What the Do It Yourselfer Needs to Know About Rekeying Weiser Locks
By Scott Stoddart
 On Weiser doorknobs, remove the door knob or lever from the door, pull on the long piece of metal that sticks out of the back of the lock while you turn the key to the right to about the 8 o'clock position, pulling the key as you turn. If you don't pull the spindle out far enough, the lock won't come out. If you don't have the key to the door, you will have to pick the lock and as your turning you will have to use something to pull out on the cylinder so when it gets to the right point it comes out. It sometimes makes it easier if picking the locks to pull the spindle out all the way and hold it out with a small vise grip.
The deadbolts are easier to rekey. Depending upon the model of deadbolt, remove the screw or screws that are on the back of the lock. Of course, you have to remove the lock from the door first, then you can see the screw that you need to remove. Once removed, the cylinder comes out of the back of the lock. If there is no screw on the back of the lock, the lock doesn't come out you will have to rekey the deadbolt as it is , putting the follower through where the cylinder plug was. You don't need a key to remove the cylinder from most deadbolts.
Please do everyone a favor and don't take Weiser locks to a hardware store or home improvement warehouse to get them rekeyed. You are just asking for problems if you do. Some of the guys there are very good , but in my experience not worth the risk.
It is more secure to have the locks on your home rekeyed after moving in. It makes no difference if the home is a brand new build or just new to you. The contractors that build homes often hand out many keys to subcontractors so they doesn't have to be at the home to let the subcontractors in to do their work. The down side is that those subcontractors keep or throw away or lose the keys when their work is done. It's hard to tell who has a key after that.
If the contractor uses a contractor's key set up or a protecto-key, then you are a bit better off, but I still recommend having all the locks rekeyed regardless.
If the home is new-to-you, the neighbors, the former owner's families, the cleaning people , paper guy, housesitter, babysitter, old boyfriends or girlfriends...any one of those people still have a key to the house that you now live in. It doesn't matter if you are buying the house or renting, once you move your things in, it's your house and everything in there belongs to you. You want to protect it. Rekeying is the best place to start.
You could, if money isn't a factor, replace all the locks. I usually only suggest this if the locks are worn, tarnished , old or if they don't match the other locks on the home. If they don't match, it's usually a sign that the orignial locks have been damaged or that there is a chance of keys being with some person in which the former owner or occupant didn't want to allow inside. Some people just change the deadbolt on each door, or just one door, in the hopes to keep certain people that have keys from getting inside. Most of the time I have seen someone do this they change their mind then or soon after out of convenience.
About the Author
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| Scott Stoddart, Stoddart's Lock and Safe
15990 West Christy Dr.
Surprise, AZ 85379
623-363-1996
Contact Author: request info
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