Despite the spread of e-mail and the dislike of our people to write letters, mailboxes still remain in demand. Someone writes magazines with newspapers, someone receives bills, someone receives news from elderly relatives living in places far from civilization. And all these citizens one day by no means discover that they need to repair mailboxes. If the user is faced with a problem for the first time, then usually he is confused, not understanding where to run and how to save the situation.
Repair mailbox in the entrance: where to go
According to Russian law, the so-called responsible organizations are responsible for the state of the mailboxes. These include homeowners associations, management companies, or tenants themselves - it all depends on the type of home management. Replacement or repair of mailboxes should be at the expense of funds allocated for repair work. If the affairs of the building are managed by a housing cooperative, then the funds are allocated from cooperative funds. In principle, all of the repairs are “taken off” by all tenants, since such work is included in the rent.
All by ourselves, all by ourselves
In real life, it is quite difficult to achieve such a service, although it’s still worth taking the application to the office: suddenly, conscientious employees work in your housing office. In most cases, you have to repair mailboxes yourself. Or look for the master, whose services will have to pay out of pocket.
If the box is without a lock: buy a replacement
Most often, a mailbox lock repair is required: locking devices are put flimsy on them initially, and vandals often break them out simply “with nothing to do”. Actually, stronger locks are not required here: their task is mainly to prevent the doors from slamming; access “safes” most often do not contain anything valuable.
It is useless to hang padlocks: they will tear off or bite the arms. If you search, you can find the postal one, it costs no more than a hundred rubles. If this does not happen, look at a store selling electrical goods: there are locks installed on distribution boards. They will cost you even less. You can also visit a furniture store that sells accessories for cabinets; the locks from them are also suitable for a drawer. Just measure the diameter of the thread on the new acquisition; however, if it does not coincide with a hole on the fan, the repair of mailboxes that have lost the lock will simply increase by one step - a bore hole or washers under it.
Repair work
In addition to the new lock, you will only need a screwdriver and an open-end wrench. The installation step by step will look as follows.
- The locking bracket is removed from the new lock - it will interfere with work. It is better to screw the screw from it immediately back, already without a “tongue”, so that it does not get lost.
- The nut and washer are removed from the housing.
- The bracket is dismantled from the broken lock; The open-end wrench unscrews the nut with which it is attached to the door.
- A new “larva” is inserted into the exposed hole and fixed with a nut.
- The “tongue” returns to the place, its pressure density is regulated (by extension, if walking tight, or by light blows of the hammer, if the bracket is too loose).
Finally, the tip of the experienced: after making sure that the lock is functioning properly, paint its outer part the color of the box. Or simply artificially scratch and splatter foreign paint. Otherwise, another repair of the mailbox lock will soon be needed: a small hooligan will notice the new equipment and break it out.
About the case
Typically, the boxes are combined in sections, and the sidewalls, bottom, top rarely suffer. But repairing mailbox doors is needed almost as often as replacing locks.
the easiest repair option is when the doors are simply bent. Usually vandals grab it from above and below, sometimes bending almost in half.
If the lock is not pulled out, it must be unlocked gently, drip a little engine oil into the loop (or loops) and carefully remove the door. Then it is laid on a hard, flat surface, face down and processed with a hammer - either with a rubber nozzle or through a thick cloth. For example, through felt. Installation is carried out in the reverse order.
If the paint layer is damaged, it is better to repair it, otherwise the drawer door will rust.
Door reinforcement
With frequent barbarian raids on the landing, one does not have to repair a mailbox at the doorway with one's own hands, it will be necessary to strengthen it. Skilled craftsmen offer different gain options.
The first idea. Cut a piece of the appropriate size from a metal sheet, make two holes in it - one under the lock, the other under the loop. If the box is old and has a pair of loops, the number of holes increases accordingly. Plus - at least four holes for fastener fasteners to the door. The sheet is inserted from the inside and bolted, the caps of which, in order to avoid unnecessarily close attention of outsiders, are tinted under the general background.
The second idea. Stock up on scraps of corners made of durable metal to the size of the door, weld or screw from the inside around its perimeter. For a snug fit, you can insert a sheet of plywood between the amplifier and the canvas. At the same time, we get rid of suspicious rattling: if someone knocks a fist on the door, they will not hear “wrong” sounds.
On a note
It is believed that strengthening the door can only exacerbate the situation. Angry with her resistance, rowdy can break it “with meat,” that is, with loops and a lock. And then destroy the entire rack. So you need to think carefully about whether to go to such labors. In the presence of a concierge or intercom, they are still justified: nevertheless, random persons get into such an entrance where in smaller quantities. Rationality is reduced in houses with combination locks: they are often broken, or the code is solved by the frayed buttons. And in the porches, not even protected in this way, to argue with vandals by reinforcing the doors means, finally, losing the mailbox.
If you have no time to engage in “needlework”, you should take note that the services of repairing mailboxes at the entrance are provided by postal workers. Moreover, not only small ones, but the list of their capabilities is not limited to replacing locks: wizards can also put a new cell. True, not at all free. But you can not worry that the locksmith instead of your box is engaged in tasting alcohol, or that the new castle will not be closed. Yes, and the prices of average postal workers do not bully.
On the other hand, when hacking a box, you can completely abandon it, leaving the wreckage in a crushed state. If you write out an expensive magazine for your adored wife or dearly beloved mother-in-law, it’s quite possible to arrange with the postman to bring the press to your apartment. Such courtesy will cost dozens of times cheaper than monthly repairs of the mail receiver. Even done by yourself.