Sentry safe won’t open with key. Well! There are many things, like jewelry, important documents, some private and secretive owning, or other valuables that you do not want to share publicly.
If you want this kind of ultra-security for your valuables, then sentry safe is the brand you should trust. Sentry safes are well-known for their excellent high-tech security and multiple lock mechanism features.
Some sentry-safe models have an electronic lock; some have a keypad that will help you dial a pin or code to protect your prized items.
Plus, the best point is these safes have been made of such material, making them fire and water-resistant.
Well! If the flood comes and your safe floats away with water, at least no one will be able to open it! Better luck finding your safe!
Sentry safe won’t open with key
The types of locks that sentry safe offer!
There are 3 types of locks that are provided by the sentry safes. All of them are highly efficient and provide 100% security. There are:
- Electrical locks
- Keypad locks
- Key locks
These locks have been presented in sentry-safe models. In many safes, there are combinations of all of these locks, while in some, there is a single lock.
Where does the problem come from?
These safes are undoubtedly the safest place to keep your valuables, but if the locks on your safe get stuck and you can’t open them, that’s a mess!
Suppose you’re in such a hurry and want the documents urgently, and guess what? The safe fails to open the lock! Wow.
Now you’re outraged and want to blow up the whole safe. But think sensibly and follow some simple tips to lead you to the reason behind this chaos.
There are many possibilities regarding this hilarious issue you face. Some of them are listed below:
Did you turn the key right?
One of the main reasons for the given issue is that you did not turn the key in the right direction. Maybe it was supposed to be turned in the opposite direction.
Maybe you had to dial counter-clockwise the security key to open it. If that doesn’t work, dial clockwise. Well! You might have dialed the key in the wrong direction.
Check the right direction for the sentry key to open the safe.
A broken lock can also be a cause!
When you have tried the formula by rotating the keys in the right direction, and still there is no gain, you should then try another method.
If you have tried the keys to your sentry safe and the keyhole still doesn’t open, then know that the tumblers inside the keyhole are broken or damaged.
This might disappoint you, but broken tumblers are a demanding job and take time.
This problem indeed calls for a safe technician to come and analyze the depth of this damage.
The jammed bolt work issue
There are places for bolts in the safes, probably to lock the safe and keep your valuables safe. It is entirely possible that the reason your sentry safe isn’t opening with the key is that there are bolt jams within the safe.
These bolts are also associated with a keypad lock, where you enter a code, and the motor drives the bolts, and the bolts then unlock the safe.
But what happens if the bolts are jammed? Even if you apply the key and put in the code, you still get nothing.
There must be several reasons behind this. The most important and basic ones might include,
- Entering of wrong codes
- Trying to forge the wrong sentry key
- The wires to the keypad are damaged
- The motor to open the bolts has damaged wiring
Now, how will you know whether your bolts are jammed or not, of course, when your motor starts retracing and gives out a sound? This particular sound gives you the idea of jammed bolt work!
What to do?
Put some pressure on the door and apply force; this will make the bolts go loose. Now, it won’t just magically happen the first time you do it; you might have to repeat the procedure several times.
Ensure you do not touch or press any other part of the safe, including the handle, or enter the key or enter the codes in the keypad. You know it won’t work, so just follow the protocol.
Once, with many tries, of course, you’ll hear the sound of a click. That’s your sign that your sentry safe has been unbolted. Now, get that safe of yours unlocked before you lose that favorite auction of yours!
Time delay: No rush!
The time delay feature is actually kind of good, but in situations where you are in a rush, this feature won’t allow you to open your safe quickly!
The time delay feature allows you to protect your safety even more by delaying the time of opening the safe.
The safe, after being unlocked by the key, will open after a specific time period, like 10 minutes or 15-20 minutes. And you will have to wait until that time. You’ll be able to open the safe only when the delay time is done.
During this time period, I know many of you are in such a hurry but wait, don’t try to forge the door to open by entering the codes again. Have patience!
From the time you enter the code for the first time to the end of the delay time, ensure you don’t meddle with anything additional so the process doesn’t start over.
