Determining When It Is Appropriate to Change Your Locks

Many of the homeowners we serve ask us when they should have their locks changed. There are all sorts of reasons to change the locks of your home. Let us start by telling you that this is something that should be a part of your routine maintenance program. If your safety and security is important, we are certain you won’t mind adding one more thing to your list of household responsibilities. If you have a family, this is all the more reason to make sure you evaluate your locks and have them changed annually. Keeping you and your loved ones safe is of high importance to everyone at Avondale Locksmith Stars in Avondale, AZ. We have included a couple of additional reasons for changing the locks of your home.

1. Moving Out 

If you have someone living with you, such as, a roommate or border, it is important that you change your locks after they have moved out. No matter how much you trust them, you never know who may have had the opportunity to get their hands on their keys and duplicate them. Don’t take any chances; change the locks. You can never be too safe when it comes to safety and security.  

      2. If An Attempted Break-in 

When you think that someone has tried to break into your home, this is undoubtedly a good reason to have the locks changed. Although they didn’t succeed in gaining access, it doesn’t mean that they may not try again at a later date. Now that the lock has been weakened, they just might succeed the second time around. In some cases, an intruder may try to gain access into your home through your garage. If your garage door lock looks as though it has been tampered with, it is also a good idea to have the lock changed also. Don’t waste time overthinking the situation. Contact a local locksmith to change your locks today.  

    3. Worn Out Locks 

Any time you have locks that are dated and worn out, you should have the locks changed. Locks that are worn can be broken more easily. In addition to the locks being weakened, they may no longer work the way they are intended to. This would also leave you susceptible to a home intrusion. Contact Avondale Locksmith Stars when you have locks that look worn no matter if the locks are on your windows or doors. We don’t care how old the locks are, we are happy to change the locks for you. 

    4. Old Locks 

Some homes that we serve have the same locks that were installed when the house was built. In some cases this could be more than 50 or 60 years ago. These old locks might begin to show signs of how old they are by becoming ineffective when you try to use them. This is a problem within itself. Locks that are old are easier to compromise since burglars are more skilled at what they do. Your old locks will not be a problem for a career criminal who has the skills to break a variety of current locks. Don’t make it easy for a burglar to get inside your home. Have any old locks that you may have, changed as soon as possible. 

    5. Whenever You Move 

This is something that you might not think we should have to mention but you might be surprised to know just how many people do not have locks changed before moving into a new home. While this is supposed to be done prior to your moving in, it is up to you to make sure that the job has actually been carried out. Besides, it is your safety and security at stake, not that of the contractor who’s job it is to change the locks. Don’t take unnecessary chances by moving into a home that has not had the locks changed. This includes windows and doors. 

    6. Keys That Have Been Lost or Stolen 

Anytime you lose your keys or they have been stolen, immediately change the locks. You never know who’s hands your keys may have ended up in. While you may assume that you have simply lost your keys, they may have actually been stolen. In this case, it would best to change the locks just to be on the safe side. If the keys are stolen, they may undoubtedly know exactly where you live. This is not a chance that anyone should take. Call a locksmith the moment your keys go missing to have them change your locks. 

    7. Any Time You Had Your Keys Over 

When you are unable to be at home during a service call, it might be necessary to hand your keys over to a service provider. Any time your keys are out of your possession, you risk someone duplicating them. Even if the specific person the keys are handed to doesn’t make a duplicate copy, someone else could do this. That is why it is a good idea to change the locks as soon as possible. Avoid anyone coming into your home uninvited. 

    8. Someone Has Tried to Break-in

When you arrive home only to see that someone has tried to break into your home, don’t hesitate to contact a professional locksmith to change your lock. Not only should the locksmith change the lock in question, they should also evaluate the other locks of your home to see if the intruder has attempted to break-in through another access point. If they discover that there has been an attempt, these locks should also be changed. The locks are likely weaker and now easier to compromise. Don’t allow someone to come back to finish the job. Have the locks changed as quickly as possible. 

The more proactive you are the better chance you have of avoiding an intrusion. As we always say, ‘It is better to be safe than sorry’. Do yourself a favor and have your locks changed whenever your locks look tampered with.

Locking Technology for the Bathroom

New locking technologies continue to find their way into mainstream applications that we encounter during our daily course of activities. One such application involves the use of shared restrooms typically found in college dorms, medical facilities, and schools.  The fact is, shared restrooms are becoming increasingly popular in new construction as the cost of installing bathrooms can be steep. For plumbing alone, the national average cost for commercial construction ranges from $6 per square foot to more than $8 per square foot, depending on the building type and location and including materials and labor. What it doesn’t include is the cost of framing walls, drywall, fixtures, tiling and/or other finish work. Building one restroom for every two rooms rather than one-to-one, building owners can cut these costs in half and in a multi-story building, those savings can be significant.

However, there are a couple of challenges associated with this type of restroom setup that may give building managers pause. Ensuring the privacy and safety of those who enter the restroom is foremost among these challenges. This requires the person to make sure all entrances to the restroom are locked upon entering, which leads to the second challenge – ensuring all doors are unlocked when a person exits the restroom to provide free access for all connected rooms.

When a restroom door is locked from the inside, the natural assumption is that it is in use. If it remains locked for a lengthy period of time, an individual from one adjacent room must visit the other room to see if the restroom is in fact still occupied or whether the last user forgot to unlock one of the doors. This can be time-consuming and can also add another layer of privacy concerns, particularly in nursing home or medical facility applications. Worse yet, is if all doors are accidentally locked no one will be able to access the restroom until a key-holder arrives – a poor use of manpower and operating overhead.

To continue reading, click Locking Technology for the Bathroom.