How to Lubricate your Front Door Lock: Lubrication Tips

Lubrication is a myth

Agree, a rather loud statement, which, for sure, made many readers smile. However, before you have time to draw any conclusions, let's say right away that all modern locks coming out of conveyors do not need any lubrication!

Grease? No, have not heard

Let's even say more - applying lubricant in some cases will lead to the loss of the product warranty.
For you to understand, we will repeat that we are talking only about mass production today!

In the photo - products of domestic turners

On the market you can find semi-handicraft locks, as well as products collected in not so distant places, although for the most part our statement is true for them.
Hence, we can conclude that the need for lubrication is laid down at the design stage of the product and its specific mechanisms, depending on the load they carry.
If we consider old Soviet-made products, then grease was then put into most products. Their repeated lubrication was not only not forbidden, but, on the contrary, was encouraged.

There is no need to lubricate the larvae, as the key will constantly get dirty

The reason for this difference is that old products have huge landings and tolerances, that is, the parts are poorly fitted to each other, there was a backlash, due to which a significant load was exerted on individual nodes. Operation of the lock naturally leads to the production of lubricant and the parts themselves. And this led to the consequences already described, so the lubricant often prolonged its difficult life for the product.

The legacy of the Soviet past

In modern factories, even cheap Chinese ones, the latest equipment is used, which makes it possible to produce parts with an accuracy of hundredths of a millimeter. Lubrication is simply not needed here - moreover, it will only harm the normal operation of the mechanism.

The instruction directly indicates this, but the trouble is that a Russian person reads these useless instructions extremely rarely. And if he reads, then he safely forgets their contents in the shortest possible time.

The modern element is very reliable

What happens if the product is still lubricated

What the future holds

So, what happens inside the lock after the grease gets there, which, in theory, should only improve its performance?

The lubricant gets on the code elements of the mechanism and at first you will really feel the positive effect in the work.
However, after some time, the grease in the lock will begin to thicken - this is due to the adhesion of dust that gets even into such closed mechanisms.
Additionally, dirt gets inside along with the key, which could lie at the bottom of the purse or in the pocket, where there is enough tissue lint and other delights.
Many modern mechanisms can malfunction when a grain of sand gets inside, and due to lubrication, whole cakes of dirt accumulate.

Unpleasant situation

The second point that should also be taken into account is the adhesion of metal microparticles to the lubricant. They are formed when the parts of the mechanism rub against each other. Many locks for temporary storage of such waste are equipped with special channels and anthers, but thanks to lubrication, all this simply cannot get there.
As a result, all this jumble will accumulate on the code elements. Having thickened, the lubricant will either begin to glue them together, or it will simply interfere with the normal movement of parts. As a result, the lock will fail much faster.

How to properly lubricate the locking device?

Answering the question of how to lubricate the door lock and any other locking device, one should not forget how to apply the lubricant correctly.Experts advise, in an ideal situation, to apply lubricating fluid to a clean mechanism. But in most cases this is quite difficult to do, because, unfortunately, people think about the need to lubricate the lock only when it stops opening.

In general, lubrication with a specialized liquid such as WD-40 or TURSCHLOS PFLIGE can help open the lock, even if the mechanism is very dirty, so there is a reason to first use the lubricant, and only then engage in further prevention. Having answered for yourself the question of how to lubricate the lock, you must ask another question, how to do it correctly. The lock is lubricated with a specialized fluid as follows.

You need to take a can of lubricant and remove the protective cap.
Remove the small tube from the can and attach it to the spray hole.
You need to insert the tube into the keyhole and spray several times. If the liquid leaks out, then the product is sufficient.
Now we insert the key into the lock and take it out. Grease should remain on the key, wipe it dry with a cloth. Wait a bit, then insert the key again and wipe it off. We repeat the action until we manage to pull out the blank key.
Reinsert the spray tube into the keyhole and spray once.
Now you can turn the key in the lock. We make sure that the lock works well, wipe the grease drips from the doors and rejoice!

How to lubricate a door lock? Many people are ready to answer this question on the fly, but only a few get it right. If you need to lubricate your locking device, do not rush to fill it with used engine oil. First, get a decent lubricant, use it correctly, and the "grateful lock" will repay you with long years of exemplary service.

The lock is an important part of the door hardware. Due to frequent use and high loads, the device requires maintenance for well-coordinated work - the use of lubricant.

Door locks need to be lubricated regularly, because they are responsible for the safety of the house and its inhabitants. Most often, processing is carried out only when problems are noticed in the operation of the mechanism. It is recommended that you lubricate the constipation at least once a year to prevent it from getting stuck.

If we are talking about interior doors in an apartment, which are used more often, then the procedure must be carried out 1 time in 6-8 months. For those who live in private houses, it is good to carry out processing once every 3-4 months.

