Why do things suddenly fail when the heat hits?

Jan 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

Ever noticed how everything behaves… until summer arrives?
Then suddenly:

• The door won’t close
• The lock jams
• The fridge sounds angrier than usual
• Seals peel off
• Drawers stick
• Appliances give up mid-heatwave

You’re not imagining it. This is summer expansion at work.

So what’s actually happening?

When temperatures rise, materials expand.
Metal, timber, rubber, plastic — all of it reacts differently.

In an Aussie summer, that means:

• Doors swell and scrape
• Locks and latches tighten and stop aligning
• Appliances work harder and overheat
• Rubber seals dry out and crack
• Fittings loosen as materials expand and contract daily

Add age, wear, and a few previous “it’ll be right” fixes… and things fail fast.

Sound familiar?

👉 “This door was fine last week…”
👉 “Why won’t the key turn?”
👉 “The fridge hasn’t moved but now it won’t seal”
👉 “Nothing changed… except the weather”

Exactly.

Why summer exposes small problems

Heat doesn’t usually cause the issue —
it reveals the weakness that was already there.

Tiny gaps
Dry seals
Loose screws
Misaligned hinges

Summer just pushes them over the edge.

What you can do before it gets worse

✔ Check doors and locks early
✔ Listen for appliances running louder than usual
✔ Look for cracked seals or peeling edges
✔ Don’t force stiff handles or doors
✔ Fix small issues now — before they turn into breakdowns

Because once it’s 38°C, everything costs more… including stress.

Quick check for you

Which one are you dealing with right now?

⬜ Door sticking
⬜ Lock jamming
⬜ Appliance struggling
⬜ Seal coming loose
⬜ “All of the above”

If summer has started exposing things in your property, you’re not alone — it happens every year across Australian homes and buildings.

Fixing it early is always easier than fixing it in a heatwave.