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.