3 Things to Consider Doing to Avoid Jammed Door Locks

Having jammed door locks is never fun, but sometimes things happen. Here are a few thing to consider doing to avoid these kinds of situations.

1. First, clean the keyhole with a penetrating lubricant like WD-40.

(Don’t apply household oil to the key or cylinder because it attracts dirt and eventually would gum up the lock.) Spray the lubricant into the keyhole itself and then spray it on the key. Slide the key in and out of the lock several times to spread the lubricant. If this superficial cleaning doesn’t free the lock, eliminate the aggravation altogether: Take about ten minutes to disassemble, clean, and reassemble the entire door lock. Spray until all the dirt is flushed from the assembly and then let the latchbolt assembly lie on the newspaper or towels until all the excess lubricant has dripped off. You can lubricate deadbolts the same way. Remove the connecting screws, the faceplate screws, and then the knobs.

Next, pull out the latchbolt assembly and clean and lubricate the lock as just described. Source: Dummies

2. Call a professional for regular maintenance.

“The average person can do a lot to maintain their own locks,” says Mr. Lekan, “but after a while, they need to be taken apart and serviced, cleaned, lubricated at the contact points, reassembled and reinstalled. That’s not really a do-it-yourself kind of thing, so you should call a licensed locksmith to achieve the best results.” Source: Diamond

3. Copy duplicate keys from an original.

The final factor in maintaining a lock is maintaining the key itself. Keys are designed to wear before the lock does. When installing a new lock, it’s a good idea to set aside one of the original keys to use when creating duplicates. Source: Angieslist

Regularly doing these three things can help you prevent hassle and save money in the long run. If you need more information, please contact us.