Lock Repair in Jacksonville, FL

What Jacksonville weather does to a lock

NOAA's state climate summary calls Florida the most humid state in the nation, and humidity works on a lock in several ways.

• Damp in the cylinder. Humid air and blown rain carry grit into the keyway, and old lubricant thickens until the key drags.
• Swollen doors. A wood door and frame take on moisture, the bolt stops lining up with the strike, and a deadbolt that turned easily in spring has to be pushed. The trouble can be the door or strike plate rather than the lock.
• Corrosion. Humidity and, near the coast, salt spray can corrode exposed hardware.
• Storm water. A lock that sat in floodwater can hold silt and corrode from the inside, so have it opened and checked even if it still turns.

Older hardware in older neighborhoods

Springfield, north of downtown, grew most from the early 1880s through the 1920s and is mostly two-story wood-frame houses; Riverside, along the St. Johns River, is known for bungalows. Houses that old may still carry mortise locks set into the door edge, or newer hardware fitted into doors cut for something else. A worn spring or loose spindle may be repairable, which keeps the original hardware in service.

Simple upkeep between visits

1. Use the lubricant the lock's maker recommends; household oil collects grit and makes the problem worse.
2. After a long wet stretch, tighten strike plate and hinge screws, because a sagging hinge pulls the bolt off its strike.
3. If a key starts to stick, stop forcing it. Keys twisted in a stiff cylinder are the ones that snap; see broken key extraction.

What to describe in a request

• The symptom: key hard to insert, hard to turn, bolt catching, latch not engaging or a loose handle.
• When it began, whether gradually, after heavy rain or after a storm, and the door's material.

The lock repair page describes the service. Parts past saving lead to lock replacement; for the wider neighborhood picture, see the Jacksonville page.