Guaranteeing Security And Avoiding Untimely Repairs - Tips For Maintaining Your Commercial Locks
When you own and operate a business, your doors can represent a marketing opportunity. A welcoming storefront can draw in customers who otherwise may never have spent money in your store and can allow for the quick and expansive spread of positive feedback. However, your doors can also represent a different kind of opportunity for the dangerous and dishonest, so keeping them strong is important.
If you want to avoid break-ins and be sure that you have the highest level of function at all times, you need to make sure that you maintain your commercial locks. Below, you'll find a guide to some steps you can take to assist in that process, allowing you to achieve stability, security, and true peace of mind.
Cleaning
As mentioned above, your business's doors can form an important first impression with your customers. Not only does a buildup of dirt and grime suggest a lack of fastidiousness on your part, but it can also create substantial mechanical problems with the delicate locking mechanism located deep inside the structure.
Dirt and grease on the surface are likely a sign that particulate matter has made its way inside the lock and threatens to throw off the pins and springs. This buildup can cause bent pins and jammed cylinders that make it impossible for the lock to either turn or properly secure itself.
Tightening
The forces exerted on a lock can, over time, begin to jar it loose. Constant operation of a key can put stress on fasteners, and the friction associated with the opening and closing of a door can cause metal parts to contact each other in such a way that damage may result.
One of the most important things you can do to make sure your lock performance is always at its highest level is to tighten any loose hardware that you notice as soon as you see it wiggle. Not only will this prevent breaking and bending of the lock mechanism, but it can also help make sure that your key isn't subject to forces which may damage it.
Lubrication
In any situation where moving metal parts are involved, proper lubrication is absolutely essential. Friction is unavoidable and a potential source of serious damage, so mitigating its effects is critical. Make sure that you always keep a well stocked supply of spray on lubricant on hand, and rather than allowing yourself to struggle with a hesitant or sluggish lock, make a thorough application at the first sign of any sticking.
If you're having trouble with your locks, get in touch with a company that offers commercial locksmith services in your area.