Do You Need Your Locks Repaired?
Posted on: 11 October 2019
All homeowners know there are some maintenance tasks they have to stay on top of. Bricks have to be repointed, gutters have to be cleaned and the front of the house sometimes needs a fresh lick of paint -- but are you including the upkeep of your locks in your home maintenance schedule? There are a few common lock malfunctions that people simply live with, rather than fixing - -but by ignoring them, you could be leaving your home at risk.
It's becoming difficult to turn the key in the lock.
As locks age, they begin to lose the lubrication that's inside them when they're first installed. Over time, a lock will get stiffer and stiffer, and once you can feel this while trying to open the door, it means the lock should be re-lubricated by a professional locksmith. If you let this go on for too long, your key will eventually snap inside the lock - -which could end up being far more inconvenient and expensive than a quick re-lubrication treatment.
The lock itself seems 'loose' as you're using it.
When a lock is installed, the whole contraption is held in place by special screws called setscrews. With daily use, these screws can loosen, until the whole lock feels looser and the barrel turns with the key instead of opening. This can make it harder for you to get inside the house, but easier for potential intruders -- who may eventually be able to wiggle the whole lockout of place -- to gain entry. If your lock is loose in the door, the setscrews need to be tightened again; this is a very quick and inexpensive job for a locksmith to do, but it needs a specialised screwdriver and a careful hand. It's not advisable to do this yourself, as you could inadvertently damage the lock further.
When you're locking the door, the latch seems to be misaligned.
Most exterior doors are made of wood, and over time the door will warp a little -- especially if you live somewhere that gets a lot of rain. This can cause the latch to come a little out of alignment with the plate, and make it increasingly difficult to get the door to lock properly. This is an inconvenience for you, as to live with it, you'll have to spend a while attempting to lock the door. If you're in a hurry, you run a real risk of unknowingly leaving the door unlocked behind you. A quick check from a locksmith will be enough for them to figure out where the door has altered and move the plate to compensate for it.
If any of these common problems sound familiar to you, don't worry. Your local locksmith will be able to fix most of them within 10-15 minutes, and at surprisingly low cost -- usually without even needing to replace or re-key the lock itself. Get in touch today to make an appointment, and your home will be secure again in no time.
For more information on lock repair, contact a company in your area like Nash Locksmiths.
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