Once winter knocks on the door, it’s not just the humans that feel the cold and chilly winter, and look for shelter; your doors go through different kinds of winter problems. Even though the doors are designed to give you full protection, you may notice some common issues with them, which needs to be resolved as soon as possible. If there is a lock problem, you can always call a locksmith to fix it; however, it is good to know about other door issues that you may need assistance with.
The door always stays open
The last that thing you would want to happen to your door is to have it open 24×7 inviting any passer-by that you don’t want to. Do you know that winters may make the door stay open for a longer period, making you lose 11% more energy? Simultaneously, in some cases, the door won’t stay open at all, and that’s another problem to get away with. You may call an expert to evaluate the issue and find out if it is the lock that’s causing the issue or it is something else that you need assistance with.
Door strike plate and latch misses one another
When the strike plate is misaligned, you will notice that the door latch cannot join with the stake plate. This may happen when the parts of the door have loosened up due to the cold weather. The door’s side has a small metal plunger that needs to be appropriately latched to have the door closed accurately. Don’t force open or close it, if you see door latch missing. You need to call an expert to fix the issue for you. Doing anything as such can harm the door even more.
Icing inside
Your door lock can invite ice anytime, especially the keyhole. It remains open all the time, meaning, ice can penetrate through the hole anytime. Unless you clear the snow, ice, and even rainwater from the key, you will have a hard time using the key, and the worst that can happen is lock jam. Winter is the common time when key often gets jammed inside the keyhole. Rainwater and snow can easily solidify and prevent the lock from operating normally.
You can use some kind of heat to melt away the ice; however, if you still struggle to open it, you may call a locksmith to clean the keyhole and allow the mechanism to function normally.
Oil and dust inside the lock hole
The more preventive measure you take, the better it will be for the lock to operate. You can think of buying a silicone de-icer before the winter season and spray it all over the lock to keep it protected during the harsh weather. Your finger always contains natural oil that can attract dust, and when you use the same finger to take out the keys, you are rubbing the dirt on the keys as well, which means dust is getting inside the lock hole. Make sure to clean your keys from time to time to let the dust stay away.
Squeaking door
Everyone knows how noise a squeaky door can be, and winter is the perfect time for your door and the locks to make squeaky noise. The least that you want is your neighbours waking up to the sound that the locks make when you try to unlock them.
Conclusion
The locks of your house need maintenance, too, just like anything else does. You need to call a locksmith in Colorado Springs if you have issues with the lock. Call Colorado Springs Locksmith today if you need any assistance with the door locks.
