What to do if the door to the apartment slams

Doors are installed in any apartment or house - both interior and entrance. They can separate rooms and also act as a space limiter. Locks are often built into doors, regardless of their intended purpose (interior or entrance).

Locks on interior doors are as simple as possible, but on entrance doors they can be quite complex. Doors are often equipped with automatic locks that close if the door is accidentally slammed.

With this development of events, many people panic, not knowing how to open the locking mechanism and what, in general, to do. The situation may reach a dead end and there may be no other solution than knocking down the door. A similar problem can arise if the locking mechanism breaks down.

There is no need to rush; you can knock down the door at any time. You need to collect your thoughts and find another way to unlock the door.

How you can open doors using available tools will be discussed in our article.

How to open the door yourself

First you need to determine the cause of the problem - this is:

broken key stuck in the hole;
jammed latch (tongue);
broken lock;
a key inserted into the back of the door.

A solution can be found, but breaking into an apartment or room yourself will require time, nerves and the availability of tools. There is no guarantee that after all the resources spent, the box and canvas will remain intact. Especially when the reason is the loss of the key.

Possible situations

Lock systems on doors in a house can be completely different. Sometimes a regular handle with a tongue is enough, and in some cases it is necessary to install additional latches and key locks. However, there are situations when the door closes and it is not possible to open it in a simple way. The reasons may be:

a draft that slammed the lock;
broken handle;
sinking tongue;
push-button mechanism;
lost key;
intentional or accidental closing from the inside.

What to do in such cases? The problem can be solved using different methods, depending on the specific situation. The most common ways are:

use of a handy master key;
disassembling a lock or handle;
removal from hinges;
use of brute force.

Varieties of methods for opening interior doors

If there is a small child left in the room, water or any equipment that could cause a fire is turned on, you need to act immediately.

In emergency situations, most often there is nothing left to do but simply break open the interior door. In this case, damage cannot be avoided, but you will be able to minimize the risk of much more serious consequences.

How to open a door without a key

It is not always possible to cope with this task on your own. You can open the door to the room if it is slammed in one of the following ways:

Plastic card or any other similar item. It is inserted into the opening between the box and the canvas. Loosen the locking element in all directions, pressing on the tongue until it gives way. You cannot use a valid card to open the door.
Paper clips. Used when the lock has a double tongue. You will need 2 of these stationery items. Each of them has one knee straightened. The first paperclip is inserted into the hole and loosened, and then the second is inserted. Together they will play the role of the key. The method is also used when the bar prevents getting to the tongue.
If both methods do not help, then you can unscrew the lock with a regular screwdriver and press the latch from the inside. They do the same thing when the door to the apartment slams shut, and there are no other options for opening the front door other than disassembling the mechanism.
When the key is inserted on the other side of the door, a spoke will help. If there is a gap under the canvas, you can insert a newspaper into it. Use a knitting needle to push the key out, it will fall onto the prepared substrate and you can take it out. If there is no open gap, you need to use one of the methods described above.

Interior doors are quite easy to break into. If there are built-in glasses, they can be removed. Then the latch can be turned on the other side. But this is the case if the door does not give way.

What to do when the front door slams

Here a lot depends on the type of lock. The hinged one is simply broken by inserting a crowbar between the bow and the main mechanism. It's better than wasting time hacking it. This lock is inexpensive and easy to change. But in apartments it is customary to make doors with built-in mechanisms. Opening methods depend on the type of lock:

Cylinder. Remove the decorative insert and remove the handle. Use pliers to loosen the nearest cylinder. If this does not help, then insert a screwdriver into the well and turn it.
Cross-shaped. To open such a lock, you will need a screwdriver with the dimensions of the working part corresponding to the lock connectors. The tool is inserted into the well and rotated. The old cross-shaped lock can be opened with any similar key.
French. The worst thing to open is. Insert the flat side of the crowbar into the gap between the box and the canvas. They press the lever with force, trying to move the locking mechanism.

If the door to an apartment with deadbolt and lever locks does not open, it is almost impossible to break into such mechanisms. Even when contacting craftsmen, one cannot hope that the structure will remain intact.

The key in the well may also break. Then you can open the lock using a jigsaw. It is inserted into the hole, as if forming a continuation of the key, and turned along with the stuck fragment. If a piece of the key sticks out even a little, you can try to turn it with pliers.

Measures to prevent such a situation

Difficulties with difficulty opening an interior door are easier to prevent than to attempt to eliminate the breakdown over a long period of time. What to do if you don’t want to learn the art of hacking at home? You must follow these simple rules:

Carry out regular maintenance of locking mechanisms.
Purchase locks with emergency opening capabilities.
When installing, leave a gap between the door leaf and the jamb.
Keep a spare set of keys within reach.
Replace faulty locks in a timely manner.

By following simple recommendations, you can avoid unpleasant moments with locked rooms, jammed locks and unplanned expenses for purchasing new doors. It would also be useful to protect your nerve cells and protect yourself from shocks. After all, 90% of inner peace and peace in one’s home depends on the success of the owner’s actions.

Paid professional help

There are situations when a person cannot find a solution on his own. There may be children, elderly people, or electrical appliances turned on in a closed apartment. Then the help of experts is simply necessary.

