Heat and hardware
Fresno summers are extremely hot; National Weather Service records show 69 days at or above 100°F in 2021. Doors and locks on the sunny sides of a house take the brunt. Wood doors can swell and warp, metal doors expand, and a door that has shifted puts pressure on the deadbolt, making it hard to lock or unlock. If your deadbolt sticks on summer afternoons, ask a locksmith or carpenter to adjust the strike or the door rather than forcing the key. Smart lock batteries and electronics on sun-baked doors may also wear out sooner; check batteries regularly and keep the key backup.
Moving in and rekeying
After you move into a Fresno home, rekey every exterior lock, including garage entry doors and gates. You don't know how many keys previous occupants, contractors or agents may have. A locksmith can often key compatible locks alike.
Strengthening doors
Many forced entries succeed by kicking a door until the frame splits around the strike plate. A reinforced strike plate fastened with long screws into the framing, longer hinge screws, a solid exterior door and a quality deadbolt make that much harder. Sliding doors benefit from a secondary lock or a bar in the track. Security screen doors are common in Fresno and add a layer of protection while letting air through in mild weather; they need good locks of their own.
Cooler months
Freezes are uncommon in Fresno, with only about 10 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year according to NOAA's engineering weather data. Damp winter weather can still corrode exterior hardware. A dry lubricant made for locks keeps cylinders working.
Gates, pools and outbuildings
Pool gates, side gates and storage sheds are common in Fresno. Pool gates in particular should be self-closing and self-latching, with latches out of reach of small children; local pool barrier rules may apply. A locksmith can rekey or replace gate and shed locks and key them to match the house.
Lockouts in extreme heat
Being locked out on a 105-degree afternoon is a safety issue. If a child, an older adult or a pet is locked inside a hot car or house, call 911. Otherwise, ask any locksmith for a total price on the phone, the business's legal name and address, and a promise to try non-destructive entry first.
Before you hire
Ask Fresno locksmiths whether your locks can be rekeyed or keyed alike, what grade of deadbolt they recommend, and whether they'll reinforce strikes with long screws. California regulates locksmiths through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services; ask for the business's locksmith license number and look it up, along with any CSLB license for installation work.
Rentals
If you rent a room or a property in Fresno, rekey between tenants or use keypad locks with codes you can change. Keep a record of who has keys, and collect them when people move out.
Broken keys
If a key snaps off in the lock, leave the remaining piece where it is and don't use a spare key in that lock. A locksmith can usually extract it without replacing the cylinder.