Tricks So You Won’t Have to Call a Locksmith

People most often call locksmiths in emergencies. Emergency services late at night will run you high fees as you are desperate and have no other choice. While sometimes the unavoidable happens and you are backed into this corner, you can take certain precautions to avoid having to make that late-night phone call which might run you hundreds of dollars because of a silly mistake. Robert Campbell, a locksmith who owns Advantage Locksmith in New York City, shares some tips on how you can avoid calling him.

Give a neighbor your key: If you have lost your keys, consider giving a set of keys to a trusted neighbor or a family member. That way if you do get back to your house at 2 a.m. and realize your keys are still sitting on the bar you just came from, you don’t have to pay a locksmith a couple of hundred dollars to change your locks and get back into your place.

Don’t wait until the emergency: Locks are mechanical and can fail over time via natural wear and tear. Use a locksmith before your locks fail and you are forced into an emergency situation. If your key is sticking in the lock or if you are having constant trouble opening your door, address these problems now. If you wait until it is too late, you may find yourself locked out and forced to spend considerably more money because you are dealing with the emergency rates or at least paying the rate to have the door opened in addition to just having the lock repaired or replaced. If you feel like your lock needs servicing, don’t wait until you are locked out. Address those simple service problems early on.

Lubricate your locks a few times a year: This might seem obvious considering locks are mechanical metal devices, but few people actually take the time to do this simple trick. Maintaining your locks is hugely essential so they don’t fail you at the worst possible time. Lubrication goes a long way towards extending the life of locks and makes it much less likely that your locks are going to seize up. Every time the seasons change and you replace the batteries in your smoke alarm, think about lubricating your locks as well. Anything with moving parts has a chance of failing so lubricate your locks periodically. One of the main reasons people call locksmiths is because they don’t maintain their locks at all.

It is simple to lubricate a lock. Lubricants come in an aerosol spray or pump-action can, so you just insert the oil nozzle or spray straw into the keyhole and spray inside. If a little bit of oil or WD-40 starts dripping outside keyhole, simply wipe it with a rag. It won’t damage the paint or cause any harm. By taking the few moments to lubricate, you are extending life of your lock and making it less likely you will be faced with emergency.

Mind your mortar’s lock: A constant mistake we see is people assuming they won’t get locked out and then they do. Ninety-five percent of all apartments in New York City have a mortar’s lock — the bottom lock that comes with the apartment whichhave a latch and a bolt. For the bolt to be engaged, you have to use a key. But the latch will engage itself automatically as soon as you pull the door shut. So people may be walking down the hall to take out the garbage and they may think they are not locking the door. But once that door shuts, they are locked out because the latch is engaged. You can press the button on the mortar’s lock (located on the inside of the door panel) to temporarily defeat the auto-lock setting. The door will shut, but it won’t lock you out. And then when you come back in, you can press the button again to make it so it does lock automatically.