The Key to Your Lock Problems: 5 Common Lock Issues and Their Solutions
Despite its having a significant part of our domestic life, door locks are those small things in life that we often neglect to put much thought. For instance, they can do an excellent job of keeping us and our properties safe and secure, but we only remember our door locks when something goes wrong.
If you’ve experienced having a problem with your door lock, you’re not alone. It’s one of the issues with most homeowners from the past as well as of present. For you to avoid getting into this kind of trouble, here are some of the lock issues and the ways on how to solve them.
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Slow Locks
Perhaps you’ve also encountered this lock problem, but there’s a relatively simple solution to the issue of slow door locks. First off, you need to know that the cause of slow door locks is the accumulation of grime and dirt in the lock.
Now that you know the cause, it’s time for you to see the solution. Well, if you want to try a do-it-yourself fix, you can use a cotton swab, and insert it into the lock to remove the dirt. If it fails to work, perhaps a lubricant can fix the problem.
But you should keep in mind not to use oil and grease because they can cause further clogging in the lock. You can use a silicone or graphite spray to lubricate the lock instead.
Door Won’t Latch
The typical reason why your door won’t latch is that there may be a misalignment of the strike plate and latch bolt on the door jamb. You can also try to wear down the lock a bit to fit into the mortise. If nothing works of the two solutions above, try to unscrew the plate and reposition it to a better position so that it can accept the bolt.
The Lock Seized Up
You put the key into the lock, but unable to turn the key inside it? Well, it can be that your lock has seized up. The thing is that it’s a typical problem that most people encounter. There are several factors why this problem occurs, but you should keep in mind that when it happens, you should avoid forcing it.
Forcing to turn up the key inside the lock could only make matters worse. If you do it, there’s a probability that the key would break inside or the lock would incur irreparable damage in the process. You can also try to call for an expert locksmith to fix the problem.
Key Won’t Fit In
There are various factors why you can’t fit in the key into the lock of your door. The first reason is that maybe you grab the wrong key. So you should make sure that it’s the right key you insert into the lock next time. Nowadays, you can find an organizer for you to avoid getting the wrong key for a particular lock.
Another reason why you can’t insert the key into the lock is that the key is not cut properly. For this problem, you need to hire a locksmith to cut another key for you.
The Lock Has Frozen
If it’s winter season in your area, there’s a high probability that your lock would freeze up. The simple solution to this problem is to heat the key a little bit to thaw out the bits of ice inside the lock. You can warm the key by putting it over a glass of hot water, for example. Then, insert the key slowly inside.
Takeaway
It’s not rare that you’ll encounter problems with your lock and key. But, worry not. There are ways that you can do to fix these kinds of issues involving your lock.
For some help, you can learn from the list above for you to fix these problems yourself. Or you can call a professional to help you for that purpose. You can check sites like locksmithman.ca to assist you doing the solution to your lock problems.
About the Author
Lisa Jones is a freelance blogger and environmental advocate. She writes blog articles such as benefits of using solar energy and the many ways to power your home with a renewable source of energy. Lisa browses GStore to look for high-quality solar panels.
