Lock Repair in Las Cruces, NM

What a dry climate does to locks

New Mexico's climate is arid or semiarid, the Western Regional Climate Center says, and afternoon humidity in the warmer months is often below 20 percent. Three effects follow for locks and doors.

1. Dust. Spring is the windy season, and blowing dust can be a problem during dry spells. Schlage's A-Series service manual warns that in dusty locations the grease inside a lock can become contaminated and slow it down. That shows up as a key that turns stiffly or a latch that returns slowly.
2. Doors that move. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook explains that wood shrinks as it dries and can warp. A shifted door or frame leaves a deadbolt dragging on its strike plate or stopping short of a full throw.
3. Storm season. Over most of the state, July and August bring 30 to 40 percent of the year's moisture, almost entirely in brief but often intense thunderstorms. A wood door that takes on water and dries out again can latch well one month and bind the next.

Most of this is repair, not replacement: cleaning and relubricating the lock, adjusting or moving the strike, or replacing a worn spring or cam.

Keeping older hardware in service

Many Alameda-Depot houses date from the 1880s and 1890s. Where an original door and its hardware survive, repair can keep them working, though parts for older locks may need to be matched or adapted. Say whether the lock is original to the house.

Simple upkeep

• For the cylinder, the Schlage manual calls for graphite or a similar material only, blown into the keyway in small amounts.
• If you have to push or lift the door to turn the deadbolt, have the strike adjusted before the key or bolt wears.

Reporting the problem

Say what the lock is doing, when it started and whether it changes with the weather. Add the neighborhood and a photo of the lock. If a key has already snapped, see broken key extraction. For the service overview, see lock repair; for the city, see Las Cruces.