Lock Repair in Seattle, WA

Moisture, not deep cold

Seattle sits west of the Cascade Mountains. NOAA's climate summary describes that side of Washington as tempered by the ocean, with a narrower yearly temperature range than the east, and notes that most of the state's precipitation falls in winter. For a Seattle lock, the usual wear comes from months of steady wet rather than deep cold.

• Winter rain keeps water on exterior cylinders for months, and the grit that rides in with it makes a key drag or stop partway.
• Screws, strike plates and latch springs can rust, so a latch that used to snap shut begins to stick.
• Wooden doors and frames can swell in damp weather, so a deadbolt that throws easily in the dry months may bind against its strike in winter.

A lock that feels gritty or stiff is worth servicing before the key starts to bind. Forcing it is how keys snap and end up needing broken key extraction.

Keeping older hardware working

Wallingford's 1920s box houses and bungalows may still carry their original hardware. Hardware of that age can be hard to match with anything sold today, and a new lock may not fit the door without cutting. Repair, meaning cleaning, new springs or pins, or a moved strike plate, often keeps the original lock in service. If a lock is past repair, see lock replacement.

Latches on rental windows

Windows count too in a rental. Seattle's RRIO Checklist (Chapter 22.214 of the Seattle Municipal Code) requires a working latch on any openable window within 10 feet of the ground or above a deck, balcony or porch. Items the checklist marks as significant, this one included, must be fixed before an occupied unit can be registered or a vacant one rented. A broken latch on a ground-floor window is worth repairing before an inspection. This is general information, not legal advice.

Upkeep for the wet season

1. Before winter, puff dry graphite or a lock lubricant into exterior keyways, and skip heavy oil, which holds grit.
2. Tighten loose strike and hinge screws.
3. If a door has to be lifted or shoved to lock, the frame or hinges have usually shifted, and fixing that is often all the lock needs.