Malfunctioning Door Lock

A mechanical lock system is normally prone to fail at some point due to wear and tear in time which can affect the security of your home. Some of the locks in the market have mutual issues that may occur to affect the functionality of the lock. Following several simple steps, you can determine if its a minor issue or a serious one which may require the help of a professional locksmith.

Sometimes, as we rush to get inside our homes coming back from a long day of work, a situation where the key just won't fit in the lock may occur. In such instant, making sure you inserted the right key is important as you can cause damage to the cylinder of the lock by forcing a foreign key. If in fact you determined that it is the correct lock you inserted, look at the option of spraying some lubricant through the key-way such as WD-40. It could be that the temperatures outside are fairly low which may cause the internals of the lock to freeze which in such case heating up the key before inserting it might help.

Forcing a key through the key-way and attempting to unlock the door in such situation is never a good idea as you can risk breaking the key inside the cylinder. If in fact you managed to break a key inside the cylinder, before calling a professional locksmith, you can attempt to pull the broken piece of the key out using a pair of pliers. If that attempt failed, the lock may need to be taken apart in order to extract the piece from the back of the cylinder.

Other things that can affect the proper operation of a lock are the door accessories such as the strike plate. Sometimes the latch won't catch properly inside the door frame which may point to the fact that the strike plate is not correctly aligned. In such case, a new mortise would need to be crated for the strike plate or the hinges of the doors would need to be shimmed.

For more information about possible door lock malfunctions and solutions, contact NorthWest Locksmith Portland (503) 825-2124.