How Savannah's climate wears on locks

Winters are short and usually mild, NOAA's Georgia climate summary says, so frozen locks are rarely the worry here. Moisture is what moves Savannah doors. Summers are long, hot and humid, and a wooden door that takes on that humidity can swell until the bolt drags on the strike plate. A deadbolt that turns hard in July but easily in January usually needs the strike or the hanging of the door adjusted, not a new lock.

Salt water is the other hazard. NOAA counted a peak of 13 tidal flood days in 2019 at Fort Pulaski, on Cockspur Island near Savannah, and notes that tropical storm remnants can bring heavy rain and strong winds. A lock that has sat in floodwater or taken salt spray should be flushed, dried, lubricated and checked for corrosion before it seizes.

Older hardware worth keeping

Houses in the Victorian Historic District, built up between the 1860s and the 1920s, and buildings in the Downtown Historic District, which the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission calls one of the oldest local historic districts in the country, may still have original hardware. A lock that works but feels rough can often be repaired: a tired spring, a loose cylinder or a sticky latch is usually a single part, not the whole lock. Keeping the original body also avoids re-cutting an old door.

Simple upkeep

Use a dry lubricant made for locks, such as graphite, in the keyway; oil holds grit and moisture.
Tighten loose strike plate and hinge screws. A sagging door is a common reason a latch misses.
After a flood tide or heavy storm, lock and unlock each exterior door to check it.
Do not force a key that binds. A key that snaps in the cylinder turns a repair into a key extraction.

What to include in a repair request

Say which door, what the lock does wrong and when: all year, or mainly in humid weather. Note whether it has been under water or exposed to salt spray, and send a photo of both sides of the lock. More on lock repair and the Savannah page.

At the door

What lock repair covers

Diagnosing and fixing locks that stick, turn stiffly, will not latch, or have loose or misaligned parts.

Diagnosing why the lock is sticking, binding, or failing to latch
Cleaning and lubricating the lock mechanism where appropriate
Adjusting or realigning the strike plate and latch

ID and proof you may access the property are checked before any work.

Lock Repair in Georgia

Sources

Public records and references this page draws on. They are outside USA Locksmith Pros and open in a new tab.

Lock Repair in Savannah, GA