Vistawall Locks

[aeava]

Hi everyone,

first, I'll say I know absolutely nothing about locks. I'm trying to figure out two things:

1. how much would it cost to rekey something like the lock shown below? I don't want to be taken if I decide to go this way.
2. is this something I can do myself? I'm thinking replacing the lock shouldn't be too hard, but of course I could be wrong. can I purchase what's needed at Home Depot or Lowes?

I have the current keys and everything, but we would like to change keys for security. The thing is... our budget is next to nothing because there were a lot of unexpected expenses and if we can save a few bucks, it'd go a long way.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[vov35]

Google tells me that Vistawall is a Glass company, probably the ones that did the doors...
Odds are it's a rebranded schlage lock...

[Evan]

@aeava:

That "Vistawall" cylinder is a piece of pot metal crap inside...

Remove it from the door and take it to a locksmith who can sell you a solid brass cylinder in many choices of keyways even in 6-pin for like $30 over the counter...

The lock is not actually Vistawall, it is an Adams Rite mortise unit for Metal frame narrow style doors... You would remove the three cover plate screws on the side of the lock to expose the cylinder retention screw and then loosen that screw and the cylinder will then unscrew...

@vov35:

Vistawall does storefront wall systems and metal framed doorways in a huge variety of sizes and styles... The lock itself is a cheap knock off generic cylinder which has hollow spaces in the back of it's shell and a pot metal plug... The surface color of the cylinder is just a metal veneer cap... It is not worth saving...

~~ Evan

[Solomon]

What evan said. It's an AR mech, easy enough to change if you do it properly. Take out those 3 big screws, use a flat screwdriver to pry the cover plate off then look for the small black grubscrew which slots into the side of the cylinder. They don't always come out nicely but once it's removed, the cylinder will screw right out. Same goes for the inner cylinder.

Word of advice... if the grubscrews don't want to come out, DO NOT force the cylinders out because you'll make things 10 times worse and possibly damage the inner mech aswell. I got called out to one of these before where the guy tried to change the locks himself, screwed them right out by force because "they're screw-in cylinders and that's how you do it". After finally getting the mangled screws out and putting the new cylinders in, it only locked from the inside and the whole thing needed taken apart and fuskered with to get working properly. You don't want that. If the screws won't come loose, call a locksmith because they'll need tapped out and replaced before the cylinder goes anywhere.

Evan is right about the cylinder too, it's a junker so there is no need to hold onto it. Keep the shields though, as the ones you get with the new cylinders might not sit flush with the door.

[Evan]

What evan said. It's an AR mech, easy enough to change if you do it properly. Take out those 3 big screws, use a flat screwdriver to pry the cover plate off then look for the small black grubscrew which slots into the side of the cylinder. They don't always come out nicely but once it's removed, the cylinder will screw right out. Same goes for the inner cylinder.

Word of advice... if the grubscrews don't want to come out, DO NOT force the cylinders out because you'll make things 10 times worse and possibly damage the inner mech aswell. I got called out to one of these before where the guy tried to change the locks himself, screwed them right out by force because "they're screw-in cylinders and that's how you do it". After finally getting the mangled screws out and putting the new cylinders in, it only locked from the inside and the whole thing needed taken apart and fuskered with to get working properly. You don't want that. If the screws won't come loose, call a locksmith because they'll need tapped out and replaced before the cylinder goes anywhere.

Evan is right about the cylinder too, it's a junker so there is no need to hold onto it. Keep the shields though, as the ones you get with the new cylinders might not sit flush with the door.

+1 on Solomon's technical advice...

Don't try to forcibly unscrew the cylinder if you can not get the the retention screw loose, that would turn what would otherwise be a simple cylinder swap costing $30 into a full out service call costing a quite a bit more...

~~ Evan

[maintenanceguy]

Easy, easy, easy to do in 4 steps:

1) remove the 3 screws on the cover plate in picture #2 and remove the plate.

