uPVC Locks & Repairs Sheffield

It is our humble opinion that the double glazing companies should be tried for fraud when it comes to what they have sold people around these. They have completely misled and miss-informed people for years about the security of the doors. "It has 14 bolts" they say or "there’s 8 times more locks on it than your wooden door" This is a lie.

UPVC doors are inherently weak, they can have all the bolts and latches they want, the fact is all of this fancy hardware is controlled by one easy to open cylinder.

There are a multitude of techniques used to open doors with cylinders, just look on you tube and they are there for everyone to see. You can snap the lock, bump the lock, drill the lock, and jiggle the lock or just plain old fashioned picking. The fact is most doors with these types of locks can be opened in under 2 minutes.

There has been lots of lots of attention around this in the media over the last few years including Look North and The One Show. This has compounded the problem somewhat with people who had never heard of lock snapping looking it up and going out burgling homes.

In our opinion a door with a traditional 5 lever mortice lock is a lot more secure than a standard cylinder.

However all is not lost. Lock manufacturers have been working hard to improve on what used to be available. There are now a multitude of products available to beef up the security of your doors and windows. These range from British Standard Cylinders to Sold Secure 3 star BS standard cylinders such as the Bristant Ultion, which in our view is by far the best cylinder on the market. There are also mortice locks for UPVC doors available, which if you can fit them is an excellent way of increasing the security of your door.

One of the more overlooked aspects of door security is the handles. Standard UPVC handles can easily be peeled back to reveal the lock in seconds. This can be disastrous, even if you have a decent cylinder it can easily be opened if the handles are removed. That’s why here at First Response locksmiths Sheffield we carry a full range of PAS 24 handles to suit every style and colour. These handles are made to resist burglaries. They have protection built in to prevent drilling as well as cylinder manipulation. They are also made of stronger steel meaning it’s a lot harder, if not impossible to peel them back and get at the cylinder. With good handles even standard cylinders become a lot more secure.

Our Sheffield Locksmiths also carry a range of multipoint lock mechanisms in stock as well as gear boxes and spares. This lets us repair most problems as they arise meaning we don’t have to come back for a second visit, saving you money.

However sometimes we visit homes where the manufacturers fitted a system that’s not so popular which in turn means we don’t carry spares. On these occasions we carry over night locks so that we can secure your property until the new hardware arrives. When this happens we can almost always get the parts we need overnight expressed to us. Ensuring your doors are back to perfect in the shortest amount of time available.

Windows are a much better product. As long as they are internally beaded they are safe and secure. The weakest point of any window is the glass, the only way round that one is to brick up your windows and live in darkness so it’s something we all have to live with. Now just because they are secure doesn’t mean things can’t be improved. That’s why First Response Locksmiths offer a range of secondary products and lock upgrades that fit every style and brand of window.

There are a few different ways of making your windows more secure. Sash jams, secondary locks and bolt on restrictors to name but a few. However you can also upgrade your handles and locks that can help prevent break-ins and make the window more attractive. You can “key alike” your windows. So one key can open them all. The options are endless.

One part of most windows that goes wrong and can affect security as well as efficiency is the hinges. They bend and distort with use and sometimes come loose meaning the windows don’t work as they should. Not only is this bad for security and drafts, it can also be dangerous. If the hinge on a fire escape window (most bedrooms windows have to operate as a fire escape and must be fitted with egress hinges) breaks and doesn’t open properly that means the window is no longer an effective fire escape.

That’s why our Sheffield locksmiths carry a range of different window hardware including hinges, handles and locks. Here at First Response Locksmiths we also stock and fit a range of secondary products to improve the security and look of your windows.

As well as the more traditional locks and hardware repairs and upgrades we also repair the UPVC itself. Our Sheffield Locksmiths have learnt techniques over the years to repair dents and scratches, discolouring and bending.

After a burglary the door has usually been pried and there are dents all over the frame and the door. Now, most people would get a new door as they think it’s beyond repair. It isn’t.

As long as the door isn’t cracked we can repair it and when we say repair we mean it will look as good as new. It isn’t just after burglaries, doors get used daily, as do windows. They get slammed, barged and yanked and that’s before we bring the weather into it. Moving furniture in and out or getting a washer delivered, it can easily hit the door and dent it. And as long as it’s not cracked we can repair it.

So in summary if you have any problems with your UPVC windows or doors in Sheffield, call First Response Locksmiths today and see if we can help. If we can’t help you ourselves we will know someone who can.

Thanks for reading.

First Response Locksmiths