How do door locks work in South America?
Coming from the United States down to South America, in Peru, Argentina, and Chile, I have run into a number of home door locks that I don't understand how they're intended to work.
If the door is unlocked, you can exit, but the door locks behind you, needing a key to reenter. I suppose this makes sense and you'd just want to make sure you always leave with the key.
You can insert the key into the keyhole and rotate one direction, quarter turn to open the door, or the other direction one rotation and it engages the deadbolt. Problem is, if someone is still inside, you've locked them in, as there's a keyhole but no turn piece on the inside. That means anyone still inside needs a key to leave.
From the outside, if you rotate the key an additional rotation for a total of 2, I believe it pushes the deadbolt further out, and I only have one key to test this, but I'm only able to get to this state from the outside, from the inside, it only allows the single rotation. I believe this to mean that I could potentially be locked inside with the key but I wouldn't be able to exit? Is this correct?
I'm able to understand the first way the lock works, but the second two baffle me. If there's a fire and the lock is in state 2, I'll either need to break the door down or use the key to leave? If the lock is in state 3, even if I have the key, I wouldn't be able to exit unless I slide it under the door to someone and have them open it for me? My overall question is what are the use cases for potentially dangerous lock states?
Best Answer
That's also how most locks work in Spain, at least for points 1 and 2.
The first mode ensures that the default state is a locked door; you can't foget to lock it after you, as soon as you pull it closed it will engage (incidentally, many locks are trivial to open in this state without a key so not very safe anyway).
The second case is easily solvable as most people I know leave a key inserted at all times. The last one to leave the place takes the key from the door and closes behind them.
The third state is a bit strange, I've never seen a lock that doesn't fully engage from both sides; but I bet you can unlock it from the inside even in that state.
Pictures about "How do door locks work in South America?"
How does a door lock system work?
Electronic locks are locked or unlocked with the assistance of an electrical current. The electrical current is either used to power an electromagnet, a solenoid (electromagnet with a single coil), or a motor. These devices will actuate the lock in a manner that is either fail-safe or fail-secure.How does a deadlock door lock work?
Deadlocks have a single deadbolt that secures into the door and offers extra strength. They operate by throwing the bolt into a receiver fitted to the opposing body section when operated by an external key.Which direction is locked on a door?
Which Way Do You Turn the Lock?How do double lock doors work?
Double-cylinder locksets are keyed on both sides; they function with a key from both the exterior and the interior of the door. This means that a home or business owner would need to use a key to engage or retract the lock bolt even from the inside.How does a Door Handle work?
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