Electronic Locks Problems that are Easy to Fix

Our electronic locks are dependable, easy to use and made to get you into your safe quickly. They're designed to last years with little maintenance other than changing the battery about once a year.

Even through electronic locks are very reliable, you may sometimes come across an issue that seems like a defect. As it turns out, these problems aren't really problems at all. Here are four common, easy-to-fix "problems" and their solutions.

1) Dead Or Low Battery

A good nine-volt battery should last at least three or four years. But if you open your safe a lot, the battery might not last as long. And sometimes, batteries just drain. If the battery is running low, your lock could still have enough power to light up its display keypad and make its normal beeps. You might even hear the lock click as if the lock is disengaging, only to find it still locked.

Solution: This is an easy fix of just changing the battery. We do have a couple of recommendations for you, though.

• Use a Duracell. Even other alkaline batteries like Energizer just don't provide the power to consistently operate a quality electronic lock.
  
• Replace the battery at least once a year. Batteries can be fickle and drain quicker than intended sometimes, and it's always a good practice to change them out like you would a smoke detector.

2) Lockout Mode

This is another problem with an easy fix. If you enter your code into an electronic lock incorrectly several times in a row, it will go into lockout mode, not responding to any input and beeping every few seconds. This usually lasts for 15 to 20 minutes. It's a built-in feature that keeps thieves from continually entering codes, trying to guess the right one and get into the safe.

Solution: The fix for this is to simply walk away from the lock until it becomes active again, which is usually between 15 and 20 minutes. Also keep in mind: if you've entered lockout mode, it means you've entered the wrong code. While you're waiting for it to clear, take the time to remember the correct combination.

3) The Safe Relocks Before I Open It

For most locks, once you enter your code into your electronic lock, it's designed to give you 6 seconds before it's ready to relock again. This is a built in feature so you won't just close it, walk away and forget to lock it. This also means if you enter the code and don't actually turn the handle to open the safe within the programmed time, it will relock.

Solution: Again, it's an easy fix. Just re-enter the code and turn the handle before it relocks again.

4) Handle Appears To Be Jammed

This one gets new safe owners all the time before they learn what's going on. After entering their code, the handle seems to be jammed when they try to turn it. This happens because the handle has been fully pushed to the right or left, putting pressure on the lock bolt and not allowing it to disengage/unlock.

Solution: The way to solve this is moving the handle to the midpoint of play and then re-entering the code. The handle should turn and the safe should open just fine after that.