How to open a sentry safe without a key
At the end of the time delay, you will be notified by the flashing of small light and a tiny, faint beeping. Now, you will get out of this lockout mode and enter your code again.
The sentry safe having this delay feature is undoubtedly impressive, but this flaw makes people agitated. This is for your own good, and the safety of your prized items is maximized.
After the time delay is over, the light may start flashing, and you will hear a beeping sound. Enter the code again and open the safe.
Dead batteries are of no use!
Sometimes, your sentry safe might be troubling due to the old batteries that are in your safe. Just the dead batteries of the lock can make the lock opening very frustrating.
As you must know that a particular sentry safe model has this type of lock option where there is an electronic lock.
An electronic device attached to a sentry safe for better protection can be attached to your sentry safe in the form of a fingerprint lock.
The batteries, if are old and have been wary over time, won’t open the lock as the electronic mechanism won’t work without active batteries.
When you don’t use your sentry safe more often or daily, the batteries start to fade out, and when after a long time, you try to open the safe, your sentry safe fails to open.
How to figure out the battery issue?
There are 2 ways in which you can figure out whether the trouble with your sentry safe is related to the batteries or not. And if you see the signs mentioned below, then your batteries need to be changed.
First, check the beep sound. When you open your lock and enter your code, it opens with a beep, and the latch is opened. But if the beep is very faded or there is no beep at all, this means, time to change those sleepy batteries.
The other sign, which is very obvious, is that the light blinks when you enter a specific code, and with that code, your sentry safe comes out of the lock mode.
This light, if it is faded or you can’t see it at all, means time to change the batteries ASAP. Try using brand-name batteries for long-lasting. They don’t lose power quickly!
Sentry Safe handle stuck
The sentry safe handle being stuck is one of the most common reasons for the locked safe, or that’s why you can’t open it with your key.
Mostly those people who have newly owned the sentry safe face these kinds of basic issues. Well, we’ve all been there one way or the other.
This issue comes at your feet when you turn the handle too much in the same direction or on one side. We do this when we don’t know the center point of the handle. When you have a sentry safe handle stuck and won’t let you open you’re own safe; things get really nasty!
So, find the center point of the handle and move the handle towards it. This way, you’ll allow the locks to be opened when the handle reaches its center point. The latch will be released for getting good result content and Sentry safe support.
Did you forget the code? Because it’s deactivated!!
There are possibilities that your safe won’t open because of the fact that you have a deactivated code.
Maybe you forgot the code. And you’ve tried hard enough, but the combination you dialed is wrong.
Now, there must be a problem with your safe. Your code might have been deactivated, so let someone else try their co; if your safe opens up with their code or a default code, this means yours was deactivated.
If both don’t work, call for help!
How to figure out sentry safe combination
However, you cannot fix this, and you may have to contact a professional locksmith.
Hold Up! The lockout mode had been turned on
The lockout mode happens when you are trying to steal your own cash or prized items. Or maybe, someone is trying to steal from your sentry safe—repeated errors in typing the wrong code to open the safe put it into lockout mode.
This mode does not allow you to open the safe for some time. As you re-enter the wrong code, there starts beeping, and this beeping is the sign that tells you further not to touch the sentry safe!
The rule is not to re-enter the code during this mode, or else that would leave you calling a safe technician to open your sentry safe.
Conclusion
Well! Having a bad day might just start with not being able to open your sentry safe with a key! But you can sort this out. I know at times like these, it is quite a pain in the neck but has patience and figure this out because you can.
Sentry safe won’t open or is being locked and not opening even with a key or going through a document jammed; all of these can be figured out.
Just find the roots of the problem and try to find out a way to open the lock. There are many possibilities described above that may happen in a locked sentry safe.
There are other tools like a rare earth magnet, bobby pins, applying outward pressure, or perhaps a “mule kick”! If still, the safe doesn’t open, just call the locksmith, that’s that!
I hope all these points are helpful, and I look forward to the thieves of the town not taking this as an advantage to grasp the opportunity of barging into people’s safes! I hope you cooperate.