How to maintain your electronic lock? Our tips.

All mechanical and electronic devices need regular maintenance to ensure they continue to work correctly, and your digital door locks are no exception. We use door locks every day but often neglect their maintenance. With decent quality locks, most failures stem from lack of maintenance or improper installation.

Regular maintenance will ensure optimal performance from your digital door lock and help protect the finish. 

Remember that regardless of how decent your door locks are, don’t expect them to function properly daily if you don’t provide any maintenance.

Here are some tips to properly maintain your digital door locks:

1. Use correct set of batteries: 

     All of our electronic digital door locks are powered by alkaline batteries (AAA, AA or 9V) except those come with USB rechargeable batteries. 

    Only high-quality ALKALINE batteries should be used for digital door locks. This is also stated in the user manual. 

    - DO NOT use any Heavy Duty/ Super Heavy Duty Carbon Zinc batteries which will cause the lock to malfunction and void the warranty. These Carbon Zinc batteries are designed for low drain devices like radio or remote, they are NOT suitable for digital locks. 

    - DO NOT mix new and old batteries, replace all batteries together. 

    - DO NOT mix different brands. 

    - Energizer or Duracell Alkaline batteries are recommended. 

    - Check for battery leakage regularly.

    - DO NOT use rechargeable batteries. 

2. Clean your electronic lock. 

     Clean your electronic lock on a regular basis helps protect the finish, and remove any build up of dirt, oil and other contaminates. 

     Wipe down the lock with a soft, damp cloth clean the lock body of all dirt and debris. Avoid using any abrasive detergent. 

     With a interior digital door lock, take extreme care to avoid getting water into the lockset. 

     Use a soft, dry cloth to dry the lock body and touchscreen, Do not use any cleaner or detergent on the touchscreen. 

     If you live in a coastal environment, you will need to remove any build up of salt and debris on a more regular basis to protect the finish from corrosive environment. We recommend you clean your lock every two or three months.

3. Avoid Use Of Unnecessary Force

     Much like any other household item, digital locks need to be cared for and handled in a way that promotes their extended use and longevity. There are many people who take locks for granted, and due to this, they usually harm their locks without knowing. One of the biggest threats to any lock is the application of unnecessary force.

Homeowners should make sure that they are not exerting excessive force on their locks as they use them. Examples of excessive force range from banging on the lock with solid items to slamming the door closed. These tiny, seemingly harmless, actions tend to build upon each other until all the small damage becomes one final break.

4. Check door alignment

 Entrance doors (especially solid timber/wooden doors) may sag, warp, become crooked over time. 

It's important to fix any sagging/warping door as soon as possible otherwise it could cause the lock latch or bolt to misalign with the strike plate. 

When a latch strike plate is misaligned, you may find it hard to shut the door and sometimes need to push the door for it to latch. This can put more pressure on latch bolt which is harmful for the lock. For mortice locks, the deadbolt may  misalign with strike plate and won't engage if the door is not properly latched. 

For tubular deadbolt, the bolt may rub or catch strike plate when door is sagging or warping. Digital deadbolt may not be able to lock or unlock when misaligned, the motor inside will be struggling to engage or retract the bolt and eventually leads to lock failure.