The situation
Imagine a family in Richmond Hill's Jefferson neighbourhood who installed a smart deadbolt on their garage-to-house door last spring. It worked perfectly through the summer. In January it starts beeping, jams halfway, and one evening refuses to unlock at all. The batteries are only two months old.
What the call sounds like
The dispatcher asks whether the family has another way in (they do, through the front door) and whether the bolt moves freely when the door is open. It does. That points to alignment, not the lock itself.
On site
The technician finds that the door has shrunk and shifted slightly in the cold, so the bolt now catches the top edge of the strike pocket. The motor has been straining every time, draining the batteries quickly and eventually stalling. Enlarging and adjusting the strike pocket so the bolt slides freely, and fitting fresh lithium batteries suited to cold temperatures where the manufacturer allows, solves the problem. The technician also shows the family where the backup key and emergency power contacts are.
The lesson
Most smart-lock failures are not electronic. A door that binds makes any motorized lock struggle. Checking that the bolt slides freely with the door closed, especially at the start of winter, prevents most lockouts.
If this is you
See our electronic lock repair and smart lock installation pages, the Richmond Hill page, or call (416) 240-0593.