Pin chamber

A pin chamber, “cámara de pines” in Spanish, is each of the holes in the cylinder where the bottom pin, the driver pin and the spring that pushes them sit one on top of the other. The hole runs through the housing and the plug, and when the correct key is inside, the gap between the pins falls on the shear line.

An ordinary cylinder has several chambers in a row, and generally more chambers mean more possible combinations. Security cylinders may also have rows of pins in other positions or side locking elements that do not sit in conventional chambers.

The condition of the chambers affects everyday use: dust, sand or salt that get in through the keyway end up in them and slow down the springs, and then the key becomes stiff or the cylinder jams. On the coast this happens a lot. Do not use cooking oil or thick grease, which make the jamming worse; use a specific dry lubricant.

If your cylinder no longer responds, we look at it as part of our cylinder replacement service.