The cylinder that has not turned since October

More than half the homes in Dénia are not lived in all year. Many shut in October and open again at Easter or in June. For a lock, that is a long time to do nothing.

So a familiar scene: you arrive, tired, with the suitcases, and the key goes in stiffly, turns a little, and stops.

What has happened

A cylinder has small pins and springs inside that move every time a key goes in. When nobody uses it for months:

• dust and grit settle in the keyway and around the pins;
• any lubricant dries out and turns sticky;
• moisture can leave the parts less free than they were.

None of that means the lock is broken. It means it is dry and dirty, and the pins are not dropping into place as they should.

Hands off, for now

Do not force the key. This is the one that matters. A key under too much twist snaps, and then a cleaning job becomes an opening job, with a new cylinder to follow.

Do not use household oil or a general-purpose spray. It frees the lock for a day and then collects every bit of dust it meets, which makes the next time worse.

Do not hit the cylinder or pull hard on the door while turning. If the door has dropped a little on its hinges, pulling or lifting gently can help; hammering never does.

What you can try

• Pull the key out and push it back in fully, several times, to move the pins.
• Push or lift the door gently while turning, in case the bolt is binding in the frame rather than the cylinder sticking.
• Use a dry lubricant made for locks, if you have one.

If none of that works in a couple of minutes, stop. Ring, say that the key goes in but will not turn, and send a photo. Very often the cylinder can be freed and cleaned without being replaced, as long as the key is still in one piece.

Next time

Before you close the house, have somebody turn each outside lock once a month, or have the cylinders serviced before you leave. It is a small job that saves this exact scene, and if a cylinder turns out to be past saving, a new one is a short booked visit.