Why Locksmiths Are Essential For Protecting Your Lake Home's Locks During Winter

Posted on: 14 December 2016

During the winter, your lake home will undergo a lot of negative changes, most of them related to cold weather. Winterizing your house can help, but there's one part of your house you may have neglected: the outdoor locks. If these locks freeze, there's a chance they could end up getting ruined. A good locksmith can help you avoid this problem while you're away.

Your Lock Could Easily Freeze In Extreme Temperature

While you're away from your lake home, winter will strike it and cause a variety of problems. Unfortunately, if water or condensation gets into your outside locks, there's a chance that they might end up freezing in extreme weather. This is particularly true if the moisture content in the air is fairly high, which it usually is during the winter.

A air moisture rating of 30 percent will cause a lock to freeze in temperatures of -20 to -30 degrees. Unfortunately, this temperature doesn't have to be so low if the wind chill is high. A strong wind will decrease the temperature and cause your outdoor lock to freeze up faster than it would have otherwise.

Freezing Water Will Expand In Your Lock

Water is a strange liquid because it is one of the few that will expand when it freezes, rather than shrink. As a result, a freezing lock can undergo a lot of severe damage when the water around it in the air freezes. After water dips below freezing, the molecules will expand by nearly 10 percent of their normal size.

This small amount of expansion may not seem like much, but it can cause damage to your delicate lock mechanisms. This may make it impossible to open the door with your lock and force you to install a new lock. If this was at your normal home, it wouldn't be a problem as you'd be there to fix it. However, your lake home doesn't have that luxury.

A Locksmith Can Help

You can protect your home's locks by calling a locksmith in the area near you and asking them to regularly check on your locks when it drops below freezing. Pay them a nice fee at the beginning of the season (however much they ask) and they will drop by during very cold temperatures to check your locks and stop any freezing that may occur.

The methods they use will vary depending on the severity. If they catch it early enough, they may be able to simply spray de-icer on it to thaw the ice and get your lock working. However, severe freezing may require more precise repairs, which may cost you a little more money. That little bit of extra money is worth it if you can protect your locks from freezing damage. Click here for more information.

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Improving The Safety Of My Home

When I got married and started my family, I knew that I had to do something to keep them safe. Instead of hoping for the best, I decided to bolster my home security by adding different locks around the house. I doubled the locks on the front doors and then I worked on reinforcing the exterior doors to make them stronger. It was a lot of work, but we were able to completely reinforce our home, which I felt great about. This blog is here to help anyone who might be concerned about improving the safety of their place this weekend or any time.

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