Folks,
I have recently been struggling with the padlocks on cave gates in Texas and I am looking to see if there is a knowledge base of experience in our caving community regarding the best locks for these environments.
Many of the gates we use have an arm hole which allows you to reach the padlock hanging on the inside of a solid gate. Once the padlock is removed, a lever is moved and the gate opens. The problem is that the padlocks sit in the wet warm environment (sometimes years at a time) collecting dust, dirt and corrosion as air moves past due to the cave breathing. Several locks have recently taken over an hour to open whilst in the most uncomfortable positions, meanwhile with the fear that the key might break off in the lock and then we are screwed, etc..
I am wondering if anyone has had the experience or research to whittle down the best types of locks that can handle this environment and still continue to function properly. I have researched corrosion aspects of different tumblers (no real conclusion on which is best). Other cavers have told me that the locks with the rubber housing around the entire lock, including the key hole, are no better than a normal Masterlock for example. We have tried both the most expensive locks and the cheaper ones, but none seem to hold up.
Does anyone have any experience with this or have any light they can shed? Thank you so very much!!!
Travis Scott