FROZEN LOCKS

Living in New England means strain on most of our outdoor assets and our doors and locks are no exception. Every year the cold season brings an uptick in emergency work and much of it has to do with frozen locks.

Locks are simple mechanical devices and as such need to be treated correctly and maintained in order to be useful. Often we respond to home or auto locks that are frozen and can’t be operated by key, thumb turn or switch.

Always have a storm door if its an option. It prolongs the life of the hardware, the door and the frame. It also helps keep heat in the home and prevent debris from hitting the door as well as  keeping snow and water out of your doors hardware and free from the keyhole on the hardware.

Always make sure your keys are dry. If you drop them in a puddle wipe off the key before you unlock a door or put it in your ignition. It doesn’t take too much water to make a lock stick. The parts it freezes are tiny.

If you suspect a lock is frozen they make lock deicer specifically for this issue. It helps melt ice and displace water out of the lock and is a good first option. Some lubricants designed for locks are also a solid choice for freeing up the cylinder.

DON’T FORCE A KEY OR THUMBTURN

A lock cylinder should turn smoothly with the key. Very little force should need to be applied. If the cylinder is stuck forcing the key will bend or snap it off in the cylinder. The key is the weakest part and that’s what will give up first. With a vehicle this tends to be worse because dust shutters close over the broken key making it more difficult to remove. If you attempt to force a deadbolt that seems stuck or frozen the weakest link will be the first to give up. In a deadbolt that is typically the spindle that connect the thumb turn to the deadbolt and causes the bolt to retract. If that snaps the thumb turn will no longer operate the lock as it will be damaged. Locks are fine mechanical devices. Force isn’t part of how they operate, Never force a lock.

DON’T STICK FOREIGN OBJECTS IN A LOCK

Screwdrivers, barrettes, wire, incorrect keys, knives, bread ties, soda straws and anything else that isn’t the key that goes to the lock have no business being in it. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of MacGyver lock repairs and picking that end up damaging or destroying the lock. Ignition locks are especially sensitive. Jamming random objects can often make a problem a lot worse, so as a rule of thumb avoid it.

DON’T POUR HOT WATER IN THE LOCK

Pouring hot water into a cylinder may free it up momentarily, but its almost gauranteeed to cause huge issues with it. If its cold outside that water will freeze a cylinder solid and often make it damn near impossible to fix on the short term. Water has no place in a lock.

If using lock deicer isn’t an option (as its not always available and doesn’t always solve an issue) locksmiths like JD Locksmith Solutions can get your door open and give your options for repair. We can be reached at (508)535-5625 at all hours for emergency service.