If the lock is oiled, grease the door hinges well. The fittings need to be processed both with frequent use and if they have not been used for several years.

Why do you need to do this

If you lubricate the lock periodically, it will be easier to turn the key. Irregular lubrication will allow dust to build up in the mechanism, making it difficult to use.

The most dangerous thing for any constipation is rust. Because of it, structural elements are gradually destroyed. Over time, it becomes impossible to turn the key.

The properties of lubricants help protect constipation from dust, dirt and rust, prevent damage to the mechanism and rapid wear.

Door locks care rules

It is easier to follow the elementary rules of operation of door lock systems than to periodically replace them. Basic principles of prevention:

No need to apply excessive force when installing the product, sharply insert and turn the key in the keyhole;
Keys must not be inserted simultaneously from the inside and outside of the door;
Do not use a damaged key or foreign objects to open;
It is required to carry out regular lubrication of the working mechanism, provided that you know exactly how you can lubricate a door lock of this type;
Clean the lock structure from dirt.

How else to care for door locks

Door locks need regular maintenance.In order to avoid problems with the mechanism in the future, a number of rules must be observed.

Do not wait until the lock is completely jammed or until some other problem appears. The best way to protect a castle is prevention. It is recommended to lubricate the doors approximately every six months. If the owner carries out such work less often than once a year, then he exposes the mechanism to the risk of deterioration and premature failure.

You should always use suitable lubricants, and not use products recommended by neighbors or friends. Friends may have different locks and operating conditions of mechanisms.

Locks on external doors of private houses require even more careful maintenance. It is advisable to lubricate it about once every three to four months. This will avoid mechanical problems. External locks are heavily stressed.

If you take care of the locks, then you can extend their service life several times. Today, in addition to lubricants in stores, you can also find various cleaners and even compounds that defrost ice-covered locks.

Reasons for the appearance of a squeak at door hinges

The most common causes of squeaky hinges are:

Incorrect fastening of the hinges when installing the door.

If this is the case, the creak appears immediately after the door is installed and started to operate. In the case of hinges on an iron entrance or street door, which were welded before its installation, you are unlikely to be able to do something yourself, so you should contact a specialist to reinstall the hinges - for example, those who installed this door for you.

As for the interior doors, in order to prevent the possible occurrence of a squeak in the future and to save yourself from the problems of removing and lubricating the door, you can install a new door in compliance with one nuance. To do this, half-loops with an axis (pin) can be attached to the door leaf, and half-loops with a hole similar to a glass can be attached to the door frame, while usually everything is done exactly the opposite, which leads to a rapid leakage of oil when the door is lubricated.

The hinges and door trim are touching each other.

In this case, in order to remove the creak, you will have to be careful and adjust the dimensions of the cladding to specific hinges.

Lack of lubrication in the hinges, or the use of an inappropriate lubricant.
No special balls in the hinge design.

There is only one way out: you will have to remove the doors, the hinges from them, which are then completed with the missing balls, after which the hinges are again attached to the door leaf, and it, in turn, returns to its rightful place.

That is, it is not so difficult to eliminate the cause of the door squeak, the main thing is to diagnose it correctly.

How to lubricate cylinder locks

Cylinder locks are maggot mechanisms that also need preventive maintenance

Cylinder locks are maggot mechanisms that also require preventive maintenance. It is not recommended to pour lubricants into such locks. It is best to treat only the deadbolt itself with plain machine oil or WD40 grease.

If you pour oil inside the mechanism, then very soon dust will begin to accumulate in the larva, which will clog the lock. The door will stop opening normally, and this will lead to breakage in the future. Cylinder locks sometimes seize and corrode. As a last resort, if you need to check the mechanism, it is better to take out the larva and inspect it. In case of serious damage, the lock cylinder is replaced with a new one.

Door lock lubrication rules

If the recommendations are not followed, the opposite effect can be achieved. This will only aggravate the situation and speed up the need to repair both the lock and the door system. There are several tips. They are simple and affordable for every homeowner. The following describes the door lock preventive maintenance sequence.

Keyhole cleaning. It is enough to pour in a special cleaning liquid. With its help, it will be possible to rid the lock of small particles formed after friction of metal elements, and dust. There is no need to "save" liquid. It should be used so much that the excess is poured out. Abundant wetting guarantees better cleaning. It is necessary to prevent contamination of the used product, both the door itself and the surrounding interior elements.
Correction of jamming. You should try to extract the key without much effort. The use of pliers or similar tools is not permitted. Excessive force is fraught with damage to the key or parts of the mechanism. If you cannot pull out the key with your hands, it is much safer to disassemble the lock and pull out the larva itself.
Well cleaning. Removing the debris will require the usual reusable key insertion procedure. In most cases, this is sufficient. After removing the key, wipe off all accumulations of debris and dirt from its surface. This should be repeated until the key remains clean.
Complete well cleaning. After removing all debris from the well, the surface should be coated with a lubricating fluid. After wiping off the leftover product, you need to wait a little. Then you need to insert the key and turn it several times in both directions. The work of the mechanism should improve markedly. After making sure that the lubrication has been carried out properly, you need to remove the key and wipe it dry with a cloth

It is important to remember that traces of grease will remain on the wrench over the next few days. You need to monitor this so as not to get your hands, clothes, objects dirty.

