Lock Repair in Fort Collins, CO

How Colorado's climate works on a door

Colorado State University's Colorado Climate Center describes generally low humidity across the state. Dry air draws moisture out of wood doors and frames, and as a door shrinks or twists slightly through the seasons, the deadbolt can stop lining up with the hole in its strike plate. The signs are a bolt that drags, one that throws only when you pull or lift the door, or one that will not lock at all. Often the fix is adjusting or moving the strike, not buying a new lock.

The Climate Center also notes large day-to-night temperature changes. Metal parts expand and contract through those swings, so a latch set tight on a warm afternoon can bind by the next cold morning.

Older hardware worth keeping

The Sheely Drive Landmark District (2000), off West Prospect Road, is a group of eleven mid-century Modern homes, and the city's historic districts also include houses from the 1870s onward. On a landmark property, repairing original hardware instead of replacing it leaves a street-facing door as it was; the city's historic preservation staff can say whether a project needs landmark design review. A tired spring, a loose spindle or a sticking latch can often be serviced without cutting the door for new hardware.

Rental locks that have to work

Under C.R.S. 38-12-505(1)(b)(XI), a rental is uninhabitable if it substantially lacks locks on all exterior doors, and locks or security devices on windows designed to be opened, kept in good working order. The city's Landlord-Tenant Handbook adds that windows within 6 feet of the ground must have locks. Report a failed door or window lock to the landlord in writing. This is general information, not legal advice.

Simple upkeep

• Use a dry lubricant made for locks in the keyway; oil collects dust.
• Tighten the screws on the handle, the strike and the hinges once a season.
• If a door must be lifted or pulled tight before it locks, have the alignment checked before the bolt wears.

Describe what the lock does wrong and attach a photo of the door edge. A lock worn past adjustment may need lock replacement. See the Fort Collins page for the landmark districts mentioned above.