Locks for entrance doors: types, rating, selection and installation

Each homeowner is trying to reliably protect his “family nest” from unauthorized entry of burglars by installing various locking devices on the entrance doors. Today the market is represented by a chic choice of locks, but when choosing them, it is necessary to take into account the structure of the mechanism, the complexity of its opening and the degree of protection. In addition, before you make such an important purchase and perform its installation, it is also important to pay attention to the features of the doors and the installation location.

Door locks, which are offered in a huge range of foreign and domestic manufacturers, have the same purpose, but depending on the models and engineering structures, they can differ fundamentally from each other, and provide a different level of protection. For example, on sale you can find devices with the presence or absence of handles and latches. The main components of any locking device are the case, the locking and locking element. In addition, the package necessarily includes a set of keys. According to the design characteristics distinguish the following types of devices.

This is the easiest and most affordable type of lock, whose protection class is minimal, it is usually installed on the front doors of outbuildings. Installation of the product is quick and easy: lugs are inserted into the specially welded arms, and fixation takes place in the position fixed on the flaps. As for the additional details of protection, they are missing. Padlocks are made in various weights, sizes, levels of secrecy and hull material.Plus products - a great choice and the minimum price, minus - unreliability.

Ideal for installation on both wooden and metal doors, they are attached to the inside of the sash. Due to this, the mechanism of the device moves as far as possible from the outer part of the door leaf and guarantees greater reliability. Such locks also differ in design, safety and manufacturing material. The advantages of the products include ease of installation (even a novice specialist can easily cope with it), the possibility of opening the door from the inside without a key, the installation does not require sampling of the door frame (on a wooden canvas). Disadvantages: restriction in use, the presence of a double porch, with a force effect on the sash possible discrepancy.

These models are considered the most versatile, because the installation does not spoil the appearance of the doors, and installed in a hidden way. In addition, mortise locks are sold not only with a key, but also with an original decor handle, which makes it easy to pick them up for any door design. But the main disadvantage of mortise products is that it is difficult to assemble them, the installation work is bulky, and they require precise calculations.

They are the simplest products with low protection. They are often called rack, because the locking part looks like a metal bar, decorated with small slots. The bolt is controlled with a key, which must exactly fall into the grooves of the bar. As a rule, such models prefer to be installed on the entrance doors of non-residential premises.

These locks are characterized by a more complex construction of the internal mechanism, so they are recommended to be installed on any doors. The main advantage of the products is the high protection and difficulty of selecting the key. The disadvantage is the high price.

The degree of protection and reliability of such locks is determined by the number of disks in the mechanism. Opening the door occurs only when the exact coincidence of all internal parts. There are no downsides to this species.

Such products are known under the name "English" castle. The principle of their work largely resembles a disk model, only the mechanism in this case is located inside a special larva.Despite the affordable price, there is a drawback in these locks - the possibility of damage to the lockbox. Therefore, experts recommend further equipping the system with protectors.

The main difference between these and pin devices is that the elements of the lock that lock the door are plates. The opening of the mechanism is performed when the protrusion of the key coincides with the cuts in the levers. To protect the lock, armor plates are also additionally installed; they provide doors with high resistance to burglary. There are no downsides to such locks.

They represent a special clever view of the mechanism, the package of which includes all elements of the latch lock, but the key is absent. The device is available with remote control, code or magnetic card. In addition, the product can be equipped with a special scanner that can read lines on the fingers. The disadvantage of fingerprint locks is that you can easily open the door using photos of homeowners ’fingers.

Considered one of the varieties of electrical devices.The invisible lock opens the door using a special electromagnetic element, which is controlled by the controller. Often, such mechanisms are used on the doors at the entrance of houses when installing intercoms. They also have a push button closure sensor. That is, the key is externally equipped with a magnetic board, and inside - a panel with a button. To open the door from the street, you need a special code or a magnetic unique key, and inside the room just press a button.

Today the market impresses with its huge range of locking devices. All of them differ not only in design, weight, size, level of protection, but also the manufacturer. Among foreign brands, the following brands have proven themselves well.

• Cisa (Italy). This is the world famous leader in the production of locks on the entrance doors. In addition to standard models, the manufacturer also introduced a smart lock and electronic devices that can be used for any type of door leaf. More in the product package includes closers, anti-panic handles and armored plates. All locks are characterized by a high degree of protection against burglary, but their price is quite high.

• Mul-t-Lock (Israel). The company produces not only mechanisms with reliable secrecy, but also cylinders, machines for the manufacture of locking devices. All moving parts and keys are made of durable nickel silver material, which provides products with resistance to unauthorized hacking and negative environmental influences. Products are characterized by high quality and reasonable price.

• Kale Kilit (Turkey). The manufacturer manufactures all types of padlocks, mortise and overhead locks with a different opening mechanism. Turkish cylinder locks with alarms and sound effects when selecting a key, breaking or pulling out a lock are very popular. Such devices can afford any family with average incomes.

• Evva (Austria). The company has many sales offices throughout Europe and specializes in the manufacture of cylinder locks, equipped with special protection systems. By installing such products, you can be sure that copying the key and breaking the door is impossible. In addition, high-quality products are inexpensive, and has all the relevant certificates.

