Holiday Home Locks

I have just returned from yet another Job where the multi-point locking mechanism has seized and needed replacing. The property in question was a holiday home near Sea Palling and very close to the beach,the mechanism had shoot bolts top and bottom, which had rusted and jammed – probably due to the salt and moisture in the air. While they were in the process of rusting, various users of the property had used ever increasing force to operate the mechanism until the latest customers just couldn’t open the door.
This made the room incredibly hot as the only other method of ventilation was a small window, and the non-opening windows were large and in direct sunlight. (It would appear that in addition to the cost of the work being done, the property owner is going to have to refund some of the cost of the clients’ holiday.)

But as in 99% of these cases, the costs could have been avoided with just a little maintenance. All multi-point locking mechanisms need oiling, at least on a six monthly basis. However you should also check for signs of rust. With mechanisms that have shoot bolts, water often collects in the bottom bolt hole which seeps up and makes the bottom bolt rust. This one was unusual in that the water must have been slowly dripping and pooling at the top of the door and it was the top bolt that rusted. When I took the mechanism off the door, I also found it to have sand grinding in places you wouldn’t normally see. Were this to be a normal home, I could have shown the customer what to do and everything would have been fine, but here’s where holiday homes can get difficult. I was asked to do this job by a holiday let company who in turn use a property management company. The owner is happy for them to do what needs to be done when they see fit. But the property management company has lots of properties to get through on change over days and therefore only has time to do the necessary cleaning, etc. The letting company do not have time to be anything more than reactionary to problems either, especially during high season.

With all this in mind, if you run a holiday home through a company, be specific about anything beyond standard requirements, including regular servicing of the locks, or if you use the property yourself, make time during your own visit to do the maintenance yourself, especially if your property is near the beach.

If you are unsure of how to proceed, contact your local locksmith. He or she should be able to set up a schedule around your bookings to service everything properly. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us via the contacts page or call us 07846643176.

Thanks for reading!

admin September 10, 2014

Holiday home locks / Multi point door mechanisms /

Are your locks up to standard?

One of the most frustrating things about my job is knowledge. For example;- I know of a widely used mortice type lock (often called ‘Chubb’), that is excellent for security purposes, yet prone to fail. In fact I often get called to open locks that just suddenly stop working. Before I even put the phone down, I am 99% sure of the brand of lock I will be dealing with and I would love to be able to name and shame here, but obviously cannot for legal reasons. The only thing I can say is if your mortice lock feels like it is starting to stick, check it is still having problems while the door is open and if it is, have it changed straight away before it seizes on you when you are desperate to get into your home. Personally, I only use Yale or ERA brands as I have yet to have a problem with either. As mentioned in previous blogs, keeping your locks oiled every six months or so is the best way to get the longest life out of them.

Mortice locks are also prone to rust as they sit inside wooden doors that naturally hold moisture. If you possess a couple of screwdrivers, it is worth taking the handles off your door every couple of years and removing the lock to check its condition. Many people are surprised at the state of their locks when they are removed, but then say things like; “It’s done well for ten years!” Ten years? It seems we live in a time when many are prepared to change their cars every three years or so (not all of us by far, but enough to use as an example), cars that are precision made with amazing technology, yet we hang on to locks until they fail. I know if you keep hold of a car long enough, it might eventually be worth more than you pay for it, but most of us get rid of our cars, trading in for new ones, usually making a loss, especially where loans are involved. Now compare that to the cost of a new lock which is designed to keep you and your possessions safe.

“But why should I change a perfectly good lock?” I hear you ask. My response is this; How do you know it is a perfectly good lock? You might be lucky and have a lock that lasts a lifetime. You might still be using the same lock your grandparents used when they were young, but you might also arrive home from the supermarket with bags of frozen food only to find your lock has seized and your local locksmith is still hours away stuck on another job. Please don’t think this is a sales pitch. By all means, change the lock yourself, or ask some friends if you are unsure of how to do it. I recently did a job where the front door to a block of flats was changed. I understand that changing the lock meant new keys for all the residents, but the managing company said they expect to see me again soon as the other blocks in the complex had similar locks that were “probably coming to the end of their lives.” These are high usage doors and we are talking about multiple families being locked out should just one lock fail. This highlights how we think about potential problems. We know something could fail any day, but are willing to take the risk anyway.

So, my advice is this: If your locks are more than a few years old, put yourself in the worst possible situation for the lock to fail and ask yourself what you would do. If you don’t have a very workable plan ‘B’ then it might be worth replacing the lock to reduce the likelihood of that scenario happening.

Thanks for reading.

admin July 2, 2014

Lock maintenance / lock repair / lock replacement /

Lock Maintenance

At last the days are noticeably longer and snowdrops & daffodils are out in bloom, signalling that spring is here. Many of us are looking forward to the summer holidays and dreading the big spring clean. Hopefully the worst of the wet weather is behind us and we can start those little jobs we have all been putting off. And that should include maintaining our locks.

We rely on our cars to get us to work and therefore keep checks on oil, water tyre pressure, etc. We rely on our locks to keep our homes and valuables safe, so why do we just let them deteriorate when just a few minutes basic work can keep them going for much longer, saving you money in the long run.

So let’s start with the ones that really get the weather: Garden sheds usually have the more basic locks or padlocks. Being at the cheaper end of the market, these are more susceptible to rust, so give them a good squirt with oil everywhere you can find a hole. This also loosens grit that can wear down the internal moving parts.

With Night Latches (referred to often as ‘Yale’ type locks) the only exposed area is usually just the part where the key goes in. But again, giving this a good squirt with oil can revitalise the lock. If the door opens outwards, or there is any way the weather can get to the inside, then this should be oiled as well. This will involve undoing some screws to take it off, but do this slowly so you can see how it goes back on. Once the night latch is off of the door, you will be able to see good areas into which you can squirt some oil.

For UPVC doors, the entire mechanism that runs down the leading edge of the door needs to be oiled. There are lots of working parts here, and they are prone to grit and small breakages inside that can stop the system working. If you know how to remove a cylinder, take it out to really get oil inside the main working part. If you don’t know how to do it, it might be worth paying a locksmith or double glazing fitter to show you how so you can maintain it yourself. Remember, a small cost now could save you a much larger cost later. And a good tradesman will show you how to take care of these doors.

For mortice (referred to as ‘Chubb’) type locks the need for regular oiling becomes very clear if ever you take one out of the door. They seem to magnetise dust and soak up moisture from wet doors causing rust. So if you have a mortice lock with handles (called a ‘Sash Lock’) pull the handle down, which retracts the latch, then squirt a good amount of oil into the hole. This should give the inside a basic rinse. If your mortice lock is of the simple ‘turn key to open’ style (called a ‘dead lock’) then this can be a bit more tricky to get into. You really have to squirt into the small gap between the bolt and the lock casing.

The other thing to be looking out for with the change of weather is locks getting more difficult to operate. I have spoken about this in previous blogs, but if your lock becomes difficult to work for any reason, then you should call a locksmith. A small labour charge now is better than hoping the problem will go away, because if you break the mechanism, especially on UPVC doors, it can get very costly. If your handles have gone a bit floppy, this is the first visual sign that things have already gone too far and at any point you could find yourself locked out.

If you would like further advice on any of the above issues, please get in touch via our contacts page or give us a call 07846 64317607846 643176

Thanks for reading.

admin March 25, 2014

Lock maintenance / Saving costs with locks /

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