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Lockout Call Failure

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GringoLocksmith

Active Member

Posts: 250

Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 am

Location: Gringolandia

Post Sun Dec 06, 2015 10:35 am

Lockout Call Failure

This week I had a scheduled lockout call that didn't go so well.

The customer was in the middle of a property dispute with an ex-wife. Through mediation they'd agreed upon a list of items that he was entitled to retrieve from their home, in which she now lived. She'd changed the locks and wouldn't let him in to get them. I was to arrive at an appointed time in the middle of her workday, and the police would be there to witness as he went in to get his cans of paint and university diplomas.

I got there a little early and surveyed the house. The lights were off and there were no cars in the driveway. There was a real estate sign in the yard with a "SOLD" placard on it. The front door was equipped with a new Schlage B60 deadbolt. Around back there was an outswinging door secured by a Kwikset Titan deadbolt and a Schlage entry knob with the latch from a passage knob. I decided the back door would be easiest to deal with.

The customer showed up before the police did. We knocked and rang the doorbell to confirm that nobody was home. I told him I'd like to get a head start to minimize the time I would have both customer and policemen hovering over me as I worked. He agreed and I got to work. It took a little bit longer than the average Kwikset--but not long--to free the cylinder and turn it to 10 o'clock. I stood up and told the customer the job was 90% done, and that I'd finish the job once the police arrived. Then I readied a flathead screwdriver and a linoleum cutting knife and got to waiting.

When a single patrolman arrived a few minutes later, I confidently walked with him and the customer to the back door. The two of them crowded me a little as I took my screwdriver and put it in the keyway and gave the cylinder a turn. It swung to 8 o'clock and got stuck. The bolt didn't budge. Thinking it might be bound up on the strike, I pushed on the door a bit and tried again. Nothing. I scratched my head and turned the screwdriver a little harder. I looked nervously at the men standing right behind me. I asked the customer if he knew if the deadbolt had one of those aftermarket flip guards on the thumbturn inside. He shrugged.

Stumped and secretly a little panicked, I went to my van and got an adjustable crescent wrench. I brought it back to the door, put the screwdriver in the keyway, fitted the adjustable crescent wrench around its square shank, and cranked it. There was some resistance, and then suddenly the cylinder freed up and was turning smoothly. Before I realized what I was doing, I'd turned it all the way around back to 12 o'clock. I'd turned the cylinder 360 degrees and the bolt hadn't moved. I couldn't, at that moment, come up with a solution.

I told the waiting customer and police officer that I was going to try the front door instead. This time, mercifully, they stood way back and chatted as I worked at the lock. It had an aggressive high-low combination. There was a spool pin in position four that kept getting bound up, and every time I tried to release it the second pin would drop. It was frustrating. After a few minutes I could feel the impatience of the men behind me. I raked a little. I prayed a little. Then a took out a deeper hook, drew a deep breath, and carefully lowered and lifted that last pin. The cylinder turned freely.

I let my shoulders slump as I gathered up my picks and zipped them back into their pouch. With my flathead screwdriver I turned the cylinder and heard the bolt slide into the door. Then I stood up, looked to the men waiting on me, and turned the knob. the door creaked a little as it swung open half a foot. "Bravo," someone said. This had taken too long. I suppressed an embarrassed smile as I turned to look at the door, only to see it slam shut and the cylinder of the deadbolt snap back into position.

Through the window I saw a young man looking groggily at me. That was the end of that.

I settled up with my customer and walked back to my van to get on to the next job. As soon as I started to pull away, I slapped myself on the forehead, realizing what had gone wrong with that back door. I won't make that mistake again.
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Hugo Martel

Familiar Face

Posts: 118

Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2015 3:07 pm

Location: Quebec, Canada

Post Sun Dec 06, 2015 11:50 am

Re: Lockout Call Failure

That is a very interesting story!!! I heve one of theses schlage desbolt and they are nasty!!!

Hugo Martel :circlip:
Random wrote: Here is my tip of the day "Do not fart while wearing overalls".
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Deadlock

User avatar

Active Member

Posts: 371

Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 8:37 am

Location: England

Post Sun Dec 06, 2015 12:43 pm

Re: Lockout Call Failure

GringoLocksmith wrote:I settled up with my customer and walked back to my van to get on to the next job. As soon as I started to pull away, I slapped myself on the forehead, realizing what had gone wrong with that back door. I won't make that mistake again.


Well? Don't leave us hanging! What did go wrong with that back door?
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Hugo Martel

Familiar Face

Posts: 118

Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2015 3:07 pm

Location: Quebec, Canada

Post Sun Dec 06, 2015 4:38 pm

Re: Lockout Call Failure

Deadlock wrote:
GringoLocksmith wrote:I settled up with my customer and walked back to my van to get on to the next job. As soon as I started to pull away, I slapped myself on the forehead, realizing what had gone wrong with that back door. I won't make that mistake again.


Well? Don't leave us hanging! What did go wrong with that back door?


The spindle strip out...

Hugo Martel :circlip:
Random wrote: Here is my tip of the day "Do not fart while wearing overalls".
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farmall

Familiar Face

Posts: 245

Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2015 3:12 pm

Location: Oklahoma

Post Sun Dec 06, 2015 4:49 pm

Re: Lockout Call Failure

Deadlock wrote:
GringoLocksmith wrote:I settled up with my customer and walked back to my van to get on to the next job. As soon as I started to pull away, I slapped myself on the forehead, realizing what had gone wrong with that back door. I won't make that mistake again.


Well? Don't leave us hanging! What did go wrong with that back door?


I'm guessing whoever was in the house was holding the door shut
macgng; it's completely unnecessary to have ~15$ in keys for a 50¢ lock ... but we all do it anyway :P
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10ringo10

User avatar

Prolific Poster

Posts: 1357

Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 11:45 am

Location: EUROPE

Post Sun Dec 06, 2015 6:12 pm

Re: Lockout Call Failure

would not beat yourself up to much - you picked the locks and locks turned - you did your job gringo

we have no control over - someone being in the house holding keys - thumb turns and other obstructions

found in the field - ie : partners friends children 3rd parties other than follow the client - customer instructions

NOT A FAIL IN ANYONES BOOKS
Last edited by 10ringo10 on Sun Dec 06, 2015 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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GringoLocksmith

Active Member

Posts: 250

Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:12 am

Location: Gringolandia

Post Sun Dec 06, 2015 6:29 pm

Re: Lockout Call Failure

My guess: an upside-down bolt, which meant the cylinder needed to be turned in the opposite direction (toward the jamb).

And now, because of my handiwork, a broken e-clip :circlip: affixing the spindle to the cylinder.

But I never got to go in to see what was really up with it.

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