Locks are a great way to protect any door. Whether it’s your house, car, or padlock, it can provide the security that you need. Locks turn correctly as they should throughout the year when you put the key in them and turn them. However, as the seasons change, especially from hot to cold, there can be problems with the locking mechanism that makes the lock challenging to turn.
This difficulty with locks is known as jammed locks and a locksmith can help with some tips.
It happens when extreme temperatures from the winter or the summer cause locking mechanisms to swell or contract, making it difficult to lock or unlock the doors. This is the definition in its most simplistic terms. However, this article discusses in detail what is happening to locks.
What Weather Does to Locks
During the summer or winter, especially during extreme temperatures, the sun or ice-cold temperatures affect the exterior house and car doors. When the keyholder attempts to turn the key in the lock, it may turn with much difficulty or even break. Another problem that can occur is that the locking mechanism may fail, and the key may not be able to be inserted at all. Let’s look at how each extreme in weather affects the lock.
Hot Weather
In the summer, the high humidity outside may produce a lot of moisture, especially in wood exterior doors. As temperatures heat up, the door expands, and the wood surrounding the door lock may warp, causing it to be challenging to turn the lock. This is especially true with deadbolt locks which can be challenging to lock because the door frame swells.
Cold Weather
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the cold weather creates a similar problem with the door. However, the one slight difference is that instead of the door swelling, it contracts. The contraction of the wood door makes it difficult for the door to fit properly. As a result, the lock and the door may have trouble fitting together well, creating difficulty turning the lock.
Door Locks with Keypads
Doors with keypads shouldn’t have too much trouble opening in extreme temperatures because they don’t use a key. However, these types of locks are susceptible to problems from weather changes also. Just like with regular door locks, these types of locks can also have mechanical failures. The doors are still subject to shrinking or swelling, making it difficult for these locks to close or open properly.
Another problem could be with battery drain. Batteries work using electrochemical elements. Under extreme cold conditions, a battery’s ability to send signals to the door’s terminals may slow down. This may make it difficult for the door to unlock, even after putting in the correct code.
One more problem that may affect the keyless door entry isn’t related to the heat or cold but rather to moisture caused by rain. Sometimes when keypads get wet, the water can seep into buttons and start to return faulty errors even when the correct codes are put into the pad.
Padlocks and Extreme Weather
This type of lock may not be as commonly used as other door locks, but they may be used for fences, sheds, and garages. If these locks have moisture in them, when the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the lock itself may freeze, making it difficult to unlock the lock.
Car Locks
Another problem that may arise, particularly in winter, is with car locks. If there is moisture present in the car lock and the moisture freezes due to a significant drop in temperature, this can cause the door locks on a car to freeze. This makes it difficult for the key or the key fob to unlock the door.
Many of the problems with locks can be resolved by either using higher-quality locks or doors. They can also be solved by protecting the locks through lubrication or using heat or a flame to thaw locks. However, if you have trouble with locks on your car or home, the ideal solution is to call a locksmith. A professional locksmith will fix the initial problem and provide you with tips on preventing problems with locks in the future.
If you live in Michigan these lock problems may sound familiar and chances are you have experienced difficulties with different types of locks throughout the year. As time passes along with the wear and tear, you may need to call on a locksmith for repairs. Action Locksmith can help with your door lock problems, door repair, car locks and so much more.
As a family owned and operated locksmith business for over 30 years, our dedication and hard work has made us one of Michigan’s best locksmith companies around. We provide residential locksmith services as well as commercial locksmith services, automotive, home safes and much more!