You’ve purchased a new safe; it’s been a few weeks since you’ve stored your belongings inside the safe. When you revisit your safe to make sure everything is still in its place or intend to retrieve something from it, you realize the combination isn’t the same as you remembered. Unfortunately, after some fiddling with the dial, you realize you’ve simply forgotten the combination. First, don’t panic. You’re not alone. People forget their safe combinations more frequently than you might think. Second, you may need to call Firstline, your local locksmith in New Jersey to resolve your issue. Before you give us a call, consider the following steps to see if you can unlock your safe on your own.
Which Safe Do You Have?
It can seem redundant to ask which safe you actually own, but it does matter when determining how you may be able to unlock it on your own. The various types, brands, security ratings, construction ratings, test performance ratings, and more are all factors to be considered. Identifying which safe you have narrows down the proper measures to unlock it on your own and correctly. The worst mistake you want to make is to damage your safe and then have to purchase a new one for significantly more than if you called a local locksmith in New Jersey.
Additionally, once you identify the safe and work through the following steps, the information will be needed to share with your locksmith, if you end up calling one.
Start by looking for a serial number or a purchase order number. In some cases, these numbers won’t be on the actual safe, and you’ll need to dig up your purchase paperwork to find this information.
Does Your Safe Have A Master Key Override?
If your safe has an alternative method of accessing its contents, your safe may use a key override. This allows you access to the inside of your safe without having to know the combination. Although this is convenient, it also allows for one more way to access your contents. Nonetheless, seek out your safe type and see if it suggests you can override the combination with a key. If you were given a key when purchasing the safe, you may be able to use the key to access the safe.
Read the owner’s manual of the safe and look for key override within its contents. Many of our customers neglect to glance at their new safe’s owner’s manual, where it may or may not state the ability to use a key override for alternative access. A huge time saver during a forgotten combination situation is reading through the owner’s manual.
Don’t fret if your safe doesn’t offer an alternative access method. There may be another way inside.
Does Your Safe Have A Change Key?
So your safe doesn’t have a key override. You still have one more option to test: A Change Key. Many people have forgotten the combination to their safe and given up or attempted to break into their safe, breaking something in the process. There’s no need to break into your own safe. A change key allows you to reset your combination so you can regain access to your safe.
Since you know which type and model of safe you have, you can certainly look up if your safe allows a change key. Not all safes allow change keys. You can most likely find this information in your owner’s manual, too.
The change key is usually inserted into the back of the safe and then a predetermined combination is entered on the front, which resets the combination. You are then able to choose a new combination and get inside your safe.
Call Your Local Locksmith in New Jersey
If you haven’t been able to unlock your safe by now, it’s time to give Firstline Locksmith a call. The key override and change key may not have worked, but we can certainly help you get back into your safe. We understand it can be frustrating, but leaving your valuables in the safe forever isn’t the best case scenario. Nonetheless, take advantage of our 25-plus years of service in New Jersey and get your safe open today!