Impact of cold weather on the locks

We rely on locks some way or the other in our everyday lives – be it at the office or home. Also, you need to make sure that the locks function properly when you enter or leave your place or even when it comes to the cars as they give you a sense of protection and safety of your assets. However, many a time we fail to realise the importance of these accessories and these only come under limelight when we start facing lock issues especially during the change in weather conditions and take help of locksmith in Tulsa to look after the problem with it. As the temperature changes, the functioning of the lock also gets affected and in most of the cases compromised. Here is how the locks stop functioning in the cold weather:

Lock issues arise in below freezing temperatures during the cold months. Instead of expanding, the frame of the door contracts which can result in a poor fit between the lock and door itself. The problems get bigger when you need to turn the lock as keys tend to get stuck. One quick solution to this issue is to pull in the door handle from outside to get the lock in position and take out the keys. But this won’t work every time and the issue might get worse.

As for the car door locks, these too can be affected by freezing temperatures and might get shut. This is due to the fact that the moisture tends to build up in the lock and makes it hard for the key to turn or function properly. One of the best solutions to this issue is to heat up the car’s key before you insert it into the lock. If the car has an automatic opening system, you can go ahead with it and try opening it once.

Preventative Measures That Can Be Used

Managing the door locks can prove to be cumbersome due to the unfavourable weather conditions. However, by being careful and adopting preventative measures, you can avoid the issues. If you are installing new locks in your home, you should make sure that the locksmith in Tulsa is a reputable one as they would give a guarantee that the doors would work well no matter what temperature is there outside.

For homes and offices, it would be a better option to get the doors replaced with more durable ones so that they do not get affected by expanding and contracting in extreme weather conditions. There are several options available in this ranging from steel to fibreglass which you can choose according to your requirement. Another thing that you need to keep in mind is to lubricate the locks often so that they can turn easily during the changing weather conditions. To make sure that this is done properly, you would need to lubricate the lock separately or you can even take help of a locksmith in Tulsa for this task.