Lock Repair in Atlanta, GA

What Atlanta's weather does to locks

NOAA's climate summary for Georgia describes long, hot, humid summers and short, usually mild winters. Atlanta has about 7 days a year above 95°F, against around 20 in Macon and Columbus, but the humidity lasts for months. Even the northern mountains average only about 5 inches of snow a year, so across the state moisture and swelling wear on locks more than ice does.

• Swollen doors. Wood takes on moisture through the summer, and a door that swells or shifts pushes its bolt against the strike plate. A deadbolt that drags in summer and turns easily in winter usually points to the strike or the door alignment, not the lock.
• Storm water. Wind-driven rain can reach the cylinder on an exposed door. A lock that got soaked should be flushed, dried and lubricated, then checked for corrosion.

Older hardware worth keeping

Inman Park's housing dates from the late 1880s through the early 1900s, and most Collier Heights homes from the 1950s and 1960s, so locks in both have lived through decades of Atlanta summers. An original mortise lock in an Inman Park Victorian can often be cleaned and fitted with new parts instead of being replaced, which also leaves an original door in a city historic district as it is. A knob lock with a sagging latch on a ranch-era door may be repairable too, when parts can still be found.

Upkeep and what to send

• Tighten strike plate and hinge screws in spring, before the humid months.
• Use a lubricant the lock maker approves; heavy oils collect grit.
• If a key turns hard, stop forcing it. A snapped key adds broken key extraction to the job.

In a lock repair request, describe the symptom and when it started, since a problem that comes and goes with the seasons points to the door rather than the lock. Add a photo of the lock and its edge plate and say whether it is original to the house. If repair is not practical, see lock replacement.