Locksmith Care is a family-owned locksmith company operating in Toronto and the area since 1962. We offer residential, commercial and industrial locksmith services including re-key, replacement, repair and installation of all types of locks, locking mechanisms with a high degree of protection, fire exit devices.
We also specialize in replacing combo locks, repairing electrical locks after an electric strike. Count on our team and if you need lock out, repair the locks after burglary and to maintain your Master key system.
The activities we are doing perfectly are extremely numerous, of which our customers are particularly pleased. In the upcoming months we will be flooded with calls related to frozen locks of residential, office and car doors. We have come up with a few tips on how you can avoid being stranded in the cold with frozen locks.
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CONTACT USIn many regions of the world where the winter is extremely cold, people are confronted with a common problem – the frozen lock. The locking mechanism (cartridge) is subject to condensation because of the high temperature inside the door and the low on the outside. The moisture becomes ice that stops the key to open the lock.
The problem sounds serious only at first glance. In fact, there are a few simple tricks that you can do yourself. The first is to heat the key. If you have a lighter or matches, use them to heat the metal key. After you have heated the key up insert it into the lock and jiggle it around a few times allowing the heat to thaw out the locking mechanism inside the lock and then turn the key. The lock should open right up and you’ll unlock the door of your home, office or car. It is important that, while performing the operation in question, be especially careful. It is possible to burn your fingers with the hot key. And also – when metal is hot it becomes pliable and too much force could bend the key and make it absolutely unusable.
When you get out of your car you find that your home lock is frozen, you could use the hot car engine to heat up the metal key if you do not have a match or lighter. The engine generates an extremely high temperature, again be careful not to damage your key while attempting to jiggle the lock.
The frozen lock can be returned to normal operation by other means. If heating the key for any reason is impossible or just not like, you can also use a hand sanitizer. This is a very useful cosmetic and sanitary product that more and more people carry with them.
Sanitizer contains a high percentage of alcohol, and it can successfully cope with freezing. More importantly, with this method there is no danger of either the key or yourself. However, you need to know something important. The sanitizer should be in the form of a gel, not a lotion.
Antibacterial lotions especially those offered at Bath & Body contain small beads, are not a suitable solution. The remainder of the cosmetic product may remain in the lock and cause other serious long-term problems. If you do not have the habit of carrying sanitizer gel, there are other great solutions.
On the market today there is a great product called The Hillman Group Lock De-icer. You will find it in every hardware store. It has a self-heating pin that you insert in the lock and thaw it. The device is not at all expensive, so if you live in a region where the locks are freezing often, this might be a great investment.
The best piece of advice we can give you is to stock up on the lock deicer which is sold at just about every hardware and drug store in the world. A little bottle will run you a few bucks but will save you quite the headache and stress of a frozen lock. And lastly, if all of our suggestions fail, you can always ask for help.
We advise you to look for a professional locksmith if your lock is too expensive and too complex. We have perfectly equipped emergency teams ready to assist you 12 hours a day / 7 days a week.
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