Removing stuck key from gate lock

Need some help in removing stuck key from gate lock? You’ve come to the right place.

Rushing out for work, or being late for an important appointment? Do slow down, and take the time to ensure that the key is pulled out in the correct direction when locking and unlocking your main gate lock.

According to the customers who contact us for this worryingly frequent issue, haste and urgency are the #1 factors that cause this to happen!

What causes my key to get stuck in my lock?

Here are the two most common reasons that can cause a key to get stuck in the lock:

1) Removing key when the keyhole is vertical instead of horizontal

Removing stuck key from gate lock

Removing stuck key from gate lock. The customer had pulled out the key prematurely, before it could turn back to the unlock position. This resulted in the key being stuck inside the lock.

We rotated the keyhole back to its original horizontal position. This is so that the key could be removed fully. The lock was also functional after the key removal. This was great news to her, as she didn’t need to spend more money on replacement. Before engaging us, another locksmith told her that this lock was already spoilt and needed to be changed.

2) Issues with the existing lock

Leftmost panel titled “1” showing a partially inserted key stuck in a main gate computer key cylinder lock type keyhole in vertical position; centre panel labelled “2” with the main gate computer keyhole in its original horizontal position and rightmost image labelled “3” with a new normal key cylinder lock type, with 1/3 new keys inserted into the keyhole.

In another case, the key was also stuck inside the cylinder lock, and our customer could not remove it.

We managed to remove the stuck key successfully, but discovered that there were issues with the existing lock. Our customer eventually decided to change the cylinder lock to the normal key type, for 2 reasons. Firstly, duplicating the keys for the special key (computer key) cylinder lock would be more expensive and difficult to duplicate. Secondly, if there were no issues with the existing lock, then we would usually advise removing the stuck key. No replacement would have been needed if this is the case.

What do I do if this happens?

Do not remove the key by force

We would like to inform all customers not to attempt removing the key by force, or to continue turning the key, if it’s difficult to do so. Doing so may cause the key to break inside the lock!

Seek a locksmith’s help

We would also recommend getting opinions and quotations from a few locksmiths, before making your judgment and proceeding to engage the service.

Should you need a locksmith for removing stuck key from gate lock, we are contactable at 8812 7499, and on our contact page here. In addition, we also replace main door deadbolt locksets for HDB flats.

To get the latest updates on our completed jobs, do follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more!

Note: this article was originally published on 10 June 2019, and has been updated on 2 May 2022 to reflect new information and insights that we have received from our customers.

Summary
Removing stuck key from gate lock
Article Name
Removing stuck key from gate lock
Description
Removing stuck key from gate lock. We managed to salvage the key successfully, and the customer did not have to replace her lock, as it was still in working condition.
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Publisher Name
Vincent Locksmith
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