Common Mistakes People Make When Purchasing A Safe

Buying a safe for your home or office is an investment like any other hefty purchase. To ensure your safe is suitable for your needs, you must look through different safe designs, models, and purposes. If you forgo this step, there are high chances that the safe you select may not match your expectations and leave you vulnerable to thefts. At Maximum Lock & Safe, we are aware of the various missteps made when buying a safe, and we want to enable you to avoid them as they could prove costly. To help you in this regard, we have listed some of the most common mistakes people make when purchasing a safe.

1. Buying a fire safe to hold cash or valuables
You need to know what you’re purchasing as most safes sold in big box stores are strictly document safes. They provide next to no security value as they are typically heavy gauge sheet metal around fire retardant and can be pried open easily with basic tools. Also, the locking mechanism is typically not rated for security.

If you are storing valuables in these safes, it is usually a good idea to check with your insurance company to see what they recommend or require for you to use so that you are covered in the event of a loss or theft.

At Maximum Lock & Safe, we have a decent variety of safes on our shopping page. These are suitable for safety against thefts, and we even have fire-resistant products.

2. Buying a burglar safe for documents
Burglar safes are primarily designed to prevent burglaries. The typical ‘B’ rate safe has a half-inch steel plate door with a quarter-inch wall and can be bolted to a floor, preferably by concrete, for additional security. The number of valuables should not typically exceed $1,000, and as we always say, it is good to check with your insurance company to see what they require or recommend. You can check our shopping page for a variety of burglar safes and burglary and fire safes.

3. Changing the combination of a digital safe with the door closed
If you change the combination on a safe with the safe door is kept in an open position and lock bolts thrown, then we can fix any issues with no damage to the safe itself. However, if you change the combination when the safe door is locked, you may need an expensive and often invasive procedure to get the safe open!

4. Using safes with doors that won’t latch
Often a door won’t latch simply because the latch bolt on the door isn’t aligned correctly with the strike plate on the door jamb. Repairs could be as simple as making a few minor latch adjustments or as complex as completely repositioning the door.

5. Using a safe where the bolt is stuck or the lock isn’t working
This issue is almost always caused by a mechanical problem that’s best left to the pros. It is possible to remove the lock and attempt to find the source of the problem, but more often than not, it’s not even worth trying to fix. New locks are inexpensive, and our Maximum Lock & Safe locksmiths will have the lock replaced as quickly and efficiently as possible!

Life is stressful enough, and when the lock of your safe breaks, you must have it fixed as quickly as possible to reduce the window of opportunity for thefts. Our locksmiths at Maximum Lock & Safe work quickly to solve your safe-related issues and will have you on your way again in no time! If you ever have any problems with your home or business locks and safes, call us at (800) 733-6333.

To avoid these and other mistakes, reach out to the experts at Maximum Lock & Safe. We are a leading commercial and residential locksmith in Southern Ontario, offering customized security master key systems, automatic door service and installations, hardware installations, new doors, card access systems, electrified door hardware, and camera systems. If you have any issues with your locks or safe, our locksmiths will provide you with the best solution in no time!

For a complete list of our services, please click here. If you ever have any problems with your home or business locks, contact us here.