How Changes in the Weather Affect Your Locks

In general, we usually don’t think much about how important locks and keys are in our daily lives, until that moment comes...when a key doesn’t work in your lock. Day in and day out, we unlock and lock our doors at home; our car doors; our office doors; our lockers at school, work, or the gym; and so forth. Another point we hardly ever give a second thought to is that weather changes can have an effect on the locks we use. As temperatures fluctuate, the functioning of your locks can be disturbed in a variety of ways.

Colder Temperatures

As winter approaches, you may notice that when you start to put your key in a door lock, you may encounter slight difficulty getting it to move into the right place for unlocking. What’s happening is that as the temperature falls, it can cause the door frame to contract, only a little bit, but it results in a bad fit between the lock and the door ~ just enough that you’ll struggle somewhat with the lock to get it to engage. The answer? Slow down. Haste makes waste. You can often solve this problem easily by wiggling the handle first, to re-center the lock with the door frame.

The adjustments you’ll have to make are only temporary. Simply wait for the weather to change! As time goes by, however, you’ll observe that each year it will grow a little worse. Before your locks stop working altogether, you ought to consult with a reputable locksmith.

What if it Goes Down to Freezing?

Vehicle locks are particularly susceptible to colder weather. Your automobile locks will probably be affected if the temperature reaches the freezing point. A car lock can even freeze solid. This happens when water gets in between the seal and the car frame, or simply seeps inside the lock mechanism itself. To get into your car, you’ll need to melt the ice. Here’s how:

If it’s the actual car lock that’s frozen, the best way to get out of this tough spot is to apply a solvent. De-icer products are available at any hardware store or auto shop. Spraying the lubricant will quickly dissolve the ice, and you’ll be on your way. Rubbing alcohol, or windshield wiper fluid (which consists mostly of alcohol), could also be effective. Caution: Don’t use WD-40, or any grease or silicone lubricant, because it will gum up the lock.
If it’s only the car door that’s frozen, give it a good hard push. If you exert enough pressure, this may be all you need to break the ice, and you’ll soon be able to put the key in the lock.
If there’s more ice than that, it’s time to get out your scraper. Always keep an ice scraper around. If you weren’t expecting cold weather and can’t find one, you can use anything made of a stiff plastic, such as a rubber spatula or credit card. Caution: If you use a metal object, it will likely leave scratches!
You can pour water on the ice, which may do the trick. Caution: Don’t use hot water, because the extreme contrast in the temperature could shatter the car window. Lukewarm water, or even water from your hose will be OK, since it’s still warmer than the ice is.
As a last resort, you could heat up your car key. You can do this only if your key is all metal! Hold the key with some tongs, and use a lighter or a match. The temperature increase may allow you to insert the car key in the door lock and melt the ice just enough for you to turn it. Caution: Don’t ever do this to a transponder key, or you’ll destroy it!
If you have the sort of transponder key that allows you to start your car remotely, hopefully you can get it to fire up the engine. Then as your car warms up, in all probability the heat generated will thaw the car door from the inside after about 10 minutes.

Warmer Temperatures

As temperatures rise, you may become aware that some of your locks start to stick. Jammed-up locks can occur with exterior doors because when it’s hotter, the door frame will expand slightly, causing locks to get stuck in one position. You may find yourself struggling significantly to get the key to finally turn in the lock mechanism. This is typical for closed deadbolt locks, which can actually become compressed in the door itself, as the frame swells around it. If an exterior door is made of wood and/or if the door frame is wooden, you’ll be more prone to face this problem, because wood easily swells and contracts as temperatures change. Take your time and be patient. It may take longer to get the key to work in the lock mechanism, but with some fiddling, you’ll be able to get inside eventually.

Take Preventive Measures

Problems with door locks due to weather changes are definitely a nuisance, but there are measures you can take to prevent these things from occurring in the first place. When you install new locks, be sure you hire a dependable and experienced professional who will make certain that each lock is correctly fitted to the door frame, which will reduce your chances of facing troubling issues when the temperatures go up and down. Also, periodically keep your locks properly lubricated. Furthermore, there are also a good number of superior-quality doors that are more resilient when standing up to weather changes.

If you’re located any place in San Tan Valley, Arizona, and you need to hire a locksmith professional you can trust, you may want to choose the mobile locksmith experts on staff at AA San Tan Valley Locksmith, since you can count on them to be available to respond immediately 24/7, and you can also schedule an appointment for a free consultation anytime at your convenience.