Choose a thumbturn euro cylinder as a replacement (for convenience and safety)
After getting my head down last night my mind turned – as it often does – to work and other chores I haven’t gotten around to yet, one of which was a blog post for CIA’s website; I’ve added some news stories recently, but it’s been a while since I’ve blogged.
I lay there for a short time pondering what I could blog about, before remembering, “Damn!!! Forgot to lock the back door!”
Now, I knew I had set my alarm system so I could have easily rolled over and gone to sleep; however, my beautiful Trek Rumblefish mountain bike was in our conservatory right by the back door and my bike’s my pride and joy.
This would have definitely caught the attention of any prowler and I imagined the confrontation that might ensue if the entry tone started (my back door’s a ‘final exit/entry’ door [that sets and un-sets the alarm], so opening it would have started sounders beeping and not set the siren’s blaring immediately).
So, reluctantly, I tapped my code into the bedside keypad – it works silently if set for bed, so as not to disturb the other half – and made my way downstairs.
I went straight to the back door; hoping the key would be in it, but alas, it wasn’t. I then spend the next 20 minutes searching for it! As it turns out, my keys were on the bedroom floor hidden underneath one of the dogs toys, and apparently, my fiancée’s were in her handbag but it was not in the usual place.
In seeking out a key I had managed to wake the dog and then my fiancée and this small event ended up keep me up for nearly an hour (and this morning my fiancée complained she’d laid awake for several).
Eventually, as I lay waiting to fall asleep almost hour later, I resolved to upgrade my uPVC door’s existing anti-snapped lock cylinder – that has a keyhole at both ends – to a thumb turn equivalent – keyhole on the outside, turn-knob on the inside – and have it keyed-alike to the other locks in and around my house.
My mind wandered further, beyond mere convenience, and I imagined how we would escape via the back in the case of a fire if a similar problem occurred. “Yes; I would certainly get a thumb-turn cylinder!”
“Pity I didn’t upgrade to the thumbturn type when I replaced the door’s ordinary euro-profile cylinder the first time around”, I thought. Well at least I had something to write my blog post about.
It’s a well known fact that ordinary european profile cylinders are inherently weak and can be snapped or bumped in just five seconds (read here), but if you haven’t upgraded yet, make sure you consider the turn knob types. View our high-security lock cylinders.
Antony Christie BA (Hons), MSc
Webmaster and Internet Marketer for the CIA/S-Mon Group
