Damaged doors & lock maintenance

Spring is finally upon us and now is the time when we need to think about all the damage the wet weather has been doing to our doors and locks.

Wooden doors will start contracting, as the moisture dries out of them and they may start to bang around in the breeze. Taking note of the problems of a recent customer, please be aware of the potential pitfalls of buying a draft excluding weather strip. If the weather strip is too thick, it can put strain on a mortice (chubb) lock and if you are having to push or pull the door when you turn the key, this will put undue pressure on the levers inside, which will inevitably break, locking you out at the worst possible time. A simple re-positioning of the lock keep in the door frame can alleviate the problem.

Wooden doors with multi-point locking mechanisms need extra attention. Over the winter, the swollen door will have been squeezing all the working parts and holding moisture around the metal, leading to rust. At the very minimum, these mechanisms should be oiled, however, calling your local locksmith to take the whole thing out of the door for a thorough examination might cost his call out fee, but could save you a lot more if the need for a complete new mechanism can be averted.

And with multi-point mechanisms in mind, many of us will be starting to use our patio doors now that things are warming up. These too, should be oiled now and at the end of summer. As a rule of thumb, double glazed doors where you have to lift the handles before turning key, should be as easy to operate with the door closed as they are when the door is open. So open the door and lock it, then close the door and lock it. If it is significantly more difficult to lock when the door is closed, you need to call your local locksmith to make the necessary adjustments. Again, a labour cost now is far better than the cost of a new mechanism.

If you own a holiday let property, now is the best time to have your locks looked at as the last thing you want is to have your locks fail when paying customers are using it. At best, you have to compensate the customer. At worst, you lose the business of that customer and all the potential recommendations they provide. What’s more, this is a business cost, so can be offset against your tax bill at the end of the financial year. What’s best – paying the tax man or having something to show for your money?

Experience has taught me that another time locks seem destined to fail is when pet owners go on holiday, leaving a friend or family member to come in daily to feed Tiddles, or water the plants. Most of us already feel we are burdening our neighbours when we ask them to do this, so how much worse will you feel if your lock breaks while they are in charge. Can they afford to pay for a locksmith in your absence? Will they have to take time off work waiting for a locksmith to come? While maintenance is not a guarantee that this will not happen, it certainly reduces the risk. Age of the lock and badly cut spare keys are the biggest contributors here, but poor maintenance is very high on the list of problems.

Should you have any questions regarding the above, please feel free to get in touch via any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading.