. If the lock was damaged when the key broke, we’ll show you and go over lock repair before doing more.
Why keys break
Keys usually break for one of these reasons:
Applied Pressure
Wear Over Time
Soft brass that wears instead of the lock
Wear inside the lock
A lock that is out of alignment
Prevention
A few habits keep a key from snapping:
- Use a spray lubricant made for locks when a cylinder feels dry. Oil-based sprays attract dirt and tend to make it worse over time.
- Retire a key that is bent, cracked or visibly worn, and have the copy cut from a good spare, not from the worn key.
- Don’t force a key in a lock that resists. Ask us to look at any lock that takes effort to turn.
We remove broken keys from house and business locks across the Lehigh Valley, from Easton to Kutztown. For a key snapped in a car door or ignition, see broken car key extraction. Call (484) 891-1922.
When you call, tell us if you still have the other half of the key. We go over our pricing structure and an estimated arrival time on that call, and emergency calls cost no more.