2) find the two set screws that are under this plate and loosen them about 1/4". It's these set screws that prevent the lock cylinder from coming out.

3) unscrew the lock cylinder (the thing that says "vistawall" on it) in picture #1. A key inserted part way into the lock will make a good tool to turn the cylinder and it should turn pretty easily.

4) Take the cylinder to a locksmith or hardware store that re-keys locks and it should cost about $12-15 to have it re-keyed. Or you could purchase a new one for about the same amount.

Installation is the opposite of removal.

[mhole]

You missed out step 1.1

-Drop faceplate screw, and spend 15 minutes working out where it went. AR screws have a strange flattened head and coarse thread, so can't be easily replaced with a spare from the bits-box. They also have the power to spontaneously teleport mid-drop, and appear truly mindboggling distances from where they were dropped, or to turn invisible for upto 30 minutes at a time, reappearing in places you've searched thoroughly already.

[Solomon]

You missed out step 1.1

-Drop faceplate screw, and spend 15 minutes working out where it went. AR screws have a strange flattened head and coarse thread, so can't be easily replaced with a spare from the bits-box. They also have the power to spontaneously teleport mid-drop, and appear truly mindboggling distances from where they were dropped, or to turn invisible for upto 30 minutes at a time, reappearing in places you've searched thoroughly already.

So true... and if this doesn't happen, you'll spend just as long putting the screws back in the face plate anyway, cos lining them up with the holes can prove very annoying. Or maybe that's just me.

[Evan]

You missed out step 1.1

-Drop faceplate screw, and spend 15 minutes working out where it went. AR screws have a strange flattened head and coarse thread, so can't be easily replaced with a spare from the bits-box. They also have the power to spontaneously teleport mid-drop, and appear truly mindboggling distances from where they were dropped, or to turn invisible for upto 30 minutes at a time, reappearing in places you've searched thoroughly already.

So true... and if this doesn't happen, you'll spend just as long putting the screws back in the face plate anyway, cos lining them up with the holes can prove very annoying. Or maybe that's just me.

AR cover plate screws are generally 8-32 x 1/4" long with a standard countersunk type flat head for the mortise deadbolt type locks...

I have found it easiest to line up the top hole first by pushing the screw all the way through the cover plate hole and catching it in its threaded hole... Press the cover plate into place and the other two holes should be lined up...

mhole definitely has a point about how jumpy and hide-y those screws like to be, but its not a big deal if you have an assortment of various sized and threaded machine screws available, just use a new one and move on...

~~ Evan

[mhole]

AR cover plate screws are generally 8-32 x 1/4" long with a standard countersunk type flat head for the mortise deadbolt type locks...

And there lies the problem - all the commonly used screws in the UK are metric, and the shape of the CS head is very different from the AR screws. The AR are shaped like a trumpet bell, whereas most in the UK are shaped like a funnel, and sit horribly proud in the AR countersink.

[Evan]

AR cover plate screws are generally 8-32 x 1/4" long with a standard countersunk type flat head for the mortise deadbolt type locks...

And there lies the problem - all the commonly used screws in the UK are metric, and the shape of the CS head is very different from the AR screws. The AR are shaped like a trumpet bell, whereas most in the UK are shaped like a funnel, and sit horribly proud in the AR countersink.

That does sound like it would be a problem...

Where do you purchase AR type locks for use in the UK?

Might be a beneficial idea to order up a couple of boxes of what are fairly standard US fasteners to keep on hand if you are in the all metric UK and have to service American made AR locksets...

~~ Evan

[mhole]

All the large trade lock suppliers in the UK carry AR (or clones, which use the same screws) as it's still the standard for use on aluminium door. I don't know if they have spares, but I just try not to lose the screws! There are a few locks around which are prone to disappearing screws, and I always stash away spares when I replace a lock, but AR just don't seem to get replaced that often.

[Rickthepick]

haha the missing screw scenario.

The old yale MPL's with the grub screw are my fave, i always end up making my own