A lovely couple came into the shop recently with a small safe that their daughter keeps at their house. While she now lives 400 miles away, she still needs to ask her mom and dad for her birth certificate because she keeps it locked up in that safe in her childhood home. Here is the problem: she is 400 miles away with BOTH copies of the key to the safe. You would think that is fine because of the keypad, right? Wrong! The keypad was dead. No batteries. So mom and dad had to bring the safe into the shop to have it opened. Read on to learn what happened.
Many people these days have been tempted to go completely keyless. Passwords can be memorized, or you can store that info in your phone. After all, nobody is ever without their phone, right? If that’s true, then what’s the point of override keys? Does having one defeat the purpose of an electronic lock?
Override keys for safes are physical keys that can override the electronic locking mechanism. You can open an electronic lock without knowing the code if you have the override key. You simply insert the key and open the door, just like you would with any mechanical lock.
What Is an Override Key For?
Most newer safes are electronic. They don’t use keys to open, but rather a battery-powered mechanism. Most use keypads, but some use biometrics like fingerprint scanning. Either way, a key seems unnecessary. But what happens when the electronics fail? How do you open it?
This is where override keys come in. They get past the electronics inside the lock. They allow a locksmith to get inside your lock if needed, and they allow you to get past the lock if you forget the combination or if something happens, like, you know… the batteries die.
So, when this family came in with their daughter’s safe, we picked the lock and opened it for them, and guess what we discovered? There were no batteries in it! None! Once the door was open we put in good batteries and helped them reset the code to something they agreed on with their daughter. On their next visit, we’re sure they’ll pick up an override key “just in case.” In the meantime, at least now they can access the important documents they need.
Override keys bypass the electronic mechanism without reducing the security of the lock. You may never need one, but you sure will be happy to have it when the batteries are dead or you’ve forgotten the code.
As always, if we can help you with a new safe or a safe that won’t open, contact us anytime.