This time of year, as the dreary rain seems to go on for ever, is when locks really start to fail. Moisture builds up either direct from the rain, or through condensation caused by warm temperatures inside and cold temperatures outside.

But replacing them is not always as straight forward as you may think.

When buying anything from food to the latest phone, you have a wealth of information and often, experience to help you choose the product that is best for the job. With food, you might know that your children only like one brand of sausages, for example, and with the new mobile phone, you might be better with an android over a windows or iphone.

We even change our cars more often than we change our locks, it would seem, and research thoroughly before making that purchase.
But what if we need a new a lock?

The next time you are in a DIY store, have a quick peek in the locks section. The small shops will have brands you have never heard of (often because they are cheap) and the larger chain stores will have more well-known brands, but even then, will be limited to one or two brands, because that brand will give them a better discount for exclusivity. And with no real comparison web-sites, buying your own locks is an almost blind affair.

Even when replacing same brand products, you might find that the new version is a different size to the old version, a bit like mobile phones, that then need you to purchase new size cases or other add-ons.

Locksmiths tend to carry their favourite brands for use in emergencies, but when doing upgrade work, they can advise you on the best product to fit your personal taste and budget. Sometimes replacing a particular type of lock can be really expensive. I come across many older properties in Norfolk that have ‘Horizontal’ locks, where the key-hole and knob are in a horizontal straight line rather than above one another. Most of these are three lever types and not conforming to insurance standards. The five lever replacements are pretty costly and, as the key-hole and knob positions are completely different, wood filler is also a requirement, which then needs painting, making the whole job a lot more than just purchasing the lock and sliding it into position. My usual advice to customers with these old three lever locks, is to leave them in place and have an extra British Standard 3621 lock fitted as am additional piece at a fraction of the cost. This obvious seeming solution never seems to cross the minds of those customers who have needed the upgrade. But only because locks are not something we think much about.

It’s worth making use of your local locksmith, if only to confirm your own ideas. Quite often, though, you may learn something new about home security that could be of great benefit.

My security checks cost nothing more than a friendly chat and perhaps a cup of tea. I will praise your security when it is good and advise you if or where it can be improved upon. I will tell you why certain brands might not be worth having and why the ones I recommend  are best. I will even tell you what ones are the best of the rest if the best ones are too expensive.

To arrange a visit or ask about any of the issues raised in this or any of my other blogs, please contact me through any of the ways noted on my contacts page.

If there is any other locksmithing subject you would like me to write about, please do the same.