Hi I'm from Australia. The forums here have been helpful but I've reached the point that I can't progress any further. My flyscreen door uses what I believe to be a Whitco Mk2 lock. I have managed to remove the cylinder but the latch wont retract in when I turn the handle. Any help won't be grateful and thanks in advance

I have an outdoor gate that I chain closed, securing the chain with a keyed padlock. The problem is that whatever brand of lock I've chosen-- four different brands over the years-- they've all become balky over time, leading me to fear that I'll be locked out of my own property in the middle of a cold winter night! In fact what I've been forced to do to pacify my mind is to link three padlocks to each other in a line, and attach padlocks number one and number three (at either end of the three lock sequence) , each to one end of the chain itself. This way, if I'm unable to open any one of the locks, I'll still be able to open either one of the other two and successfully open the chain and access my property. Presumably the possibility of all three going out of commission simultaneously is too small to worry about-- yet that idea is so horrible to contemplate that I'm not satisfied with my solution. That's why I'm posting-- is there a special type of lock that will retain its youthful flexibility even after years of battering from a Northeast US environment? Or is there something I can do to protect an ordinary lock from the ravages of a hostile climate?