Causes and consequences

There are four reasons why you have to deal with the lubrication of the locking mechanism.

One of the common reasons for the deterioration of the functioning of a door lock is dust that gets inside over time. Gradually, dust particles are knocked down into a dense lump, which is mixed with iron shavings. This significantly impairs the movement of the crossbars installed in the locking mechanism.

Most often, this problem is faced by residents of private houses, whose front door is located on the street.

Abrasion of parts

Some people think that keyhole problems can only be caused by dust, but this is not the case. Often the mechanism begins to malfunction due to poor maintenance. The parts begin to rub against each other, which accelerates the wear of the parts of the locking device. As a result, a lot of metal shavings appear inside, which begins to rust.

Rust

Another common problem that causes the lock to work worse is the appearance of rust. Most often, corrosion appears on a metal surface due to an increased level of humidity. If the rust is not removed in a timely manner, parts with corrosion will gradually begin to erode. This will cause the mechanism to jam.

This problem is common among residents of summer cottages, private houses and cottages, since they have a front door lock on the street.

Poor sliding of moving parts

Special parts are installed inside the locking mechanism, which should move smoothly. Without lubrication, their sliding is significantly impaired, which leads to wedging of the lock.

Having familiarized yourself with the main reasons for the appearance of problems in the operation of the keyhole, it is necessary to understand the frequency of lubrication of parts.

Entrance door

Many people whose front door is located on the street do not know how often to lubricate its lock. Experts recommend carrying out the procedure at least once every two months. This will help prevent dust ingress and wear on parts installed in the mechanism.

Entrance to the apartment

People living in the apartment believe that it is not necessary to lubricate the keyhole of the front door, since it does not get dirty. However, experts recommend periodically processing the mechanism so that it does not jam from wear of parts or the ingress of dust particles. Lubrication is not done as often as when caring for a door installed on the street. It is processed once every six months.

For interroom

The easiest way is to take care of interior doors, since their locks are much less likely to wear out and deteriorate due to the appearance of traces of corrosion on the surface. Lubrication of such locks is recommended to be done once a year. If the keyhole is practically not used, it is processed several times less often.

How and with what to lubricate the lock or locking mechanisms?

WD-40 grease, the most popular product.

As practice shows, most people, when a problem with the lock occurs, use WD-40 grease, such a grease in fact does not have the desired properties, since this fluid contains 50% white spirit, 15% mineral oil, as well as carbon dioxide. The effect of such lubrication is temporary, since white spirit evaporates and mineral oil remains, and subsequently dust and small particles adhere to the internal mechanisms, therefore we do not recommend you lubricate the larvae, as well as the internal mechanisms of the locks.

Graphite grease.

The best agent is graphite grease, as it has good sliding properties. Graphite is a natural black substance that is antistatic, withstands high temperatures and an important moment, does not corrode. But, we are not talking about graphite grease, where mineral oils are mixed with graphite, but about graphite powder.

How to make graphite powder?

If it is not possible to buy graphite powder, then it can be made at home, since we do not need a lot of it for our tasks. Graphite is found in graphite pencils. It will not be difficult to pull the graphite rod out of the pencil, then you need to grind it, for example in a tablespoon, and your lubricant is ready.
The disadvantages of graphite grease are the complexity of its use, since in order to produce good lubrication, you need to disassemble the lock or locking mechanism.

Silicone Grease.

Silicone-based grease is the most affordable and reliable substance used in various areas of everyday life, and is also well suited for lubricating locks.

Properties and qualities of silicone grease:

the grease has good fluidity - this makes it easier to get into all hard-to-reach parts of the mechanisms.
chemically inert to all types of plastic and rubber.
has the ability to adhere well to the surface.
very good protection against corrosion.
does not burn and is not afraid of sparks, as well as open flames.
has excellent water-repellent properties.
does not lend itself to temperature influences.

Silicone grease is sold in cylinders under pressure, this greatly facilitates its penetration into the internal parts of rubbing mechanisms, also due to the fact that this substance perfectly repels water and can be operated at low temperatures, it is an indispensable means of preventing the castle from freezing.

Lubricating the lock with silicone grease is the most optimal solution to this problem, both for prevention purposes and further without problematic operation.

