There are many reason’s why you may not be able to open your safe today. The first question I would ask is has the safe been getting harder to open over the course of a few days, weeks or months. Many times the caller volunteers this information, “the combination has to be dialed in several times before it unlocks.” Sometimes the lockout is sudden, which usually indicates the lock was abused by a burglar or one of the safe’s operators. However, the usual suspect in either scenario is neglect.
Most jewelry store sales people or fast food restaurant managers have no idea what is happening inside the safe lock when they are dialing in the combination. And to some degree sales people and managers don’t really need to know how a safe lock works, they just need to know how to open the safe to access inventory, cash or both. However, people responsible for opening the safe should know the lock in the safe is a mechanical device. Like most other mechanical devices (like a car) regular maintenance is required to keep things running smoothly and efficiently.
I had to drill open a safe for a jewelry store one day. The owner of the store said he had been opening the safe for thirty years without any trouble until the morning I was called. I asked the owner if he had ever had the safe serviced? The answer was no. The lock finally wore out and created a lock out, which in this case, inventory could not be accessed to sell and repaired jewelry could not be ready for customer pick-up. The store’s income for the day was zero, even though customers were walking in and ready to spend $$$!
Most of the lock outs I encounter could have been prevented by calling in a safe technician or locksmith trained in working on safes every 18 to 24 months to have the safe lock serviced and the bolt works checked for loose screws, nuts and bolts.
Usually the safe operator can tell when something is not quite right. The combination may have to be to dialed in several times before the safe opens. I had some postal workers a while ago who had a system of kicking the dial after the combination was dialed in. I was told it usually took five kicks before the safe would unlock. Now you don’t need to be trained in safe servicing to know there is a major problem when the safe has to be kicked to open. I was finally called in after each employee took their turn kicking the dial without any results. I was able to open the safe without drilling, but the lock had to be replaced. Lucky for them, drilling a postal safe would have run well over $1000.00.
My point in this blog is to bring attention to a piece of equipment that needs regular maintenance, but is too often neglected because of ignorance. Servicing a safe is much like cleaning a watch or other fine time piece. The lock is disassembled, all the parts are wiped clean of old grease and then re-assembled and tested. Broken, cracked or severely worn parts can be replaced before they can create a crisis. In some cases, Group 1 locks often used in high security jewelry safes should be completely replaced every 5 to 10 years, even if they are serviced at regular intervals.
This blog mostly applies to safes with mechanical locks, but even safes with electronic locks have bolt works, linkages and other moving parts which can fall apart over time. The most common problem with electronic locks is the battery. The battery should be changed every six months when the clocks change twice a year. It is recommended you change the batteries in your smoke detectors when the clocks fall back or spring ahead one hour. Your safe lock battery gets a lot more use than a smoke detector battery. When you change the battery make sure you purchase Duracell copper top batteries and make sure you purchase your batteries at a mass-merchandiser store with a high battery turn over. This will ensure you get the freshest batteries available. You do not want drug store or grocery store batteries where batteries sit on the shelf for months or years before they are sold.
If you own a safe don’t put off having your safe serviced sooner than later. It can save you time and money in the long run.