Cold weather (and hot weather) can affect mechanical lock operation, and it affects smart lock and electronic lock operation as well! In this blog entry, the Seattle smart lock installation and Seattle lock repair experts here at Key Rescue Seattle will detail how weather can affect your smart lock.
We advise against amateur attempts to pick smart locks. This can rapidly cause even worse damage to your smart lock, leading to even more complicated repairs. Trust a professional to unlock your smart lock – this is what professional locksmiths do. Professional Seattle locksmiths can provide emergency lockout service, even for smart locks, in an extremely efficient and effective fashion. And yes, this also applies to smart lock issues caused by cold weather.
Weather and Keyless Locks
Even if keyless locks don’t have keyholes, they are still susceptible to the outdoors. In fact, besides the keyway, the internal mechanism of keyless lock is often very similar to that of a standard lock. They usually have a universal unlock code, run on batteries, and can be configured to work with multiple locking codes. Cold weather rapidly drains power from batteries, causing smart locks to suddenly run out of power in cold weather, when you’re in a rush to get into your warm property. Key Rescue Seattle can rapidly change the batteries on your smart lock to ensure it properly works. We recommend changing your smart lock batteries once a year, and more often based on your smart lock make and model, how cold your area is, and how well your smart lock can withstand cold weather.
Mechanical Issues with Keyless Locks
Keyless locks can experience mechanical problems due to cold or hot weather. Make sure to regularly oil locks to make sure that locking mechanisms don’t jam, and generally operate with less fiction, ensuring better lock functionality. Sometimes, when keypads get wet in hot or cold weather, moisture or ice can cause the button to jam or for the entire keypad to enter a faulty or unwanted command when codes are entered.
All of these potential issues depend, of course, on your particular smart lock make and model. Some smart locks work better in hot or cold weather than others. Some are built with high resistance to cold or heat. We recommend weatherproof smart locks, especially in the wet environment of Seattle.