Lock Repair in Madison, WI

Salt, snow and water

The state Department of Transportation says Wisconsin uses an average of 452,000 tons of salt per winter, and some of it is tracked home on boots and tires. On an exterior lock it dries into a gritty film that makes the key drag and the cylinder feel stiff, usually a cleaning job, not a sign the lock is finished.

NOAA's state climate summary reports that days with 2 inches or more of precipitation have become more frequent. When heavy rain puts water in a basement or garage, the locks on those doors can start to rust and bind.

Cold-weather symptoms

• Frozen cylinder. The key goes in but won't turn. Use a lock de-icer and give it time; forcing a key against ice is a common way to snap it and end up needing broken key extraction.
• Bolt that won't line up. Doors and frames move with temperature and moisture, so a deadbolt that slides easily in summer can bind against the strike in January; adjusting the strike plate often fixes it.

Window and sliding-door locks in rentals

Madison General Ordinances section 27.05(2)(h) requires a secondary lock on sliding doors in rented units, plus ventilating locks, which hold a sash open 1 to 5 inches, on double-hung and sliding windows and doors that sit below the second story or can be reached from a balcony, fire escape or tree. When one of these loosens or stops holding, repairing it keeps the unit in line with that list. This is general information, not legal advice.

Original hardware in the Marquette Bungalows

The Marquette Bungalows district holds 47 similarly sized bungalows on two blocks, all built between 1924 and 1930, so any original hardware is roughly a century old. A weak spring, a loose knob spindle or a worn latch can usually be repaired with the lock body still in the door, which keeps the original door in place in a district where exterior changes go before the Landmarks Commission.

What to send

Describe the symptom, which door, and whether it gets worse in cold or wet weather when you ask for lock repair. The Madison page has the city's other winter and historic-district notes.