Residential and Commercial Lock Repair Services

On average locks are meant to last 5 – 20 years depending on the brand and the quality of the lock you have on your doors. However this is considering the lock is not undergoing any abuse such as excessive force or inserting other things into the lock cylinder besides the original key. In this case the lock will need attention from you to make sure the damage is repaired and in some cases you will have to call a professional local locksmith in order to get your lock repaired. Compared to the price of getting a brand new lock installed, a repair service will cost you much less money to get done!

The Lock Does Not Latch Properly

If your door latch does not get into position properly then its most likely that there is a problem with the alignment between the latch and the striker plate. Pay attention to the alignment of how the latch fits into the striker plate and if you see that it does not perfectly align then go ahead and loosen up the screws of the striker plate in order to adjust it a little. Tighten up the screws again and see if it matches perfectly. If you are still having issues with them aligning then you might have to move up, down, or to one side and make a new hole for the screw to go into. You also might have to adjust the hole on the striker plate and the frame in order for the latch to fully go inside and make sure it securely holds in when you are closing the door. If you see that there is a lot of adjustment that needs to be done then we recommend for you to contact a professional locksmith because it will cause more headaches if you end up damaging the door frame while trying to make these adjustments.

Door Knob is Loose

Door knob screws inside wooden door can get loosened up since door knobs are used on a daily basis. It is nothing to be worried about because often times you can fix this issue by using a screwdriver. All you have to do is tighten up those loose screws on your lock as well as any screws of the striker plate and the door hinges. It’s always better to tighten up these loose screws as soon as you see it so they do not end up making the holes wider and wider.

Door Knob is Hard to Turn

Is your door knob getting stuck when you are turning it or is it just hard to turn? There is a good chance that something inside the lock is broken and you might need to replace your locks. However it is worth trying some quick fix in order to determine if the stiffening of the lock is due to rust or dirt build up inside the lock. There are lock lubricants that can help dissolve dirt deposits inside the lock and it can definitely help make turning the knob a lot smoother. Keep in mind that this will only work if dirt is the problem, but if there is a broken component inside the lock then lubricating it will not help solve the problem.

Deadbolt is Stuck Inside the Striker Plate

If you change out your lock the new deadbolt might not match with the striker place, but there is a simple fix to this problem. If the deadbolt is slightly touching the striker plate then you can shave down that side of the striker plate in order for the deadbolt to go through. If you notice that there is a big difference then you have to unscrew the striker plate and adjust its position. Be careful doing this because you have to make new holes with the screw and might have to make the hole on the door frame bigger in order for the deadbolt to fully go in. You should be using proper tools to make these cuts on the door frame because you might crack the frame and make it less secure if you use the wrong tools.

The Key is Broken Inside the Lock Cylinder

There are many situations in which the key or another object is stuck inside the lock cylinder of a residential or commercial lock. Typically a key is broken inside the lock when the pins are moved out of place therefore the lock does not let the key turn and often times people do not realize how much pressure they are putting on key until it breaks off. There are situations such as an attempted theft where the thief will try to unlock the lock with a different object and it will break off inside the lock. Either way the problem is similar because you have to take out the broken piece from inside the lock cylinder. It is nearly impossible to remove such pieces by using your fingers so you must use a tool and the best tool for this job is the needle nose pliers.All you have to do is grab the edge of the stuck piece and pull it out. Needle nose pliers will allow you to get a strong grip on it so you can easily pull it off. If its too deep and you cannot take it out with the pliers then you should call the locksmith so they can take apart the lock, extract the piece and make sure your lock is back to working properly again!