Locksmith Information for Apopka

Counting the locks you actually own

Ask a homeowner how many locks they have and they will usually count the front door and perhaps the back. Walk the property with a notepad and the number grows well past that. There is the entry door from the garage, the sliding door to the patio, a side door, a gate, a shed or workshop, a mailbox, a storage cabinet, maybe a lock on a pool equipment closet. Each one has a key, a code or a combination, and each one is a place where something can go wrong.

This page is general guidance for people in and around Apopka. It does not describe local streets, developments or rules, and it does not claim that any particular team has worked on a specific property. If your community has an association or your home has requirements for exterior hardware, ask your association, manager or builder what applies.

The simplest first step toward good lock habits is that walk. Write down every lock, what kind it is and who has a key. You will probably find two or three you had forgotten, and at least one that sticks. That list is the basis for everything that follows.

Do this on a dry, bright day and take photos as you go. A photo of each lock helps when you later describe it over the phone, and it gives you a record of what you had. Include the hardware brand if it is printed on the lock, though it is fine if you cannot read it. Many homeowners are surprised by how many different key types they own, and by how many keys they cannot match to a lock.

The garage entry door is worth extra thought

In many homes with an attached garage, the door between the garage and the house is the weakest link. It is hidden from the street, it may be a lighter door than the front one, and people often leave it unlocked for convenience. Anyone who gets into the garage, by an open door, an unattended remote or a forgotten keypad code, can reach that door in private.

Give the garage entry the same quality of lock and frame you would give the front door. A solid deadbolt, a properly secured strike plate and a door that fits its frame make a real difference. Our guide on garage entry door lock basics explains what to look for, and the page on garage entry lock problems helps if yours already sticks or fails.

Remember that garage door openers and their remotes are a separate matter. We cover locks and keys, not adjusting or repairing openers, springs or cables, which should be left to a garage door specialist. What we can say is that old remotes, forgotten codes and spare remotes in parked cars are part of your key list, so count them too.

Ask yourself a simple question about the garage entry: if the main garage door were opened by a stranger, how long would it take them to get from the garage into the living space? If the answer is not long at all, the inner door is the last line of defense, and it should be treated like one. That does not mean fortress hardware. It means a lock that works, a bolt that reaches deep into a solid frame and a habit of locking it at night.

Side doors, sliding doors and the back of the house

Burglars, stray animals and weather all prefer the back of a house. Sliding glass doors are common in Central Florida homes because of patios and lanais, and their locks are often basic latches that were never meant to resist much. A worn track, a loose latch or a missing bar can leave the door easy to open or lift.

Side doors tend to be forgotten. They may be used only for taking out the trash or reaching a backyard, and the lock gets little attention until it fails. If you rarely use a door, test it at least once a season. Our guides on sliding glass door lock basics and choosing a lock for a side door are written for people in exactly this situation.

If you have a pet door, think about what it does to the door it is cut into. A larger flap can let more than a pet through, and the frame around it can weaken the door. Our guide to pet doors and entry security covers common concerns without alarm.

The bolt, the strike and the frame behind a sliding door are quite different from those on a hinged door, so a locksmith will look at different things. They check whether the door lifts out of its track, whether the latch catches the keeper firmly and whether an auxiliary lock or bar would help. Because a sliding door is mostly glass, the lock cannot do everything, and the household's habits matter as much as the hardware.

Gates, sheds and outdoor padlocks

Outdoor locks live a hard life in warm, humid, rainy weather. Water gets into the keyway and the shackle hole, rust forms inside and the lock gets harder to open. A padlock that was a pleasure to use last year may refuse to turn this year. When that happens, a gentle approach works better than force, and if the key breaks, see the page on broken key extraction.

Not every padlock suits every job. A thin, light padlock on a shed with expensive tools inside is a poor match, while a robust one on a garden gate may be overkill. Our guides on padlocks for gates and sheds and rain and rust on outdoor padlocks help you pick the right one and care for it.

When you buy a padlock, look at the shackle thickness, the body construction and whether the lock is built for outdoor use. A heavier lock with a covered shackle holds up better in a damp yard than a bare one. Weather resistant does not mean maintenance proof, so a yearly look is still worthwhile. Store the key somewhere dry, and consider keyed alike padlocks if you have several outbuildings, so one key opens them all.

• Check every outdoor padlock for rust, stiffness and a body that has started to crack.
• Wipe the shackle and body after storm season and make sure the key turns without effort.
• Replace padlocks that show red rust around the keyway or the shackle.
• Keep spare keys for gates and sheds indoors, not hanging on the gate.
• Make sure every household member knows which key opens which lock.

Spare keys for a household with a yard

Larger households and homes with outbuildings accumulate keys. The house keys, the garage remote, the shed key, the gate key, the mailbox key and the car keys can end up on one ring or scattered across drawers. Sorting them is tedious, but it pays off when someone locks themselves out.

