Apparently we have a 'hard' frost today: despite bright sun all day still lots of white on the ground where the sun hasn't reached.
Will a quick squirt of WD40 stop a padlock from freezing in the 'shut' position? I can turn the key OK, but then can't easily pull the thing apart.
BTW, I've now tried both the 'hot water bottle on the dashboard' and the fan heater. Fan heater wins hands down, but is probably only practical if you park on a secure drive.
I may not have put the hot water bottle in soon enough. However, it was very nice to have it sat on my knees once I set off ...
I've also tried filling several plastic bottles with hot water and placing them on the dashboard and parcel shelf. Results similar to hot water bottle: have to get them in place in good time rather than at the last minute.
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You may find grease/vaseline/thick oil more works better than WD40, which is fine for many things, but very thin and not too long lasting in it's effect. I would lubricate the "U" shaped shackle where it enters the body of the lock, but the best thing for the actual key mechanism is graphite powder, from a locksmiths shop. This powder is good for all sorts of sticky or notchy locks around the house/car.
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Sue,
We suffer this problem on the field gate in a very exposed position in open countryside.
The only sure answer is to grit your teeth, take off your gloves and hold the padlock for a minute to thaw it.
David
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Doesn't that freeze the padlock to your fingers? Remember, I'm a 'cold hands, warm heart' person, can't believe I'd be able to thaw anything out that way!
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We have a problem, but not with frost, more dust and rust.
the problem with any vaseline/grease is it picks up tons of gunk/dust etc, which forms a horrid paste which then get all over your hands (and the everywhere!) when you open the lock.
A good cure is to clean/grease the lock, then cover it with a small plastic bag or clingfilm.
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Sue,
You have to go through the interim stage when the lock freezes to your hand but then body heat overcomes the frost and the lock releases.
But if it was that cold and both hands really did stick to the padlock half a mile from any houses.....what then?
David
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I have the same problem with my dog kennel padlock. Yes, the dog's kept outside, and no, the neighbours don't appreciate a hungry barking dog at 7.00 on New Years morning while I fumble about with a frozen padlock!
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For padlocks I use a squirt of motorcycle chain lube.
It is thicker and longer-lasting than WD40 but still penetrates well.
For the car a plastic cover at £7.50 from Argos has eliminated most of the scraping game.
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Has anyone tried that 'night before de-icer' stuff that you can buy from Halfords? I understand that like it says you spray it on your windscreen the night before the frost and then in the morning you have a perfectly ice free screen, with no scraping.
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It's pretty good stuff at least on the front screen.
It keeps ice down to manageable quantities soon pushed off with a scraper. No steaming up inside like with coventional stuff. The destructions suggest using the screenwasher but this will need an extreme conditions additive mix.
Less use on side windows, works OK but contaminates the seals on the doors and leaves streaky mess every time you wind the window down.
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With Sue's Reynauds syndrome, she should avoid any hands/feet contact with material 5 Celsius below body temperature. Ideally, she should wear gloves even when taking out cold items from her fridge. Reynauds sufferers react to any cold items by shutting down blood flow to hands & feet and can then take up to 30 minutes or more to restore normal flow. A glass of red wine (or an aspirin with Doctors advice) in such an event helps restore blood flow to fingers/toes quickly.
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i cant drive my car today, because the chubb padlock is frozen, i wasnt going anywhere, but just it case i needed to go out, i wanted to be able to open the doors.
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I warm the key with a cigarette lighter. Repeating this two or three times usually frees the tumblers. Where practicable do the same thing to the lock itself.
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