Varieties of lubricants and their characteristics

The modern driver does not need to use available tools for processing and go to professional workshops for this. The automotive chemistry market can offer a suitable product that is cost effective and meets the user's requirements. You need to understand automotive lubricants to make the right choice.

The composition of the lubricant includes additives, thickeners, oils and additional components that can expand the set of qualities and characteristics of the original substance. Automotive hinge grease is divided into subspecies as follows:

By composition (liquid, which is called oil, semi-solid with a plastic structure, solid).
By the method of use (universal or general purpose, motor, transmission).
By the nature of the raw materials used and the substance that forms the basis (mineral, vegetable, synthetic and semi-synthetic).

Regardless of which lubricant you choose, it must have a certain set of characteristics:

viscous structure;
strength;
resistance to high and low temperatures;
good indicators of lubricating ability;
stability of preservation of physical and chemical properties;
resistance to mechanical stress;
water-repellent properties;
protection against wear and corrosion.

Choosing a lubricant

If we lived in an ideal world, then all lubricants for car doors, hinges and locks would have all the described advantages and characteristics. In reality, they allow themselves to produce a low quality product. We have selected the most successful brands of lubricant for cars from all existing options. Remember, each lubricant must be applied to well-cleaned surfaces. Even if the hinges and locks in the car are covered with a layer of old grease, but there are traces of dust on it, they still need to be cleaned and greased again.

Cleaned door hinges will need to be lubricated with grease. Car care products such as Litol and Solidol are a good alternative. A worthy response from Russian manufacturers to foreign companies that offer more expensive products. Only apply grease to those door elements that often experience friction. At this, the preparatory work can be considered completed and proceed to the next stages of processing car doors.

When do you need to process?

Any door hardware must be periodically lubricated, and such work should be carried out not as difficulties arise, but regularly in order to avoid many troubles with the lock. It's not a secret for anyone that it is this detail that plays the most important role in ensuring the safety and security of the home, and when the castle fails, a potential threat arises both for the house itself and for its inhabitants.

Lubrication is carried out for the following purposes.

For sliding - the use of a lubricant facilitates the free rotation of the mechanism and its operation.
To reduce the degree of wear - if there is too little lubricating fluid in the lock, then the entire operation of the system is difficult, while the parts begin to rub in, chips fly off the metal, and dust particles begin to get inside, which act like coarse abrasives.
To combat dust accumulation - when there is a lack of lubrication, the particles begin to stick together into solid lumps and completely block the free movement of the unfolding transoms.
To prevent rust. Corrosion of metal is the main enemy of every mechanism made of metal, it leads to complete or partial destruction of the material, in this case all the elements of the lock seize, or even stop moving altogether.

Reasons for jamming the lock

There are few of them, despite the fact that the design of modern devices is extremely complex. However, difficulties that arise with defects in the electromagnetic component of the locking mechanism require special knowledge and special repair. Whereas if the mechanical part is taken care of in a timely manner, the front door lock will work flawlessly.

Abrasion of parts - friction leads to gradual grinding of parts. Accordingly, opening becomes more and more difficult.As a rule, if the locking mechanism is lubricated, the problems disappear immediately. The photo shows a locking device.

Contamination - the lock of the front door, of course, is not airtight, and therefore both dirt and dust get inside. In addition to the fact that they themselves disrupt the normal operation of the mechanism, dust tends to thicken the lubricant, which increases friction instead of reducing it.

Incorrect installation of the lock or skewed door leaf, which is found in metal structures - it is especially important to observe the geometry of the leaf. The slightest deviation leads to the fact that the deadbolt rubs against protruding parts, grinds off, and difficulties arise with opening the sashes.

How to lubricate the lock?

The choice of means depends on the type of locking mechanism. There are quite a few options here.

Used engine oil is perfect for lubricating all door hardware.
Silicone grease is most suitable for cylinder larvae, although it is also used for other mechanisms. Differs in durability, as it creates a protective layer on the surface of parts. It is recommended to lubricate plastic and metal elements with it.
WD40 is a naphtha and mineral oil formulation. It is famous for its penetrating ability and the ability to displace water. WD40 perfectly protects locking mechanisms from rust. However, they have to lubricate the device more often.

Graphite grease - or carbon. It belongs to the category of dry lubricants, it is especially recommended to use it in order to lubricate the lever mechanism. Both a ready-made store product and graphite pencil shavings are used.
Solid oil is not the best option for door hardware, but it is used to handle the lock.
Vegetable oil is the most unfortunate solution, as it is quickly consumed and, moreover, has the ability to accumulate and collect dirt. It can be used only as a last resort, when, for example, a key is stuck and there is no way to close the front door. However, later, it is advisable to rinse the fittings and lubricate with a more suitable agent.

The video shows in more detail how to properly care for the lock.