Welcome up the hill. Your locks are about to live a harder life than they did at sea level — here's the short course.
Doors move here
Freeze-thaw cycles swell and shift doors seasonally, and a deadbolt that fights the strike in February isn't broken — it's misaligned. Strike adjustment is routine mountain maintenance, like gutter cleaning.
Rekey on day one
Your sellers had cleaners, caretakers, contractors and a decade of spare keys. One visit rekeys the house to a single key you control.
Cold changes hardware choices
Lithium batteries in anything electronic, dry graphite or PTFE in cylinders (never oily sprays), and silicone on weatherstripping so doors don't freeze shut.
Plan the spare-key system now
A neighbor, a coded lockbox or a keypad door — decided calmly in October instead of desperately in a January storm.
Need a hand right now?
Lightning Lock & Key is Truckee–Tahoe's local mobile locksmith — licensed, bonded and insured, serving the area since 1996. Free phone estimates.
☎ Call (530) 308-6643 Request Service