to think a door lock shouldn't lock you in the house with no way of unlocking it?

[DuelingFanjo]

DH's brother just went to collect the keys for our new front door which was fitted today. He let himself into the house, shut the door and then when he tried to get out again the door wouldn't open.

He called the door place who came round and asked him to post the keys out of the letterbox so they could let him out!

Apparentlly, because BIL turned the key to the right before he unlocked the door (old one you turned to the right, new one you turn to the left) it did something with a second lock which locked him in with no way of getting out.

Isn't this a bit stupid? Anyone know if there's a way round this? I have visions of putting ds in the carseat, popping back into the hall to get my coat or something and getting locked in the house!

No one is going to answer my question about the fire. Its cos I is a namechanger and you don't know me, isn't it? Waaaaaah .

effedorf - we have a window which is a fire exit, it's upstairs though!

It's not a fire hazzard because it doesn't happen all the time. It happened once when we first moved in. Normally, we can get out of our house through the front door.

Like I said, if this is the kind of thing that you think you'll do regularly, then you should get a different lock.

Amazing! I should have thought you (one) would want as many available exits as possible, not knowing where a fire is going to start and all.

effedorf "What are you supposed to do if there is a fire? "

With this type of lock, it is assumed that the householder will only lock it from outside when the house is unoccupied, so you are not "supposed" to be inside when it is deadlocked, on fire or not.

As I said earlier, IMO it is preferable to have a lock that can be opened from inside, provided you have a key (and with such ordinary locks it would be very difficult to deadlock them "accidentally")

I would be worried about a fire hazard too. My upstairs neighbours (from years ago) lost a DC in a fire - it does happen and I would not want to be locked in. In panic surely you could accidently turn the lock the wrong way trying to unlock it then lock yourself in to be fried :(

then, like me, you would get a different lock.

With ours, it would be SO difficult to not realise you were turning it the wrong way. To unlock it without deadbolting it, you turn it a half turn to the right. If you want to deadbolt it you have to turn it something like 1 and 3/4 to the left.

It takes freaking forever and you actually have to take your hand off the key to completely unlock it this way (either that, or do some kind of Matrix style gymnastics).

It all sounds too risky for me - there are loads of situations where it could be turned the wrong way by accident - I would get a new lock!