Prevent access

[STClark]

My pre-teen has a self-control problem. We have put a digital combination lock on our pantry but he has been getting into it anyway and has just admitted that he is using scissors in the keyhole. I don't know what this keyhole is for anyway. When I tried the keys that came with the lock it seemed like they fit inside but would not turn it if it were locked. Or at least I think they were the right keys. The keyhole is in the doorknob with one of those turny buttons on the opposite side inside the pantry. Why would we need this keyhole? Can I plug it up somehow?

[Raymond]

If the "keyhole" is a round hole or a very shallow slot, what you have is a "privacy" lock and that is not an actual key. If you want a true lock change it out to an "entrance" function lock.

The hole in a privacy allows you to open the bathroom door when your 3 year old locks himself inside and screams because he cant get out.

You can put a pop rivet in the hole or otherwise seal it up with epoxy glue.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

If the "keyhole" is a round hole or a very shallow slot, what you have is a "privacy" lock and that is not an actual key. If you want a true lock change it out to an "entrance" function lock.

The hole in a privacy allows you to open the bathroom door when your 3 year old locks himself inside and screams because he cant get out.

You can put a pop rivet in the hole or otherwise seal it up with epoxy glue.

Eh, never seen a privacy function digital combination lock. Pictures OP and I will advise.

[Raymond]

Yeah, no kidding. I overlooked the "combination lock" reference. I wonder what it is?

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Yeah, no kidding. I overlooked the "combination lock" reference. I wonder what it is?

I haven't done residential since 2011 but the Schlage BE365 couldn't just be screwed onto the door back then, it required attention to it's timing. My preliminary guess given the clues.

[STClark]

Sorry, my camera is shutting down my phone. It's called a Milocks D series keypad door knob, the second lock shown on the page at milocks.com.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Sorry, my camera is shutting down my phone. It's called a Milocks D series keypad door knob, the second lock shown on the page at milocks.com.

Is the auto lock switch on or off?

[Devhad]

He is probably not using the scissors to pick the lock but rather push the latch in through the gap between the door and the frame.

[Mighty]

He is probably not using the scissors to pick the lock but rather push the latch in through the gap between the door and the frame.

STClark did say though, that the son said he was putting the scissors right in the keyhole. Do you believe you could have misunderstood what your son said, or did he tell you and point right at it?

If you are sure you have the right key, are the cuts in the key all around the same height? If so, the scissors may be enough to simulate the key.
Or if the cuts are higher near the part of the key you hold, sticking the scissors in partway could also simulate the key.

Also possible (though I imagine unlikely) that the lock you recieved is zero-bitted, and doesn't match the key for some reason. Even more unlikely would be that there aren't even any pins in the keyway at all. Though if that were the case, you could rotate the lock with any tool, including any key you had. I'm guessing you can see pins in the keyway?

[cledry]

I find it highly unlikely that he is getting in the way he says. Unfortunately you need the key in case the batteries fail, otherwise you cannot get in. The keys that came with it should definitely turn, otherwise you should replace the lock. I think adding a latch protector will solve the problem for you.

[STClark]

That's it! He said scissors but I was the one assuming they were going in the lock. Of course he must be using them to push on the latch. I will buy a latch protector right away--who knew there was such a thing? Actually Amazon should have been selling them linked to the Milocks lock! Thank you, everybody!

[Squelchtone]

That's it! He said scissors but I was the one assuming they were going in the lock. Of course he must be using them to push on the latch. I will buy a latch protector right away--who knew there was such a thing? Actually Amazon should have been selling them linked to the Milocks lock! Thank you, everybody!

Does your pantry door pull open towards you or push into the pantry room? This will be the deciding factor on which style of latch protector you need.

If the door pushes into the pantry, get this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/HANDS-ON-6-i ... /202639272 (the |_| shaped part mounts to the door, the piece with 3 chrome one way screws mounts to the frame.

If the door pulls towards you, this style is what you would need: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Prime-Line-3 ... /100208952 They also make them in brass so it doesn't look so industrial and they make them in different sizes so I recommend a visit to the box store and seeing them in person, vs just getting them from Amazon sigh unseen.

Have you considered hiding the scissors? =)
Squelchtone

[STClark]

It pulls toward me. I'll check out the kind you recommend for that. Ha! I've been trying to stay ahead of him his whole life. Somewhere around age 4 or 5 I couldn't continue hiding everything I need to hide. Now things I don't want him to have go in the pantry. So it's extra important that I effectively lock the pantry!

[Joshua904]

Wouldn something like a cheap rifle locker bolted/screwed to the floor or wall somewhere work a little easier? I don't know the details (not my business). Just seems like the pantry door isn't exactly a secure thing. He's smart enough to bypass your previous attempt. If he used scissors then there's probably enough gap he was able to just catch the latch and push it back, instead of "slim Jim"img it. If this is true, then his next step will be using a clothes hanger to just reach behind the shield and actually slim jim it.
I may be picturing it all wrong, and be wrong... Kids are far more creative than we expect.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

If he used scissors then there's probably enough gap he was able to just catch the latch and push it back, instead of "slim Jim"img it.

Well, honestly, the problem is that the instructions didn't tell him that he might need to pay attention to the relationship between the deadlatch's plunger and the strike.