Earthquakes - Directly Affecting Your Doors And Locks

Earthquakes are definitely increasing in regularity this year. Or perhaps, thanks to the power of the media, we are becoming more instantly aware about the quantity and severity of earthquakes.

The earth is constantly shifting and building construction has only recently taken these things into consideration, with building codes being modified to encourage better quality, safer constructions.

Weathering, is a common term in building trades, that often is rarely considered when purchasing or installing hardware.

I would call earthquakes a form of weathering too.

Often at the change of seasons, the earth moves slightly. As a consequence of weathering, timber constructions will expand and contract due to heat, cold and ground shifts.

Many builders fail to consider weathering when recommending or installing new hardware or doors in dwellings.

With the increasing demand for electronic and wireless locking systems, many products are developed with motor driven mechanisms. Often these mechanisms do not stand up well to weathering effects due to the door frames shifting, foundations moving etc. These small movements in the ground can and do often negatively affect the correct operation of your doors and hardware.

There are some techniques designed to minimize movement of frames etc, but in general, most people are unaware that a door has moved or that their lock is not working correctly, until it's too late.

I suggest that the thought about weathering needs to be considered when purchasing electronic motor driven locking devices, because if your door moves and the bolt mechanism doesnt line up correctly with the strike/frame, the lock will jamb or not lock, leaving you unsecure.