What Happens When The Battery In Your Electronic Lock Dies?

When the battery in your electronic safe lock dies, you usually don't find out until you're in a hurry to get something out of your safe. The 9-volt battery in your lock normally lasts between 8,000 and 10,000 openings (that's a lot), but when it dies you suddenly have questions, and sometimes panic. Am I locked out? Is my code still there? Do I have to call a technician?

While it's inconvenient, being locked out of your safe because of a dead battery is only a temporary problem. Below we're going to answer the most common questions people have when this happens.

"Is My Code Still In There, Or Is It Wiped Out?"

Most electronic locks on gun safes have their own little power source in the lock body that can store your code for up to 10 years without ever needing help from another power source. So don't worry, once you replace the battery your combo will still be there and you'll be ready to go.

"The Lock Lights Up, But The Safe Won't Open."

If the battery isn't quite dead yet, the lights or display on your lock could still light up. You might even still hear the usual beeps and clicks, but when you try to turn the handle, it's still locked. This is because there's not enough juice left in the battery to fully power the opening mechanism. Replacing the battery with a fresh one should take care of this problem completely.

"I Already Changed The Battery, But It's Still Not Opening."

Here are two things we highly recommend doing before going any further.

• Use a Duracell. They aren't paying us to say that. Some batteries (mainly carbon) just don't work consistently with most electronic locks. They just don't have the dependable power an alkaline battery has, and even most other alkaline batteries aren't consistently reliable. Duracell is the only main brand battery we've seen that supplies consistent and reliable power to quality locks on the same tier as Sargent & Greenleaf and SecuRam.

• Use a brand new battery with a long expiration date. Batteries are fickle. You can buy a 2-pack of 9-volts, and one could go for years while the other goes dead in a month. If you already changed the battery once and it's not working, try a second time with a new battery, straight off the shelf of your local store with the longest expiration date you can find, at least 4 years out. It's surprising how often this is the issue.

"How Often Do I Need To Change The Battery?"

A good battery should last a long time, but to prevent surprises, we recommend changing the battery at least once a year. If it helps, change it at the same time you change the batteries to your smoke detectors. This is more prevention and maintenance, but it goes a long way. Like we said, batteries can be fickle, and this way you can hopefully keep the problem from even happening.

These are the 4 most common questions and concerns that come up when a battery dies. If you need to learn how to change the battery in your electronic safe lock, Click here for instructions on the locks we sell.