7 Common Lock Problems and How to Fix Them

Locking doors is an essential step to add more security whether to your home place, office environment or car. 

Unfortunately, thieves love to lock problems and trace them quite fast. So if you have any issue with your door lock, it’s highly recommended to deal with it as soon as possible. 

Actions should be taken immediately, whether you will call a professional locksmith or fix it your way. Don’t leave a door opened and unlocked. Fix your lock problems through these easy guides.

What To Do With The Sticky Locks?

Within time, it happens to almost any door lock. You must jiggle the key several times until the lock lets it in. Sometimes, your effort brings a result in no time, but in other cases, you remain in front of your home for almost an hour, trying to get in.

In this case, you should first get away with the main reason for the sticky lock – the grim. First, try to disinfect the lock carefully and then, if possible, apply some silicone or other lubricant.

If nothing works, we suggest you replace your door lock not to remain homeless the next time you get a problem entering your own home.

How About The Frozen Locks?

Yes, this happens. When a bit of moisture gets inside the door lock and the next day the temperature drop under zero, you can expect it to freeze.

In this case, you cannot even insert your key inside the lock. The worst thing you can do is make more and more effort to put inside. This is how people usually end up with a broken door lock.

Of course, you can always call the emergency locksmith company to help you, but if you do it with a frozen lock case only, you will pay less than replacing it.

OMG! The key broke inside the lock

Anyway, let’s imagine you haven’t stuck to your piece of advice from above. And eventually, you get your key broken inside the lock.

Actually, this might happen to anyone, including those who don’t live in a region with such low temperatures, to have their lock frozen. If the key breaks inside the lock, replacing the door lock is the fastest way to deal with this problem.

But there’s one more thing to try before this drastic solution. Why don’t you grip the piece of the key that’s still exposed right inside the hole?

Use a long enough nose plier for the purpose. Then, make sure to carefully and delicately pull the key straight out.

The lock is misaligned – now what?

Here’s one more problem many homeowners face: the door lock doesn’t latch the right way. In this case, the proper alignment was damaged.

Whether it’s a door of low quality or a recently happened damage, you can do the following easy repairing DIY attempt:

• Try to tighten the door hinge screws;
• The primary purpose is to make that any sagging is eliminated;
• Then, reposition the strike plate;
• Try to let the door lock stud be even with the strike plate.

The door won’t close properly, what should I do?

When the door cannot latch correctly, it might cause considerable difficulty.

Once this problem hits you, you won’t be needed to make huge efforts to lock the door during the first attempts. Yet, with time, getting your door locked will get harsher and harsher. 

In the end, when it becomes too late and your door locked – too tortured – the only opportunity you will have is to replace it with a new one. Repair the door as soon as possible to avoid such a costly expense.

Usually, it cannot close properly because of dirt or grim so you can sanitise it at first. If this doesn’t work, try to make repairs – the door is supposed to fit its frame with no effort.

The lock is broken – what are my options?

There are different reasons why a door lock gets broken. 

But there’s usually one certain and 100% guaranteed hassle-free solution for this case. Simply call the local locksmith. You might try to fix it, too, but according to what we observe, usually, homeowners fail in their DIY projects to repair the broken lock.

Also, don’t forget that buying a new door lock (or a new door as a whole) will cost you more than using professional assistance for a quick fix.

I Cannot insert key

The truth is that it happens at least once in life.

You get back home from work – tired, depressed or quite angry with your boss – dreaming of having a relaxing bath with a glass of wine.

But while you imagine this tranquil picture inside your mind, you find the key doesn’t get inside the door lock. You keep pushing and pushing until you give up, understanding that, indeed, this is the worst day of your life. But it shouldn’t be.

We cannot help you with your boss conflict, but here’s what we can suggest you do with the door lock:

• First, calm down and ensure you are not too nervous to have mistaken the key. Check out what key you try to insert. Is it the right one?
• If you cannot insert the correct key, ensure you don’t cut the key poorly. Can you call your better half to come earlier from work and see if the other key can get inside the lock?
• If no key can be inserted, the door lock seems out of order. Why don’t you relax on the bench nearby your house and wait for the locksmith to come and give you a hand? You had a bad day. It’s enough with the problems. You deserve someone to help you out.

Conclusion

As you can see, numerous wrong things can happen to your door lock.

They can get you out of control at first, but there’s always a way out, right? Just make sure you know what you are doing if you plan to fix the problem yourself.

If you have no skills, tools and helpers at hand, rely on the experts. Thankfully, there are 24/7 locksmith services for cases like yours in the UK. You are not alone in this.