Winter is coming.
(Is it lame to still use that Game of Thrones meme considering that’s from the first season and Winter has been coming in that show for about five years now?)
With winter comes snow and ice (I weep for my fading summer tan) and that means, not only does your boat (if you’re lucky enough to have one) need to be winterized, but it’s time to take a look at your door and lock hardware.
Tips for Winterizing Your Door and Lock Hardware
Check Your Latch and Strike
Your latch and strike are best friends. They want to be close. Throughout time, dirt and debris can fill up the latch and make it hard for the strike to make contact. Not only does this make your strike sad, it causes your door not to close all the way. This causes cold air to seep right in, which is no fun for anyone involved. Make sure you clean out the strike and latch from time-to-time to keep your door and lock hardware in good, working condition.
Weather Stripping
Weather stripping can be a lifesaver in the winter. It keeps warm air in and the cold air out, where it belongs. This not only keeps you from freezing, it saves your wallet from an untimely death with an unnecessarily high heating bill. A good way to check is to look at the door while it’s closed. If you can see light between the frame and the door, you need new weather stripping.
It’s an inexpensive fix and one that will save you money on your door and lock hardware in the long run.
Adjust Your Door Closer
You wouldn’t think adjusting your door closer would make that big of a difference, but you can actually use this one year-round. You want to make sure your door closer isn’t holding your door open longer than needed. Letting all that cold air in will only increase your heating bill. Your door closer should hold your door open no longer than five seconds. Anymore than that and you need to make an adjustment.
Slip Hazards
Slip hazards might not fall under the category of “winterizing” your door and lock hardware, but they’re something that will greatly reduce your liability so we like to include it in our list. Make sure all of your entryways are free of any slip hazards. However, you want to be careful when you use salts or chemical melts because they can leak into holes in your threshold. If this happens, it can prevent your concealed vertical rod exit devices from working correctly.
Thresholds
Speaking of thresholds, it’s important to make sure your threshold and door are meeting properly. This reduces heat loss from the bottom portion of your door. You can fix this by installing a door sweep or different threshold.
With winter on it’s way, you’re going to have some questions. Feel free to contact us any time!