Security door opening

In Torrevieja many homes have a security door at the entrance, especially flats and bungalows on urbanisations. It is a good door for peace of mind, but the day you leave the keys inside or the lock stops responding, opening it takes more skill than an ordinary door.

We handle security door openings 24 hours a day, every day, in Torrevieja and the Vega Baja.

What a security door has

A security door is usually a timber leaf with one or more steel sheets inside it, a frame stronger than normal and hinges designed so the leaf cannot be lifted out. It nearly always has a security lock with several locking points, which hold the leaf to the frame in more than one place when you turn the key.

It should not be confused with an armoured door, which has an all steel structure and is in another league. For those you have the page on armoured door opening.

Why it is harder to open

In a security door everything is designed to resist:

• The lock has several bolts, so opening the latch is not enough if the door has been locked with the key.
• The cylinder is usually a security cylinder, with protection against the best known opening techniques.
• Many have an escutcheon, a part that protects the cylinder on the outside.
• Older ones have a lever lock, the kind with a long bit key, which opens differently from a cylinder.

All of that is what protects you when you are away. And it is what means it has to be opened calmly and with the right tools when you are locked out.

The cases we see most

• Slammed shut with the keys inside. Only the latch is engaged. This is the easiest case.
• Locked with turns of the key. The bolts are thrown and the opening depends on the cylinder or the lock.
• The key goes in but will not turn. It happens a lot on the coast: salt air and dust seize the cylinder, especially in houses that are shut up for long periods.
• Lock broken inside. The key turns, but the door will not open because something has broken in the mechanism.
• After an attempted break-in. The lock or the cylinder is damaged and no longer responds.

If your case is that the door will not open even with the key, you have advice for that moment in security door that will not open.

Opening without damaging the door

Whenever possible, we open without damaging the leaf or the frame. We try in every case, but we do not promise it before seeing the door. Sometimes the cleanest way to open is to sacrifice the cylinder, which is a part that gets changed, rather than touch the leaf or the frame, which are the expensive things to repair. If that has to be done, we tell you beforehand and give you the fixed quote with the new cylinder included, so the door is locking again on the same visit.

Before opening, as with any other door, we check that you are entitled to enter that home. We explain how to prove it when you call.

What is best avoided

With a security door, improvised fixes work out expensive:

• Do not lever the frame. Security doors have a reinforced frame and, if it gets bent, the door stops closing properly.
• Do not put cooking oil in the cylinder. It attracts dust and sand and ends up seizing it even more. If it needs lubricating, use a product made for locks.
• Do not force the key if it will not turn. It is the quickest way to snap it inside.
• Do not hit the lock. You could break internal parts that are fine right now.

After the opening

Once inside, we check that all the bolts go in and out properly and that the door closes as it should. If the lock had been playing up for a while, we will tell you whether it can be fixed; we explain it in lock repair. And if your security door still has an old lever lock, you may be interested in switching it to a euro cylinder: you have the explanation in lever lock to cylinder conversion.

Quote, payment and language

The quote is fixed and you know it before we start. If the job changes once we see the door, we explain it and do not carry on until you are happy. You can pay by card, Bizum or cash, and if you prefer to talk in your own language, send us a WhatsApp.