Deep Freeze in Philly, Could Mean Bad News for Your Locks

January has left Philadelphia in a deep freeze with snow amounts that have been some of the highest for this part of the winter in a long time. The cold can effect everything from your plumbing to electric to even the health of some of those who are most vulnerable, however have you ever considered how the deep cold could be effecting your locks? January is just the beginning of what looks to be a tough and frigid winter in the city of Philadelphia and it is important to be armed with the knowledge of how to protect your locks before you need it. With this Phila-Locksmith is brushing the snow off of our blog to offer you some helpful tips.
The first way that the weather will effect your locks is the expansion and contraction of your door and frame. In the case of these frigid temperatures it is contraction that will take place. Even just this slight movement can cause a misalignment which will make your locks not function. The best way to combat this problem is to make sure that your locks are properly fitting during spring and fall months, but with enough room to allow for slight movement based on weather conditions. Normally your locks on exterior doors will not experience too many issues, since the heat on the interior side of the door can keep the lock mechanism from freezing.
Another way that your locks are effected by the cold is that they can freeze entirely. Mostly this takes place on car door locks or doors which are completely outside, and is caused when the moisture inside of the lock freezes which prevents you from fully inserting your key to disable the lock. One popular home remedy is to heat the key with a lighter and then insert it into the lock. While this is effective you can end up severely damaging your key if you do not do it correctly. If they key becomes too hot and the lock is not fully deiced when you turn the key it will bend, which may result in need a completely new car key.
What we at Phila-Locksmith recommend is to purchase lock deicer from your local hardware store, before you need it. Keep it by your front door or at your office at work so that you will have it when needed. Deicer is relatively cheap, and works effectively to not only allow you to use the lock, but also get rid of any moisture which may remain.