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Most people don’t give much thought to how weather and seasons changing can affect the locks on their residential and commercial properties. However, the weather can have a significant impact on the longevity of your locks. Replacing low-quality, cheap exterior locks with weather-resistant, sturdier locks can be an excellent investment, especially in states such as Illinois that see a whole range of weather throughout the year.
Our locksmith company assists area residential, commercial, and automotive customers with all of their lock and key needs. This includes installing, repairing, and replacing locks, as well as upgrades to high security locks or keyless entry systems. In our many years of experience, our locksmiths have learned a lot of helpful information that we try to pass on to our customers to help them stay informed about their security. Your locks are built to withstand a lot of abuse over time, but they still need to be kept in properly working order so that they are able to do their job of protecting your property correctly.
While many people worry about damage to their locks due to a burglar attempting to break in, weather-related changes can also be significantly damaging to the lock hardware. It can get so bad that your key no longer works, potentially leading you to have to make an emergency lockout phone call to a locksmith. If you’ve noticed that your key is beginning to stick in your lock or you have other difficulties getting your door open, weather changes might be to blame. Understanding how the weather effects your locks can help you take preventative measures, as well as possibly investing in weather-resistant locks that will last much longer.
Although most of us look forward to the spring and summer, with plenty of sunshine, warm breezes, and longer days, your lock hardware isn’t so lucky. When it comes to the affect that temperature shifts have on your locks, warm weather is usually a more significant contributor to the deterioration of your locks than cold weather. Calls to locksmiths increase during the warmer months, especially as the temperature on the thermostat rises into the 70s and beyond. That’s because of the nature of materials when affected by temperature changes—heat causes everything to expand, while cold causes materials to contract.
This expansion occurs with everything from the wood on your door and frame to the metal that your locks are made of. Depending on how much the temperature rises, this can cause your door to stick or you to have difficulty unlocking the lock. It’s usually the worst in the middle of the summer and during heat waves, when high temperatures and humidity can really cause a problem. During this time, you may be unable to get your door lock to even turn, especially if it’s older and made from low-quality materials. Your key could get stuck and if you apply too much force, it may break off in the lock.
The best thing you can do to prevent this issue from happening is to install weather-resistant locks. You can also ensure that you use your locks regularly and that you keep them in good repair, as any damage to your keys can transfer to your locks.
Warm weather isn’t the only type that has a significant effect on your lock hardware and doors. One cause for concern when it comes to your exterior locks during the winter months especially in the presence of snow and ice is that moisture will get inside and cause the locks to get frozen. It’s important to pay attention to whether or not ice or snow is accumulating around your lock or above your door in order to remove it. You don’t want to wait until the lock is frozen over, as you may find yourself locked out of your home until help arrives.
Even if there isn’t much snow or ice around, if the temperature dips down low enough below freezing, as it’s been doing in recent years, enough moisture can get inside that will be affected by cold winds enough to freeze up the lock. If this happens to you, you might be able to find success with heating your key up a little before inserting it.
It’s also important to keep your locks lubricated with an inexpensive spray lubricant that you can find in the automotive section of any department or hardware store. Using this lubricant every few months will ensure that your locks and keys will keep moving smoothly. It’s also important to ensure that your locks don’t get any wetter than they have to. If you notice that water is running off of your roof and down your door to freeze on your lock, it’s important to address the issue at the source.