Rekeying Schlage

The best advice, don’t do it!

Normally if you have just one Schlage lock you can easily re-key all other non-communicating locks using z-wave Schlage manual key as a “master” key.

Things get complicated if you have two z-wave locks, you have to disassemble second lock in order to remove lock cylinder and replace pins.

I brought both locks to Lowes and the key guy reluctantly agreed to try. He also sad that Schlage advised against rekeying their communicating locks.

Anyway, he was able to re-key all my locks, but when he opened z-wave lock he found a “spare part” and he had no any idea how it was used in the lock mechanism. I brought lock home, paired it with Vera and tried to open/close via Vera. Well, didn’t work. I tried buttons on the lock, both with numbers and open/close. Didn’t work either. Manual keys worked just fine across all my locks.

I could simply bring it back, exchange to another one and try to rekey again, this time in the Home Depot, but I decided to try to fix it myself. It took me almost three hours and two pounds (I skipped my “supper”).

Findings:

  1. The “spare” part, small unthreaded bolt with the spring happened to be the actual locking bolt. I lost the original spring and used spring from the ball pen. Ball pen spring is much stronger then original so I had to try several times cutting pieces with different length.

  2. The entire locking mechanism seems to be very feeble. The main driving part is a small electric motor with a long spring attached to the rotor. This long spring acts as worm transmission moving plastic part that engages with the locking bolt.

  3. Assembling lock back is not trivial, you have to place plastic part with a small pin at a certain position, inserting pin into the rotating “warm” spring. Same thing, countless errors and trials.

Finally it worked, but I would be better off doing it again.

Very good info - thank you virginian. I have re-keyed several (non communicating) Schlage locks in my home, which has always been quite easy. I realize now that I had just assumed that I could re-key the z-wave Schlage just as easily.

I had my schlage zwave levers rekeyed at Lowes. Took 5 minutes and he did it for free. They work great. It’s funny the guy knew enough to say that schlage recommends against it (don’t know if that’s true), but didn’t know what the “spare” part was for.

Well, good for you!

Actually it’s not a rocket science, you just have to fix plastic handle keeping it engaged with the worm transmission spring while removing cylinder block (or mark it last position).

Another tip, powering lock and setting it into “open” makes it easier to attach rear panel.

Here’s a tip, don’t go to a hardware store for locksmithing help, go to a locksmith. I would never think of having a key cut at the hardware store and can’t imagine using a home depot or lowes employee to rekey a lock. Your local neighborhood locksmith will be much more knowledgeable and probably cheaper and it will be right the first time.