The Most Common Causes of Lock Failure in Homes
Are you in a situation where your locks have stopped working as they should? We understand your frustration. Damaged door locks are an easy way to give yourself sleepless nights. The last thing you should do, though, is ignore these signs. Whether it’s your bathroom door locks or you need a front door lock repair service, you should hire an emergency locksmith as soon as possible.
Of course, it’s important to know whether your problem is with your locks or something else entirely. To give you a better idea of what you might be dealing with in terms of door lock repair needs, we contacted Lock & Key York for advice. This guide will give you a simple rundown of why your locks might be failing. This will help you diagnose the issue and determine whether the problem is with your locks or caused by something else, such as a damaged or swollen door.
Lock Failure: Is This A Common Problem?
Unfortunately, extremely! There is a reason why the UK has thousands of locksmiths available. Lock problems are extremely common, so you should not be too surprised if this is the problem you face.
Lock failures can take many forms, from a minor issue that an emergency locksmith can fix in seconds to a serious lock breakdown that requires replacing the entire mechanism. Most of the time, lock failures are something that can be fixed quite easily; it’s usually something like a part breaking or the door becoming misaligned, meaning that the locks no longer align properly.
That’s the good news: the bad news is that a lock failure will not fix itself. If you ever spot any of the telltale signs of a broken lock, do not just shrug your shoulders. Take immediate action. Call an emergency locksmith and have them review the damage. Most locksmiths will provide same-day callouts so you can get an answer one way or another.
Sometimes, the problem is as simple as the lock needing a minor adjustment. Other times, the door lock may have failed. Either way, it’s best to find out what the issue is so you can have it fixed as soon as possible. After all, who wants to live with rickety, broken door locks?
The majority of lock problems we face are for our external doors, such as our front and back doors. However, you can get plenty of lock failures and problems with interior doors. Your bathroom and bedroom door locks, for example, might face the same problems with broken mechanisms or alignment issues. So, yes, lock failure is a common problem – you are far from alone in this!
The Main Reasons Residential Door Locks Stop Working
Working out what is wrong with your door lock is for a locksmith to decipher. We want to focus instead on why your door locks need to be repaired. What causes a door lock to stop working in the first place?
Wear & Tear
The most obvious reason is also the most applicable: wear and tear. Even the best lock mechanisms are designed from various working parts; when one of these fails or wears out, it puts more strain on the other parts to pick up the slack. As soon as one part of your door lock mechanism fails, the other parts are likely not far behind. With each part operating below 100% capacity, the damage is magnified.
Wear and tear caught early can be fixed, though, because the parts are likely not yet damaged enough to stop the lock from working entirely.
Weather Damage
The UK weather is pretty infamous at this point, unfortunately. The constant humidity and the rapid change from hot to cold play havoc with our homes. It can also lead to lock damage over time.
As doors shift and change in size due to the weather, it means that the locks slowly change as well. That can leave locks out of line, meaning that the lock is no longer catching properly. It can also lead to a build-up of moisture and humidity, eventually resulting in dampness, which can cause wear and tear and rust build-up on the locks’ internal mechanisms.
Misalignment
Over time, buildings shift and move ever so slightly – this is called subsidence. It is especially common with newer buildings still settling into the foundations, but it can happen even with property built a century-plus ago. Misalignment is a common cause of door lock repair callouts for locksmiths.
Why? Well, the building moves, and that means that the doors shift – the door itself, the frames, and, yes, the locks. The locks no longer line up with the strike plate, meaning they do not “catch” when connected – at least not fully.
Alignment issues are among the most common problems an emergency locksmith resolves, and they can usually be fixed in minutes with the right tools.
Physical Damage
Lastly, your locks could be impacted physically. Someone could try to break into your home and damage the locks in the process, or they could be damaged in an accident. Either way, physical damage to door locks is a pretty surefire sign you need a door lock repair service!
Got A Lock Problem? Call An Emergency Locksmith ASAP!
We appreciate that, for most of you, life will be pretty hectic. That means that finding the hour or so it takes for an emergency locksmith to turn up and review your locks is not always easy.
However, ignore any signs of door lock damage at your own risk. Trust us, you’ll lose a lot more time – and money – if you wait until a problem becomes severe enough to lock you out and/or stop your door operating as it should. Our advice to you is quite simple: as soon as you think you need door lock repair, call an emergency locksmith. Arrange a door lock review right away.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, because broken locks can lead to a lot of serious issues. Not only could it impede you by causing your locks to fail, but it could also make breaking into your property easier. Why take the risk? Call a locksmith as soon as you spot any inconsistencies with your locks.
