Help me unlock my armored door

March 13, 2007 7:09 AM

Help me get back into my apartment!

Today just is not my day. I'm quite sick, I got woken up early by renovations in the apartment upstairs, and now I've managed to get locked out of my place. Here's hoping somebody can help me sort out how to get back in without spending a huge amount of cash. Please bear with me, this is a bit tricky to explain.

My apartment has what's known here in France as a "porte blindée" - literally, "armored door." It's made of metal; on the inside by the bolt there's a monster of a lock, which is attached to two long rods that push into slots in the top and bottom of the doorframe when you lock it, for extra security. On the outside of the door the only protrusion is a little circular panel with a hole for the key; there's no handle of any kind. Also, the edges of the door are blocked off to prevent wedging things in there to get leverage.

When I locked the door as I was leaving this morning, it took extra force to do that. I realized this was worrisome and I tried to reopen it, which proved to be impossible. I'm pretty sure that what happened is this: the door's taken on a slight bend/angle toward the inside, and as a result the two rods are pressed heavily against the sides of the slots, creating a resistance that prevents the key from sliding them back out. Of course normally the solution would be to pull on the door while unlocking it, but because there is just nothing to hold on to, and no way to get leverage at the sides, this isn't going to happen.

If I call a locksmith to fix this, it will certainly cost hundreds of euros, especially if he decides the lock needs replacing. This would no doubt be paid back, but I don't really have the cash and would like to avoid the hassle.

A friend cleverly suggested getting something with suction to pull on the door while turning the key; the question then is, what kind of tool is available to create strong enough suction to pull on this (more or less smooth metal) door while turning the key in the lock? Or is there some other solution I'm not seeing?

posted by paul! to grab bag (16 comments total)

The key does work, I should make this clear. I'm not looking for help to break into somebody else's apartment; just to get back into my own. :(
posted by paul! at 7:09 AM on March 13, 2007

forgive me for my American ignorance, but do you own this apartment and are you responsible for it...or is your landlord?

but anyway, what about those suction cups used for planes of glass?
posted by evilelvis at 7:19 AM on March 13, 2007

High suction tools (OK OK, settle down) are used to remove dents from car bodies as well as carry glass.

The edge of the door is blocked off, but what about the bottom?

But this is all moot, because even if you get it open how are you going to unwarp the metal door? Here's what you really do: Crash at the friend's place, call the landlord and let him deal with it. You are out zero cash.
posted by DU at 7:19 AM on March 13, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Well, if you work somewhere with a datacenter with raised flooring, they might have a cool suction cup tool to remove those floor panels. Think a suspended ceiling in reverse.

That might work, but I think you're better off getting a professional...
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 7:20 AM on March 13, 2007

Would a sink plunger generate enough suction? That would only cost you a couple of € at a hardware store.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:22 AM on March 13, 2007

Perhaps a really strong magnet? Or maybe something super-glued to the door?

Although, from your description, it almost seems like you should be pushing on the door, but I may be misinterpreting.
posted by hankbear at 7:31 AM on March 13, 2007

Try the plunger!
posted by hermitosis at 7:39 AM on March 13, 2007

The more I think about it, the less I think you should mess around with it. Here's what's going to happen:

*applying suction or some other force* I aaaaaallllllmost have it! I just need to pull a little.....damn, the key broke off in the lock. Now not only do I have to call the locksmith, but I'm also financially responsible!
posted by DU at 7:42 AM on March 13, 2007

Reposition a coat hanger to be in an L shape. Slide it between the doors and then turn and pull it.

Could there be another way inside the building? Also, I suppose you could wait for someone to leave.
posted by xammerboy at 8:17 AM on March 13, 2007

I've borrowed one of those massive suction cups that are used for carrying glass from the handymen in the building where I work. I'm going to be very careful with the key; if this doesn't work I'll sort things out with the landlord to get a locksmith in. Thanks for the thoughtful responses.
posted by paul! at 8:25 AM on March 13, 2007

Step 1: Remember where to find an unlocked window into your apartment

Step 2: Find a way to the window*

Step 3: Open the window

Step 4: Enter through the window, close it behind you.

Step 5: Resolve the door issue.

*yeah, that'd be the tricky part if you're not on the ground floor.
posted by Wild_Eep at 8:28 AM on March 13, 2007

We covered magnets and suction so I'll mention this just for completeness. Chilling the metal would cause it to contract while heating it would cause it to expand. Conceivably you could heat the door frame and chill the door over both of the bolt locations. If it worked, and it is very remote, the bolt size would contract and bolt hole would expand, which may or may not work out for you. The other factor is the material these are made out of. Different metals expand and contract differently at different temperatures. This is actually what finally led to accurate wrist watches. Originally they were off in temp. extremes and needed to be adjusted as even the day went by, but by integrating two seperate metals the watch makers were able to negate the affect.

Just don't burn the house down. :-)
posted by jwells at 9:27 AM on March 13, 2007

Get something you can slide under the door and then turn vertically and pull (hopefully with some sort of claw on to catch onto the inside). You'll probably need a second person to do this though.
posted by wackybrit at 9:33 AM on March 13, 2007

Why, from one day to the next, would your door distort?

Maybe because the renovations upstairs have caused a redistribution of stresses in the building which have distorted your doorframe. If this is the case, it needs immediate attention from the landlord. I wouldn't go so far as to say a structural problem is necessarily developing, but that possibility must be ruled out immediately by a qualified professional for the safety and peace of mind of all concerned.

Good luck!
posted by jamjam at 10:49 AM on March 13, 2007

"Maybe because the renovations upstairs have caused a redistribution of stresses in the building which have distorted your doorframe. If this is the case, it needs immediate attention from the landlord. I wouldn't go so far as to say a structural problem is necessarily developing, but that possibility must be ruled out immediately by a qualified professional for the safety and peace of mind of all concerned."


Could just be his door's gone wonky.
posted by stenseng at 9:47 PM on March 13, 2007

So what happened?
posted by poxuppit at 7:53 AM on March 19, 2007