Generally, we often tell home and business owners that they shouldn’t ignore any problem with their door locks. After all, the locks are a security mechanism, and if a problem can compromise them, then the safety of your business and family may be at risk.
However, some issues can be more pressing than others. As residential locksmiths and Commercial Locksmiths, we’ve compiled a list of 5 door lock problems you should never overlook or ignore to address in our experience.
Loose Doorknobs, Handles, and Locks
The average door lock has over three dozen moving parts, with 99.9% of the components being imperative to the safety of your home or business. The parts are also crucial for ensuring that your locks continue to work smoothly. That said, door locks, handles and knobs can become loose over time, but it is a problem that shouldn’t be ignored. Fortunately, it can be fixed as a weekend DIY project by the home or business owner with a basic set of tools.
Make sure that this issue is fixed, mainly because a Weak or Loose Doorknob or lock is easily pried open by an intruder. Also, if you get locked out, getting back can, at times, become challenging because the handle isn’t operating correctly.
Loose Doorknobs, Handles, and Locks
A Misaligned Door Lock
Many times misaligned locks will be used interchangeably, often with a misaligned strike plate, and that’s because they usually lead to the same problems. A misaligned door lock means that crucial parts of the mechanism haven’t been lined up properly to facilitate the proper closing or locking of the door.
A misaligned door lock should be addressed right away. If you don’t address it reasonably, the problem will only get worse. If anything, it can later lead to even a broken door lock or broken doors. The unnecessary pressure you exert to open and close the door will eventually damage or break it.
A Misaligned Door Lock
A Key That Breaks in The Lock
It is one of the most common problems and can often be devastating. Most people have experienced the frustration of their keys breaking in the lock and with no way to get it out. Furthermore, even if you can get the key out of the lock, it may have already led to damage within the locking mechanism.
If your key breaks in the lock, we would advise that you invest in a new lock. Don’t trust the old lock to keep you secure. If still in doubt, maybe have a locksmith take a look to find out if your lock’s mechanism has been compromised in any way.
A Key That Breaks in The Lock
Jammed Latches and Locks
Locks and latches tend to get jammed for various reasons. If your locks and latches are jammed, you should get them fixed right away. Failing to get the issue fixed in time could mean that your security is jeopardized, and there is the possibility that it will inflict further damage on your door frame.
Jammed Latches and Locks
A Turning Cylinder
It is another very common problem that’s identifiable by the fact that when you turn the key, the cylinder turns with it instead of opening the door. It is an indication that you have a massive problem with the lock, which should be addressed right away.
It is a problem that only a locksmith can fix. If everything is fine with the lock, the most common fix is that the locksmith will replace the cylinder and probably give you a new set of keys. While the cylinder can be tightened, some locksmiths may not want to risk it.
A Turning Cylinder
