Jammed safe; what to do about it!

Your safe is where you keep valued items to keep them… safe! But what happens when yours won’t open? It sometimes happens, and that’s why we wanted to share these easy tips with you; so you’ll know what to do next!

There are thousands of safes in the Skokie, IL metro area which includes dozens of neighboring towns; all a part of the greater Chicago region. Not only do many local businesses have safes,but homeowners and renters do too. Sometimes these safe won’t open. They could be damaged, worn down or even come to you in disrepair as in the cases where antique or used safes are acquired and no combination or key code is known or included in the purchase.

Don’t force it!

It can be frustrating; not being able to access your safe. That’s the whole reason you have a safe; to keep your valuables safe, and now they are safe from you, too! Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Remain calm and level headed. Smashing your safe open or hitting it with force can not only damage the safe itself, but also the precious contents inside. You can quickly find yourself with more than just a service charge for opening your safe; now, you also have a repair or replacement bill, too!

Speaking of contents…

You can put anything you want in your safe and protect it better. This is where we get the term “safekeeping” – items inside it are kept safe. You can put cash and jewelry inside of it. Or, if you like, you can protect documents like insurance policies, mortgage notes, appraisals, stock certificates, warranties, real estate titles, receipts and other such items. Safes are perfect for keeping flash drives, hard drives, spare keys, special mementos and even guns protected, and away from others.

Why not call a safe shop?

It’s a good question. Why not call a local shop that specializes in safes? Isn’t that their specialty? Shouldn’t they be able to help get yours open? We’re not saying “don’t call them” – they should be able to help you. We are saying that most of these shops specialize in SELLING these safes to you. If yours needs service, installation or repair, they usually refer the job out to a local locksmith shop. So they can help you, but they may not be the smartest choice. After all, who wants to pay middleman charges? The safe shop can have your safe repaired and then bill you for their fee plus the cost of the locksmith that you could have called to begin with!

Be prepared

No matter who you call to open or repair your safe, they will ask you some basic questions about it. All safes are not alike and you’ll need to be able to describe what’s wrong with yours, as well as supply a few minor details like brand name and model number. The more you know about your safe, and are able to describe to your technician the better and sooner he will be able to get your safe open and working again.

You can say that you forgot the combination or that the hinges are sticking. If the dial is not working or if the safe door simply won’t budge; say so. This is especially true if you want your safe opened or repaired in a hurry. The locksmith professionals will not rush the work but if they are good, they will respond quickly as some people need to access cash or documents in a hurry to close a deal or to help with an emergency situation like a medical ordeal or a funeral.

Digital safes

Here in Skokie, IL digital or electronic safes are popular with locals, so be sure to tell your locksmith if yours is, or not. The reason for this is that they need to know this information if you have requested a price quote or a replacement estimate. Obviously an electronic safe will have additional/different working parts than a conventional dial opened safe.

There’s another good reason to tell your technician if your safe is digital or not. Electronic safes come with a built-in safety precaution. They work much like a car’s keyless entry system. If the wrong code or combination is entered into the keypad too many times, the system shuts down for a certain period of time ranging from a few hours to a full day. This may be the only thing wrong with your safe and it may not need repair work at all!

Other causes for electronic safe malfunctions could be a short in the circuitry, a low battery, or fluctuations in the power source. Any of these might be difficult for you to determine or describe but your Skokie, IL commercial locksmith will be able to pinpoint the problem and fix it in a timely manner.

Safe maintenance and care

As working lock hardware, your residential or commercial safe needs periodic cleaning and lubricating on a regular basis. You can do this yourself or you can have a trusted local locksmith perform the service for you. Refer back to your owner’s manual for additional instruction and details on how best to service your particular safe model. Also, there are dozens of online videos on YouTube and Vimeo that can show you easy and safe ways to maintain your safe for maximum use.