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Frozen Lockbox? A couple quick fixes

By
Real Estate Agent with The Pete Cook Home Group 21483n

 

Ok, its supposedly the coldest day in Denver in three years. At 1pm and 11 degrees I'll go ahead personally and verify that claim.

Have you ever been locked out of property due to a frozen lockbox?  Here are a couple tips to get them open and prevent them from freezing.

#1. Travel with a hammer, flathead screwdriver, paper towels and WD40. If the lockbox has collected water and frozen, a light tap can break the ice and get the gears turning. Once you have it open, and it is your lockbox, give it some wd40 in the gears and the hinge. Wipe off the excess. If the lockbox is not yours, let the seller or listing agent know.

#2. Thaw it. This is not the easiest step but it will work. Either really hot water or a hair dryer can heat it up so the ice melts. Switch the open lockbox out with a dry one if you use hot water. This is not the best one to execute if you are locked out of a house.

#3. Think where you hang it.  Face up and unprotected, it will collect water and can either rust or freeze. Under a porch, on a doorknob or just hanging vertically will help avoid ice and or rust.

 

Posted by

Pete Cook

The Pete Cook Home Group

720-295-7764

pete@thepetecookhomegroup.com

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John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM
Honesty, Integrity, Results, Experienced. HIRE Me!

Good afternoon Pete... Good grief I got chilled just reading your post!  Thanks for the tips on how to unfreeze lock-boxes.  I hope we never have to do it but Mother Nature has a mind of her own.

Dec 04, 2013 04:31 AM
Helen and Larry Prier- Re-Max Gateway - Residential Real Estate
RE-MAX Gateway- Residential Real Estate Sales - Anacortes, WA
Anacortes & surrounding Skagit & Island Counties

Pete, We used to have the opposite problem in Phoenix with too much heat. If the sun was shining directly on the lockbox sometimes the reader did not work. Not sure how I could use a hair dryer out there if things are frozen. maybe a battery operated one would work/

Dec 04, 2013 07:11 AM
Pete Cook
The Pete Cook Home Group - Denver, CO
Service, Advocacy and Results

Helen & Larry, 

Never thought about too hot. I bet metal ones can become too hot to touch. Yeah, the hair dryer is a reach for the buyer's agent. It works for a seller who has another key into the house.   Phoenex sounds nice this time of year. Thanks for the comment. 

Pete

Dec 04, 2013 10:42 PM
Tommy Miles
Miles Realty Group - Weatherford, TX
Builder/Realtor®

You guys sell houses in 11 degree weather?  Last week it hit 13 degrees (coldest day in 3 years here too) and everyone down here in Texas shut down for a few days. Thanks for the tips because you will never know when you need it.

Dec 17, 2013 07:18 AM
Pete Cook
The Pete Cook Home Group - Denver, CO
Service, Advocacy and Results

Tommy, 

I would not say we sell a lot of houses in 11 degrees, however, Denver is used to some cold days so it does not really slow down. Hard to imagine Texas at 13 degrees. Wow. Thanks for the comment. 

 

Dec 18, 2013 12:31 AM