Frozen Door Locks

Although Portland does not considered much of a colder city in comparison to Seattle or other places in the Northwest that usually see snow frequently, it does endure colder temperatures during the pick months of winter. Along with colder temperatures, some weather related inconveniences may occur as well such as bad road conditions, and frozen locks as well!

It can be a frustrating experience coming home from work only to be denied entering your home because the lock on the front door got frozen. A locksmith will be able to assist in these types of situations in addition to provide a solution to the problem making sure it will not occur again. However, on some scenarios of frozen locks, you could try resolve the situation by yourself without having to call a locksmith.

When it comes to the lock on the front door of your home being frozen because of the colder temperatures outside, all that needs to be done is bringing some heat to the lock. First, it is important to remove the ice around the cylinder and key-way. Once the ice is out of the way, the key can be inserted without much difficulties. The cylinder internals may still be frozen a bit, so inserting and removing the key few times might help clear some of the ice from the inside. Be careful not to force anything as the key might break inside the cylinder.

If the situation seem more worse that it is, heating the key is the second option. If you have a lighter with you, it could be the easiest way to heat up the key. If no lighter is available, you can try by improvising something with your vehicle such as starting the vehicle and placing the key under-hood somewhere that will heat up quickly. Once the key is hot, you can try inset it an play with it inside the lock cylinder which should do the trick. The cause of the locks getting frozen during the winter could be moisture that penetrated the lock during the summertime. Lubricating the lock before it gets cols outside should take care of the moisture and anything else that might bind the lock during the winter.

For more information about locks, lock repair and maintenance, contact NorthWest Locksmith Portland (503) 825-2124.