Think about spares in layers. A trusted neighbor or relative holds a house key. A lockbox or keypad provides a second option. The shed key stays in a labeled spot indoors. Avoid hiding keys near the door, since that is the first place anyone looks. Our page on spare keys and key copies explains how to make copies from good originals, and the guide on where to keep a spare key safely compares storage ideas.

When a key goes missing, do not wait. A lost key that fits your front door deserves a rekey if you cannot account for it. Waiting turns a small job into a long worry.

Labels help more than you might expect. A small tag or colored cap on each key, kept private and without an address, tells everyone in the house which key does what. Put the spare for the shed in the same place as the spare for the gate, and record the place in a note you will find. In a crisis, no one wants to hunt through five drawers for the right key.

Getting ready for storm season

Central Florida homeowners know the pattern: a hot, humid summer, daily afternoon storms and, from time to time, a hurricane watch. Locks matter more than people think during that stretch. A door that swells and sticks during rain, a gate that will not open without a key you cannot find or a keypad that needs power can complicate an already stressful week.

Before a storm warning, test every exterior lock, check that spare keys are accessible, replace weak batteries in keypad and smart locks and make sure you can open each door by hand if the power goes out. Our guide on preparing doors for a storm warning lists these in order.

After a storm, check doors and frames for movement and look at the lock hardware for signs of damage. If a door no longer latches the way it used to, our page on after a storm: checking doors and locks explains what to look for.

Humidity also affects the doors themselves. Wooden doors and frames absorb moisture, and a door that fit well in the dry season can bind in the wet one. If your deadbolt suddenly feels stiff after a few days of rain, the lock may be fine and the alignment may be the issue. Mention that observation to a locksmith, because it saves them time and saves you from paying to replace a lock that was not the problem.

When you are locked out of your own property

A lockout at a house with a yard has a few extra considerations. There may be a side gate that is also locked, a garage door you cannot open without a remote and windows that are not worth risking an injury to enter. Resist the temptation to climb, to break a window or to pry a door. Repair costs and injuries far exceed the cost of waiting for help.

When you call, describe the doors that are locked and the ones that are not, and whether anyone is inside. Mention whether you have a spare key anywhere nearby. Ownership or authority is checked before the door is opened, so have ID and something connecting you to the address ready.

If it is hot, wait in shade with water. If a child or pet is locked inside, call 911 first. For more on this kind of call, see the home lockout page and the guide on what to do while you wait for help.

Deadbolt choices and what they do

A deadbolt is a bolt that slides into the door frame and stays there until the key or thumb turn pulls it back. It is stronger than a latch because it does not spring back when pushed. Not all deadbolts are equal, though. A bolt that extends only a little, a strike plate held by short screws and a frame made of soft wood weaken the whole arrangement.

Single cylinder deadbolts use a key outside and a thumb turn inside. Double cylinder deadbolts use a key on both sides, which can slow an exit in an emergency. Which suits your home depends on the door and the household, and fire safety is a real consideration. Our guides on deadbolt types and single or double cylinder deadbolts explain the trade offs.

If you are considering a keypad or smart deadbolt, remember that it is a device that needs maintenance. See the deadbolts and smart locks page for how installation works.

Another thing worth knowing: the strike plate, the metal piece on the frame, is held by screws, and the length of those screws matters. Short screws grip only the thin trim of the frame, while long ones reach the structural framing behind it. Swapping them is a small job with a large effect on how well the door resists being forced. That is why a locksmith checks screws as well as locks, and it is a detail worth asking about during any visit, however minor it seems at first.

Families, teenagers and changing routines

Households with children or teenagers see keys come and go. A child gets a first key. A teen loses three in a year. A grown child moves out but keeps a copy. Keeping track of each key is part of ordinary home management, and it becomes more important when someone leaves the household.

Consider a code for the garage keypad or front door for family members who lose keys often, and change it when circumstances change. For younger children, be cautious about keys on a string or visible on a backpack, since a key tied to an address is a risk if lost. The guide on child safety and door locks offers gentle, practical advice.

Back to school and holiday seasons bring visitors and changes. A short reset of codes and a count of keys at the start of each season prevents surprises.

A final habit for families: do a key count at the start of each school term and after any holiday with guests. Ask who has which key, whether anything has been lost and whether any code needs changing. It takes five minutes at the kitchen table and keeps a household from drifting into a situation where nobody knows who can get in.

Calling a locksmith and what to expect

You call, describe what is happening and where, and answer a few questions. For anything that changes who can enter, such as opening a door or rekeying a lock, ownership or authority is checked before work begins. The work and the price are explained before anything starts, and you decide. When the work is done, it is tested with you.

Be sure to mention every door involved, any special hardware such as a keypad and whether any lock is stuck, broken or locked from inside. Photos help if you can send them. Our guide on questions to ask before any locksmith starts work helps you stay in control.

Finally, if nothing is urgent, consider having your locks looked over before something breaks. The page on needing locks looked over describes what that visit covers.

Questions people ask