How To Winterize Your Home and Locks for Cold Weather
Before cold weather officially hits the Mid-South, it is imperative to get your locks and doors ready to handle the temperature changes, wind, ice or snow with proper weather stripping, door adjustments, and cleaning latch pockets. Door locks can be overlooked when prepping for winter weather .There are ways to get a jump on care for your doors and locks for the cold weather. Below are steps to winterize your door and locks to keep them working properly throughout the winter months.
Steps to Winterize your Doors and Locks
Lubricate the locks. Spraying a lock lubricant such as WD-40 into locks ensures that the key turns properly in the lock and can keep you from experiencing broken keys or keys stuck in locks.
Lubricate the hinges. Well lubricated hinges help with overall door operation and may increase the hinges’ longevity.
Ensure the latch and strike fit together closely. This step secures the door connection tighter and will reduce the amount of air allowed around the door itself and can also save money on heating bills as an added bonus.
Check weather stripping around doors. Wind and cold can invade your home through old or faulty weather stripping. If you can see light between the frame and door, it is obvious that weather stripping isn’t sealing properly. If you don’t see gaps, If light is not readily seen, you can check by igniting a lighter and running it around the door frame to see if the flame flickers and moves away from the frame. This is a sign that air is coming through.
Check the gap at the bottom of the door to ensure the door and threshold are meeting correctly. Doing this will reduce loss of heat from the bottom of the door. Installing a door sweep or different threshold can help seal any gaps at the bottom. The Lockman can install security doors to add an extra layer of protection and to prevent heat loss as well.
Adjust the door closer to make sure it’s closing tightly and not taking too long to close.. This tip can help all year long! Doors should take at least five seconds to close to allow for exit and entry safely. This can help as far as safety concerns, also.
Keep doors closed as much as possible. This step is also good for all year to keep unwanted air temperatures from getting in, whether it be hot or cold. This step can also help with keeping unwanted pests or burglars from entering your home.
Consider installing insulating films. Insulating films can sometimes be applied to glass to increase the thermal rating of the glass.
Check for dirt or debris in latch pockets. If vertical, concealed rods are used, make you clean out around and in the threshold latch pocket. Doing this ensures the bottom rod extends completely and secures the door correctly..
The Lockman loves our clients and we want to help ensure the comfort and safety of all of our customers. We hope these tips help everyone and as always, you can call The Lockman for all of your residential, commercial and auto locksmith needs by calling (901) 246-2246.