If the door slams, the company https://newzamok.ru/, which provides similar services, will help you open it. You can also turn to private craftsmen, but, unlike the first option, they will not give a guarantee for their work.

Other advantages of professional help:

the work of craftsmen who understand locks and own special tools;
speed;
the likelihood that the door will remain intact.

Specialists will perform the work after the customer confirms ownership. To do this, you need to provide the same documents as when calling the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Knitting needles are not just for knitting!

Are the above methods by which you can easily open an interior door from the inside not for you? There is another proven way! To do this, you will need an ordinary knitting needle, which, together with following the instructions, will help you open almost any door without a key:

Insert a knitting needle (you can use a small nail file instead) into the keyhole.
Try to pry off the moving elements of the lock by moving the knitting needle in different directions.
When you hear the characteristic click, you can breathe easy – the lock is open.

This method can be time-consuming, but with proper skill it does not cause problems. In addition to knitting needles and nail files, you can use other similar items.

Calling the rescue service

If, due to the fact that the door to the apartment does not open, there is a threat to someone’s life, health, or property, then you can call the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The rescue service responds when small children, disabled people, and elderly people are locked in a house. Another reason to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations is that electrical appliances, gas, and water are turned on in the apartment. In the absence of such situations, the operator may not accept the call, advising you to contact private companies. Emergency phone number 112.

What documents may be required

In order for the Ministry of Emergency Situations employees or specialized service technicians to open the apartment, the customer will need proof of ownership: registration or lease agreement. If the apartment is rented and there are no documents for it, the fact of residence can be confirmed by neighbors or the landlord. In both cases you will need a passport.

Another option is to call the local police officer. This is usually required when private masters come. The district police officer will also require a passport and copy down its data.

Door handle replacement or repair

Repairing a push or turn mechanism makes sense in several cases:

If the cause of the failure lies in the internal rod.
If the mechanism is loose, it is enough to strengthen it with new screws.
If parts jam due to lack of lubrication or trapped debris.
If the locking ring is displaced and the handle falls out and does not break off.

All other cases require replacement of the locking device and fittings. It is better to immediately purchase steel structures from reliable manufacturers so that repairs do not become a regular procedure.

Repairing the handle without specific experience and special tools can lead to damage to the locking device.

Using duplicates

How to open an apartment if the keys are lost? You need to prepare for such a situation in advance. Most people have duplicates - 3-4 keys come with the lock, while only 1-2 are constantly used. The problem is that duplicates are often stored in the exact apartment that is currently inaccessible.

In order to avoid this situation, duplicates should be given to a close relative or friend for safekeeping, that is, a person with a great deal of trust. Most often, parents, grandparents, and adult children living separately act as such guardians.

But not everyone has such a close person whom you trust 100%. And some may be driven crazy by the thought that someone else can freely enter their home. Therefore, you can store spare keys at work - in a locked box or safe, or keep duplicates in your car.

Preventive actions

To protect yourself from such troubles, you need to take a number of preventive measures in advance:

Hang tags on spare sets of keys indicating which door each key belongs to;
Install locking devices that can be opened from the outside in an emergency;
If you need a lock only as protection from drafts or pets, then give preference to handles - latches.

Related article: Is it possible to break a door lock?

To prevent such troubles, check the locking devices from time to time, eliminating all malfunctions in a timely manner.

What kind of locks are there for the front door of a house or apartment?

To decide on the method of unlocking the locking mechanism, you must first find out what types of locks are currently used for entrance doors.

Currently, two types of locks are used for metal entrance doors: mortise and inset.

If the lock is mortise, then in this case the mechanism cuts into the door leaf, which partially deforms it.
With the inset type of lock, the mechanism is installed in the door before the structure (leaf + frame) is assembled and installed.

Read how to recode your front door lock here.

Brute force

If you cannot open the door, but you have no other choice, then you can resort to extreme measures and use brute force. There are also different approaches possible here:

Cut off the hinges . Open fasteners are cut down along the hinge axis or plate and the canvas easily falls out of the opening.
Cut off the tongue . If the latch or bolt is clearly visible in the gap between the box and the canvas, and you can insert a hacksaw or grinder disk inside, try cutting it off. Be prepared for sparks from the metal.
Knock down the door . If you don’t have the right tools at hand and the door is very flimsy, you can easily knock it out of the opening.

Knocking down a slammed door should only be done as a last resort.

Such methods should be used only when other methods have failed. Most likely, after a break-in, you will have to change the door or, at least, restore the door leaf and frame. The fittings will also need to be replaced.

It is quite possible to open a door without a key, but not all methods remain without a trace. To prevent such a need, regularly check the serviceability of the locks and install mechanisms that do not slam shut spontaneously.

We recommend watching the video:

Industrial climbers

Industrial climbers will also be able to help. They can easily open a window or balcony door left for ventilation and enter the home from the facade of the building. Even if all windows and doors are closed, climbers can cut or squeeze out glass with little or no damage. Unfortunately, this method is not suitable for those whose lock cannot be opened from the inside, and there are many such models.

The prices for industrial climbers are high due to the danger of working at height, and the need to use expensive equipment.