3 Consequences from Keeping Old Door Locks

If you care about security on your property, maintaining new and updated high security door locks is essential. Leaving your locks to become old, degraded and outdated is a risky false economy. Here we take a look at 3 things that can go wrong if your fail to update your old door locks for new contemporary designs. 

1. Your Locks Become Easy Targets

The longer a lock design has been in use and available on the market, the more effective people are at cracking them. The main reason you have locks is to increase the security of your property, so keeping one that is especially old and vulnerable is actually counterproductive. The older and simpler your lock the more attractive a target it can be. Auto locks and the latest cylinder locks are designed to be incredibly hard to bypass. 

2. Your Locks Fail at Bad Times

An old and severely degraded lock is like a ticking time bomb. It can be only a matter of time before it fails and becomes unusable. You can imagine if this happens at the wrong time, how disruptive such an occurrence could be. Home and car lockouts, as well as safe and cabinet lockout are all examples of situations that can arise from allowing the locks and keys for these doors to deteriorate past a usable standard. If you have an old master lock system or many of the same type of aging lock installed throughout your home, the risk is even higher. Avoid the risk of any of your locks from letting you down at important times by upgrading them for designs that are new and more reliable. 

3. Locks Stiffen & Snap Keys

Over time aging locks will typically stiffen. Some designs can be made practically as good as new with an application of suitable lubricant, but some will become mechanically more challenging to turn. This can lead to keys snapping inside the chamber, as you attempt to apply more force to turn them. When this happens you will need to call a locksmith service company to have a new replacement keys provided as well as having the key removed from the lock if it is stuck. It can be dangerous and more damaging to the lock for you to try and remove the jammed key shard yourself. It is almost always best to allow an expert to come and remove it safely.