Home Lock Troubles: Common Issues To Be Aware Of

As a homeowner, it's easy to overlook little issues with your doors. In fact, sometimes you become so accustomed to some of the oddities of your doors and locks that you really don't give them a second thought. You just adjust how you use the door accordingly. However, it's important that you understand which issues you should never ignore. Here's a look at a few of the most common door issues you might have and tips to address them.

Loose Or Worn Locks

Lock mechanisms are designed to stay close, tight, and smooth. Over time and with repeated use, those mechanisms can suffer wear and result in loose locks. While this might not seem like a big deal as long as the lock is still operating, it's actually a serious cause for concern.

Loose locks can pose a couple of different problems for homeowners. First, when the lock gets too loose, you may find that you can no longer unlock it. This is concerning when it happens after you arrive home and you're unable to get into your home because you can't unlock the door.

Additionally, a loose lock is an easy invitation for a would-be burglar. Loose locks are easy to bump, making it very easy to gain access to a property. These are the reasons why you should have a locksmith replace a loose lock right away. This preserves the security of your property.

Poorly Aligned Locks

An ideal door structure includes the strike plate and the door handle in proper alignment so that the door lock secures within the strike plate. When the lock and strike plate aren't properly aligned, the lock won't secure the way that it's supposed to. This can leave it vulnerable to failure because it won't lock fully.

If you've got a door handle and lock that won't secure the way that it should because of a poorly aligned lock and strike plate, you can reach out to a locksmith to adjust it for proper alignment. Otherwise, you can adjust the strike plate on your own to ensure that the doorknob, lock, and strike plate all line up properly.

Broken Key

Even if you've never broken a key off in a lock, you've probably seen a multitude of solutions online from bubble gum to tweezers for removing the broken piece of the key from the lock. Unfortunately, many of these solutions are far less successful than you might think.

If you lose a portion of a key in your lock, you should reach out to a locksmith. They are trained to remove broken keys from locks, including the use of a broken key extractor to pull the broken piece out of the lock. This restores the use of your lock without the worry of causing any damage after the fact.

Reach out to a locksmith at a local company like Roland Park Lock And Key.

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