While we all have quirks to our homes, especially if your home is older, some of those “quirks” are actually potentially serious problems you shouldn’t just overlook.
In terms of security, your doors and their locks should be in working order regardless of age. If there are any issues, however minor they may seem, it’s best to have them assessed by a professional to assure those ‘cute’ little annoyances don’t turn into big (and expensive) repairs. Here are a few of the big issues you should be aware of.
Misaligned Door Latch:
If the strike plate and the door just don’t want to cooperate, just remember they weren’t always that way. At one point they closed perfectly. If you need to push and pull to get your door to close, it means the once aligned parts have now shifted.
Door Distortion:
Over time the weather can make a door change its shape. While it might look minor to you, it can do a real number on the locking mechanism that now how to work extra hard on the misalignment and can cause some rough and unusual wear on the latch.
Key Doesn’t Work Properly:
Whether your key just spins in the lock or you’ve got to use some force to get it to work, a lock and key that don’t just work correctly means there are major issues either with the key, the lock, or both. By continuing to force a lock to finally open, you’re just damaging the interior parts, and the key itself, making it work less and less every time.
Deadbolt Doesn’t Engage Fully:
If your deadbolt just barely locks the door, it’s just not doing its job. There are a number of reasons it could be doing this. Regardless of why, having a half-working deadbolt can seriously compromise the security of your home.
Faulty Mechanisms:
Sometimes, doors and their hardware just get old, stop working properly, and you can’t figure out what is going on. If you’re looking at your door latch and scratching your head in frustration, you’re not alone. There are just so many types of locks and latches out there.
So if you find yourself with a door issue, give us a call and we’ll be glad to get those doors and locks back in working order.
