It Need Not Be a Catastrophe
Even with the best of intentions, it sometimes happens; especially when a home or business owner doesn’t access the safe on a regular basis the combination to a safe just gets forgotten or lost. What to do when this situation occurs? Here are a few suggestions:
First, Don’t Panic
You may not have access to your valuables the very same night but no safe is impregnable to a competent locksmith. Your documents, jewelry or other valuables will remain safely inside until a locksmith can assess the situation and open the safe. Ironically, they are probably safer now than if the combination were more widely known.
Brute Force Always Works
At the very worst, the master locksmiths can employ a brute force approach. This process involves cutting into the lock mechanism of the sides of the safe to create an entry point. In general, it ruins the safe but anything valuable inside will ultimately be retrieved. It is a last ditch effort but, again, it always works.
There are Subtler Approaches
Master locksmiths pride themselves on not having to burn their way into a safe with an acetylene torch. Instead, they prefer to try less destructive techniques first. In particular, they will contact the manufaturer of the safe; they generally keep exhaustive lists of combination numbers for any safes they sell. If that doesn’t work a seasoned locksmith can usually drill one small hole, open the lock and then repair the hole. As you can imagine, this type of service is a closely guarded secret not just anyone can perform and costs a little extra to acquire the expertise.
You Can Avoid the Problem in the Future
The best defense in this situation is a good offense. By that comment, we mean that you should anticipate that you will eventually lose or forget your combination. For this reason, you should have a backup stored in an alternate location a safety deposit box, a safe box stored in the attic or some other inaccessible place where no one else will have access to it.
A Final Note
If you do have to resort to having a locksmith unlock your safe, have them show you how to reset the combination. They will certainly do it for you but that defeats the purpose. Learn the porcess, do it and then store your new combination in a safe place. The piece of mind you get by properly securing your valuables is definitely worth the small amount of effort that it takes.
For more information on gaining access to your safe after you have lost the combination, please contact us at Aim Lock & Safe. We’ll be there to fix your problem fast!
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