squelchtone wrote:Hi welcome to the forum,
The slot on the right is for a little piece that normally sticks out a metal spring loaded tab, it is there so that if someone on the outside of the door were to rip the rim cylinder from the door, the spring loaded metal shutter would slide in place blocking the attacker from being able to insert a screwdriver to retract the deadbolt mechanism. Yours may be removed, or cut down so it doesn't stick out.
The one way security screws are a good idea because IF there is a glass window on that door, one could break the glass and unscrew the lock from the door, thus bypassing any need to pick the lock.
ILCO is the Independent Lock Company, they've been around for a long time and make quality products. Segal originally made that style jimmy-proof lock, and recently the new owners of Segal have started making them again, even fancy solid brass models that sell for $60 at places like Home Depot.
You can get cheaper made ones that look the same from companies like Franklin, but I personally wouldn't trust them on my door. edit: Although apparently from what I'm seeing in the link below, Franklin (Prime Line) now has a solid brass model, which looks a lot better than their older stuff.
Rekeying may be more expensive than buying a new one, unless you have your own rekeying supplies or a have a friendly locksmith.
Most people don't have any idea what that little tab of metal sticking out on the butt end of the jimmy proof lock is for -- you are entirely correct in describing it as an indicator to alert the owner/user of the lock to possible tampering... However, if you could remove the rim cylinder from the outside of the door then the little "shutter" isn't all that much more difficult to deal with...
I don't like seeing these sort of locks installed with one-way screws... It complicates the replacement of the exterior rim cylinder by the homeowner so the lock will often go longer between being re-keyed than if it had standard screws and was therefore more accessible...
If the window in the door is in the homeowner's opinion that vulnerable to being a path to entry then they should obtain a security film to apply to the interior surface of the glass to frustrate the exploitation of that entry method... Applying a sheet of clear polycarbonate over the entire "lite" area on the interior surface of the door is another good way to secure doors with a large glass lite that could be used to unlock single cylinder deadbolts...
I think that the OP will be quite surprised when he goes to re-key the inner cylinder on that jimmy proof, as most of them are only 3 pins on the interior side, being the pin chambers on the key closest to the bow... There are additional options to re-keying the existing rim cylinder -- Home Depot stocks "Segal" replacement rim cylinders at a reasonable price and if the OP desired to go to a locksmith he could obtain an Ilco rim cylinder which has been upgraded with the Ilco Bump Halt protection...
I should just mention my standard dislike of installing double cylinder locks on egress doors in residential occupancies... The small additional amount of personal safety you feel at having one installed on your door comes with a wicked large actual risk of death or serious injury in real life situations that are actually likely to happen in your home (and aren't fantastical unlikely worst case scenarios)...
Some of these risks are:
-- Entrapment in a fire because of being overcome by smoke and not being able to get the small key into the tiny keyhole in the dark while you are huddling as close to the floor as you can while coughing badly... (*The standard canned response to this fact that advocates of installing double cylinder locks on residential doors is to leave the key in or near the lock which defeats the entire purpose of installing such a lock to begin with)
-- Coming home and walking in on a burglary in progress where you lock the door behind you when you come in... (You could be locking yourself inside with a burglar who could act very unpredictably if they end up positioned between you and the locked door that they would need your key to unlock and use to escape)
~~ Evan
