There could be nothing more frustrating when your door won’t lock! What do you do? More importantly, why won’t it lock? We look at how to combat a lock that won’t turn or close in the summer months due to heat expansion.
A door that won’t lock can really spoil your day, and most importantly make the property unsecured. Whether it’s the front door, back door or patio/sliding doors they still need to be locked to ensure maximum security from potential burglars.
I can’t lock my door!
There are two main reasons why a door will not lock, which is either due to heat expansion in the summer or the door/locking mechanism itself.
Heat expansion: a quick fix
In the summer months, a door will sometimes not lock due to heat expansion. Contemporary doors are made out of uPVC, which inconveniently has the ability to expand by up to 2.5cm in 40°c. Even when the door slightly expands, this can make the door not lock properly. Usually, the door will eventually cool down and contract back to size. However, if you are in a rush a few simple tips to combat this are listed below:
- Dampen the parameter with a cold flannel to reduce heat
- Alternatively, spray a bottle of water around the hot areas of the door
The door latch doesn’t lock
If the door still does not lock, the majority of door locking problems originate in the door latch, not the locking mechanism. If your door is not locking properly, the first thing to check is the latch mechanism. When checking the latch it is best to look around the parameter of the door, as modern doors have multiple bolts round the parameter of the frame. It is essential to check these points, as anything obstructing these locking points will stop the bolt from connecting into the door frame.
If there is no obstruction, lift the door handle up and down a few times, ensuring the bolts are all working correctly and extending to full range to enter the door lock point. If the door will not lock, due not aligning with the receiving hole, this can be due to the plate dropping or becoming lose which can simply be tightened via. the screws.
Tip: If the door and doorknob do not lock internally, the door cannot be fixed. The complete lockset and door will need to be replaced.
If you feel unsure as to why your door will still not lock, or too scared that you may cause further damage, or just want to leave it to the professionals, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
