Lock Security for Smallholdings and Plots

Why a plot needs its own plan

Centurion was once a town of smallholdings and large open spaces, and agricultural holdings are still part of the map: Knoppieslaagte and Gerardsville near Copperleaf, the Raslouw holdings, and the Doornkloof smallholdings near Irene all appear as their own areas in the 2011 census. Life on a plot is different from life in a complex, and so is the lock work.

A typical property may have the main house, a cottage or flatlet, a store room, a workshop or garage, perhaps stables or a tack room, a pump house, and two or more gates, one of them motorised. Some are used every day and some once a month. Workers may live on the property or come in daily. None of that is a reason for alarm; it simply means more locks and keys to keep track of.

Make a lock map

Walk the property with a notebook and list every lockable point. It takes an hour and tells you more than any product brochure.

The last two columns are the useful ones. Anything marked "unknown" or "worn" goes to the top of the list.

Outbuildings and padlocks

Outbuildings are where padlocks do most of the work, and padlocks outdoors face summer storms, dust and sun. A few points make a real difference:

• Grade the padlock and the fitting together. The European standard EN 12320 classifies padlocks and padlock fittings, with six security grades from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest). Its tests cover the staple as well as the shackle and body, which is a reminder that a strong padlock on a thin hasp is only as good as the hasp.
• Corrosion is rated separately. Under the same scheme, grade 1 corrosion resistance is for indoor use and grade 3 for outdoor use. Check the rating for padlocks on gates, containers and pump houses.
• Shrouded shackles. Many modern padlocks have a shroud around the shackle that leaves less of it exposed.
• Fixings. Hasps and staples should be bolted through, not screwed into soft wood or old brickwork.

Store room and workshop doors often deserve a proper door lock rather than a padlock alone. Roller shutters on workshops and garages are also lock and mechanism work we do, including springs and motors. Don't adjust a shutter's spring tension yourself: the springs store a lot of energy.

Gates, farm-style gates and gate motors

Plots usually have a motorised main gate and one or more farm-style gates closed with a chain and padlock or a drop bolt.

Gate motors. Sliding gate operators have a manual override so the gate can be moved by hand during a fault or power failure. On many models it's opened with a key behind a lockable cover. One maker's user guide for its domestic sliding gate motor describes this key-operated release and recommends keeping the access door locked if the gate has to stay in manual mode for a while. In practice:

• know where the release key is, and keep it with your other important keys;
• keep the release cover locked when the motor is running normally;
• read the user guide for your model before you need it in a power outage;
• keep children away from the gate, as the guide warns.

Farm-style gates. Check that the hinges are sound and the gate is held securely on them, that the chain and padlock are rated for outdoor use, and that the latch or drop bolt still lines up after the gate has sagged. Our guide to gate motor and gate lock faults goes through the safe checks for both.

The house: burglar bars and security gates

The main house on a plot is often further from neighbours than a suburban home, so the basics count: sound outside doors with good locks, locked security gates, and burglar bars that still let you out. At least one barrier in each sleeping area should open, with its key kept close by but not in the lock. Our article on window locks and handles that won't close covers window hardware and escape routes in more detail.

Key control when workers are on the plot

Good key control protects everyone, including the people who work for you, because it's always clear who had access to what.

• Give each person only the keys they need, and record them by name.
• Keep spare keys in a locked key cabinet, not on a nail in the kitchen or under a flowerpot.
• Label keys with a code, not "store room" or "gate".
• Use a simple sign-out book for keys that come and go, such as the workshop or the farm gate.
• When someone leaves, collect every key on your list. If one can't be found, change that lock.
• Where a keypad lock suits a door, give each person their own code and delete it when they leave.

We don't cut or copy keys, so extra keys come with new locks from the maker. Where several outbuildings use similar padlocks, ask about locks that share a key if the maker offers them; it's convenient, but think about who will hold that key.

When to call us, and what helps

We're a mobile locksmith in Centurion working 24/7, and plots are as much a part of our area as suburbs. Through our residential locksmith service we repair and replace door and gate locks, padlocks and hasps, roller shutter locks and mechanisms, and gate motors. When a key hasn't come back, lock replacement puts you back in control.

The call-out fee is R250. The technician looks at the job and quotes on site before any work starts, and you can pay by EFT, cash or card. If you're locked out of the house, we try non-destructive entry first and ask for proof of residence.

• Directions to the gate you want us to use, and a contact who can open it.
• Your lock map, or at least the number of locks and padlocks involved.
• Photos of padlocks, hasps, gate locks or the gate motor.
• The gate motor's make and model, if that's part of the job.
• Whether a key is missing, and which locks it fitted.

Need a locksmith to look at it?

If this hasn't solved the problem, our residential locksmith service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Centurion, so we come to your door. Areas where this comes up often include Copperleaf Golf Estate, Raslouw, Irene.

Sources and further reading

• Wikipedia: Centurion, Gauteng — Centurion historically had smallholdings and large open spaces
• Census 2011: Knoppieslaagte AH — agricultural holdings sub-place in Centurion (covered on the Copperleaf Golf Estate page)
• Census 2011: Gerardsville AH — agricultural holdings sub-place in Centurion (covered on the Copperleaf Golf Estate page)
• Census 2011: Raslou AH — Raslouw agricultural holdings sub-place
• Census 2011: Doornkloof SH — Doornkloof smallholdings sub-place (covered on the Irene page)
• UNION (UK): EN 12320 — classifies padlocks and fittings; six security grades; tests include the staple; corrosion grade 1 internal, grade 3 external
• Wikipedia: Padlock — many modern padlocks have a shroud covering the shackle
• CentSys: D5-Evo, D10 and D10 Turbo user guide (PDF) — key-operated manual override; lock the access door if left in manual mode; battery backup; supervise children
• B&D: Rollmasta roller garage door manual operation — torsion springs store a lot of energy; spring tension should not be adjusted without training