My Doorknob is Stuck

It never fails to happen when the weather gets cold here in Saskatoon. It usually takes a few days and then my phone starts to ring or the emails start to come in from our customers with the same issue...'my doorknob is stuck and I can't turn it'. Just this week I had such a call. The problem was even better for them as they couldn't even insert their key to unlock the door. So I thought it would be a great idea to share with everyone just why this happens.

The problem revolves around our climate...which ones don't you ask...but let's stay on topic here! The issue comes from the fact that the interior of our homes require heating in the winter in order for us to survive comfortably. However, when the inside of the house is heated we also experience higher levels of humidity on the interior by virtue of the fact that warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. Because of this phenomenon...and I must say that we have varying degrees of moisture in the air we have in our homes for various reasons...whenever that warm moist air comes into contact with a cold surface, condensation will take place. Think of a cold glass of water on the counter that gets wet with condensation on the outside. But it doesn't stop here! Now if we make an object...like a doorknob...really, really cold by dropping the temperature outside we will go to the next level and actually have ice forming instead of just water condensation. Then...you guessed it...the object will/can actually freeze up and make using it almost impossible. As I jokingly told our customer this week...I can fix it but that would mean I would have to change the weather. Of course it was even worse for them because their door faces the northwest and now the wind aggravates it even more.

The only thought I have on a solution is to try spraying lock De-ice into the lock from time to time. That's what we do with our vehicles and it may also be a fix for our homes. *Don't use WD-40 as it will degrease the mechanism inside and create another problem for you.

Maybe next time we'll talk about why you have frost form in the corners of your unfinished concrete basements...maybe.

ps
Keep an eye on Norm Fisher's listings. We'll be listing a 1261 sqft bi-level in Willowgrove with him soon and you won't want to miss it! You can veiw all his listings at http://www.teamfisher.com/.