On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:15:39 +0100, The Medway Handyman wrote:

terry wrote:
This sparked by a comment on thread "American toilets".

I have always used bathroom and bedroom dooor handles that can lock
from inside by a quick twist of the handle and with one exception in
this house have standardized on WEISER. These are not the keyed type
of lock. Haven't bought any for years. But they used to cost, new,
around $15 to $20 Canadian. Also since many parts interchangeable
sometime at flea-markets/boot sales etc. pick up spares etc.

The point being that even when 'locked' from inside for privacy etc.
one can in an emergency push something through a hole on the middle of
the outer door handle and get in to help a child or someone having a
heart attack or fall, in the bath tub.

Suitable items are a smallish meat skewer, a three inch nail, a piece
of the end of a quickly straightened out metal wire coat hangar.

In fact we keep a section of stiff cut off metal coat hangar above the
door of the bathroom for just such an event. It's the same tactic as
having a fire extinguisher handy. Easy to reach.

These are called 'privacy sets' in the UK. Ours can be opened from outside
by a coin.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/51657/...Set-Satin-67mm

Or locked from outside, while you go off to read quietly in the bedroom
while your sister keeps coming back and trying the door to see if you're
out yet - as I did as a teenager

SteveW