Every spring and fall the same call: “my key goes in but won't turn,” “the deadbolt won't throw,” “the door won't even close.” Mountain weather is the culprit more often than the lock. Here's the maintenance routine that prevents most of it.
First, diagnose: lock or door?
Open the door and try the deadbolt with the door open. Throws smoothly? Your lock is fine — the door or strike has moved. Freeze-thaw cycles swell and shift mountain doors seasonally; the fix is strike adjustment or hinge shimming, not a new lock. Binds even when open? Now it's a cylinder/mechanism problem.
The WD-40 myth
Water-displacing spray frees a lock today — then its carrier gums up and glues dust and pin springs into next month's worse jam. For cylinders use a dry lubricant: graphite or PTFE, a puff or two, key in and out a dozen times. Once or twice a year is plenty. (Silicone on weather-stripping keeps doors from freezing shut, too.)
Frozen locks
Moisture in the keyway freezes at the first cold snap. De-icer or a warmed key works; a lighter and brute force break things. If a cylinder freezes repeatedly, water is getting in — usually a missing keyway cover or failed weather seal we can fix permanently.
The five-minute fall checklist
- Dry-lube every exterior cylinder
- Throw every deadbolt with doors open, adjust strikes that bind
- Tighten handle/hinge screws
- Silicone the weather-stripping
- Swap smart-lock batteries for fresh lithium
Ten minutes in October saves a frozen doorstep call in January.
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