Lock Repair in Boston, MA

How Boston winters wear on locks

NOAA's state climate summary puts January temperatures near the Massachusetts coast around 30 °F, just under 32 °F. At that temperature, meltwater that runs into a cylinder during the day can turn to ice overnight, and the key will not turn in the morning. The same summary calls the coastline highly vulnerable to nor'easters, tropical storms and hurricanes, which can bring flooding and spray to exterior doors.

The repairs that follow tend to be:

• A cylinder that turns stiffly, or only partway, after a cold snap.
• A latch or deadbolt that no longer meets its strike because an old wood door swells and shrinks with the seasons.
• Hardware that binds after nor'easter flooding or spray reaches the door.
• A stuck lock on a rear porch door. Three-deckers usually have utility porches at the back, so check those doors as well as the front.

Original hardware on Beacon Hill

In the Historic Beacon Hill District, the Architectural Commission's guidelines (Chapter 616 of the Acts of 1955, as amended) keep original doors and hardware in place and allow duplicates in the same material and style only when the originals are beyond repair. For an original lock there, repair is the natural first step: cleaning the case, replacing worn springs and servicing the cylinder keep the visible hardware on the door. This is general information, not legal advice.

Simple upkeep

• Use a dry lock lubricant rather than oil.
• If a key resists, stop rather than forcing it. A twisted key can snap and need broken key extraction.
• After flooding or spray reaches a door, rinse, dry and relubricate its exterior hardware.
• If you have to push or lift the door before the deadbolt throws, have the strike plate adjusted.

What to describe

Say what the lock does now (sticks, spins loosely, will not latch), when it started and which door it is on, and send a photo of the lock face and the door edge. See lock repair or the Boston page.