• Abus (Germany). The manufacturer in a huge assortment produces mortise locks that are durable, high resistance to impact and excellent quality. The devices are provided with additional security from drilling, hacking and knocking out, but the keys in all models cannot be copied.

Special attention deserve the Chinese locks Xiaomi. Such products are mainly intended for housing, in which the "smart home" system is installed. The locking device allows you to enable burglary alarms, send and receive notifications. There is a special chip on the keys, the code for which is set by the owner of the house or apartment. This modern technology is unparalleled, but is very expensive.

For many homeowners, the main problem is to find a good lock on the entrance doors to an apartment or a private house. Before you make such an important purchase, you need to pay attention to the characteristics of internal mechanisms. In addition, it is worth noting that for metal and wooden doors can be installed different types of devices. To purchase reliable locks, you must consider the following options.

• Safety class Products with 1 and 2 class of protection are considered the weakest and easiest to break, because their design can be opened in minutes. As for the 3 and 4 class locks, they are reliable and absolutely safe, they cannot be opened even with special equipment.
• Level of secrecy It indicates the number of combinations available for the mechanism in the bot. The more they will be, the harder it is to perform a hack. Low protection has 5 thousand.combinations, the average is 1 million, and high - more than 4 million. For iron doors, experts recommend purchasing the latter option, since it is considered the best.

• Place of installation. For country houses, it is desirable to choose the castles of foreign manufacturers, since they in many ways exceed the characteristics of domestic ones. Their cost is high, but the protection is reliable. As for the apartments, they can pick up the device easier, this is due to the fact that many entrances are equipped with solid metal doors, intercom, and there are neighbors nearby.
• The possibility of making duplicate keys. Typically, the package includes from 3 to 5 keys, but often it can change, especially if there are young children in the house. In the case when the configuration of the mechanism is complicated, it is difficult to make a copy of the key, and, alternatively, the lock will have to be removed, replacing it with a new one. Therefore, purchasing products, it is important to focus not only on the bizarre shape of the key, but also on its practicality.
• Cost Often cheap devices attract with their low price, and many homeowners, wanting to save money, make a choice in their favor.But there is always the risk of buying a lock made from poor-quality raw materials. Before purchasing, you need to specify the steel grade, because the second-grade metal during operation may cause cracks and cause subsequent breakage of the brackets and springs.

Recently, most owners of apartments and houses prefer to install locks on the entrance doors on their own. Of course, this process is complex, and requires a certain experience, but if you want to cope with it, everyone can do it. The following recommendations of experienced specialists will help the beginning masters in this.

• Before you start installing a new device, you must remove and disassemble the old lock, as well as perform accurate markup. Cut the hole is best with the help of a grinder with small discs. At the same time, drilling should be started at the corners of the “future rectangle”, this will help to make the cut even. Since the grinder will turn out to make only vertical lines, then you will have to knock them out horizontally with a hammer or chisel. At the end of the work, the resulting hole along the edges should be processed with a file, smoothing out sharp corners and notches.
• To lock did not break and served a long time, it should be fixed on the screws. The installation must be carried out in such a way that the larva exactly falls into the previously prepared hole. A pin is threaded through the device and a screw is attached.

• The bolt rests firmly in the box if it is smeared with a thin layer of water-based paint before mounting it.
• Sometimes the installation of the locking device can not be performed without parsing the door leaf. The process will be especially laborious if the door leaf is made of metal. To do the job correctly and not damage the bolt, it is important to take accurate measurements and take into account the location of the guides.
• At the entrance doors in the back rooms it is best to install padlocks. In order to carry out the installation on the wall of the building, it is necessary to fix the eyes in the box with strong screws in advance.

The main reason that causes the locking device to fail is a problem with the door. This is due to the fact that during long operation of the blade its drawdown is possible; moreover, the door handles and the lock may wear out.As a result, the internal mechanism begins to act up, and the tongue tightly enters and leaves the hole in the door frame. To eliminate such problems, it is necessary to adjust the lock.

For this, the source of the mechanism malfunction is first determined. Metal plates are removed, dismantled handles, and penetrate into the inside of the lock. Then the key is inserted, and attempts are made to open and close the device, observing what exactly impedes its functioning. Often, for adjustment, it is enough to correct the exact coincidence of the door handle and the tongue of the lock with the metal lining. Moreover, if the door leaf has been delivered recently, and its warranty period has not expired, you can call the representatives of the manufacturer. They will quickly deal with the problem.

If the cause of the malfunction is friction or jamming of the elements of the mechanism, then it is recommended to lubricate them with engine oil or special composition in the form of an aerosol. After covering the moving parts with oil, you should try to turn the lock several times, this will help to better distribute the lubricant.In the case when the lubricated lock works without failures, you can smoothly proceed with the installation of the handle and the bar.

Quite often, when self-assembly of locks by inexperienced craftsmen, the problem of insufficient penetration of the mortise mechanism appears. As a result, the metal bar, placed in the side of the canvas, begins to touch the box itself. To remedy the situation, you need to remove the lock, re-do the in-depth recess, and put the device in its original place. A similar problem arises when there is insufficient twisting of the self-tapping screws that hold the side rail and the locking mechanism. In this case, you just need to screw the mount.

How to install locks for entrance doors, see the following video.