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Local Locksmiths, Locksmith Services, Locksmiths, Nottingham

Summer Sail UPVC Fail: The Alignment Edition

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As we get much warmer weather across the summer months, the hot days are certainly more welcome. Our grass, our plants, our way of living all take positive impacts from the warmer weather. However, our UPVC windows and doors tend to have a negative effect which can often turn a nice warm steady day into a panic day.

As many of us are aware, UPVC is manufactured of tough plastic composites and nearly every home or business in the UK is often secured by UPVC doors and windows. UPVC is usually a light and durable solution to secure our homes and businesses. UPVC is also a cheaper solution to wooden composite doors and often operates much smoother, however it doesn’t come without its downfalls.

UPVC doors & windows expanding in heat

One of the major problems with UPVC is that it is made of plastic, which means that heat has a massive impact on what the UPVC does and how it reacts. An interesting fact about UPVC is that it can expand up to 2.4 centimetres in just over 40 degree heat. We don’t get 40 degree heat in the UK, but if we did not many UPVC doors would be opening or closing correctly as they would have expanded themselves out of alignment.

This happens on a much lower scale even at 23 degrees. UPVC doors and windows are lined up when fitted so that they shut firmly but smoothly, the fitting to make the door smooth only allows for fine margins so when the door opens and closes everything lined up in the exact place it needs to be for the locking points to engage with the strike plate holes. Once the door slowly starts moving out of alignment over time, you will notice the handle will start becoming stiff to lift or the door is catching and hitting off the frame itself. The longer the door is left misaligned, the stiffer the handle becomes to lift.

How to repair misaligned UPVC doors or windows?

To realign a UPVC door it’s quite a quick repair taking no more than 5-10 minutes, however the longer the door is left misaligned the more damage the mechanism will start taking and eventually become broken, either locked shut and unable to open or open but unable to lock shut. A mechanism replacement will cost a lot more than a quick, simple UPVC door or window alignment.

Your Secure Locksmiths are experts in and around Nottingham at UPVC door alignments and it would be highly recommended to book an accredited engineer if your door has shown any signs of dropping, become stiff or hitting/scrapping off any part of the door or frame itself.

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Guide to all services offered by Locksmiths

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For those of us lucky enough to never require a locksmith Ealing in their life, terms like emergency door entry or non-destructive lock picking might sound abstract and foreign. That said, in case you find yourself in a situation where you cannot get into your house or car, or if your house have been robbed and you’d like to have your locks change, we prepared this short list explaining all the services your local locksmith might (and should) offer and how they work.

Emergency Door Entry

If you’re locked out of your house, be it because you lost your keys, had them stolen, or your lock simply jammed or broke, you should look for a local locksmith Richmond that offers emergency door entry. In most cases, the locksmith will arrive on site within one hour and attempt to pick or repair your lock. Whether you will need a new lock or not depends on whether the locksmith can manage to open your door without damaging the current one, they will attempt to pick the lock, and if unsuccessful, drill it to gain entry. A similar service is also being offered for car locks, in the event you lock your keys inside of your car for example. Most locksmiths offer that service, some even specialize only in auto locks, although not all of them will be able to cut new keys for your car if they require additional security measures to be implemented.

New Keys & Lock replacement

This service caters for those who lost their keys and need a new set, but also those who just moved in to their new house and need all locks replaced for added security. There are various reasons why you might need new keys or new locks, and regardless of the reason your local locksmith Harrow will be able to help you, either by replacing the locks or by cutting a new set of house or car keys for you.

In the event you just moved house, you cannot be sure you received all available keys to the house. You never know, the previous owner might not even remember he’s had a spare key made for a nephew, a friend or a neighbour and it’s still out there. The only way to be 100% sure you’re the only person with access to your own house, is replacing the locks after moving in. This will give you a peace of mind and prevent all those sleepless nights spent wondering.

Another case scenario would be having your window or garage lock sorted. Your local locksmith should also be able to take care of that, whether you need a new window lock or your garage door lock replaced. There are even some locksmiths that actually specialize in UPVC locks replacement and repairs.

Other

The services described above are the most common ones, but you can also come across other, less common ones. Generally, locksmiths will also offer another set of services targeted at commercial clients. These might include master key systems for example, ideal for hotels and similar institutions.

Security checks and replacing all locks on site are also among services they might offer, but that does not really concern domestic clients. It should suffice we explained the services you are most likely to come across, and if you find yourself requiring a different service, simply ask your local locksmith and they should be able to either do that for you, or recommend someone who will.