Step Away From Your Lock-Related Issue And Call For Help Before You Make Things Worse
When you encounter an issue with one of your locks, your first instinct might be to attempt to fix the problem yourself, rather than call a professional for help. The former scenario is even more likely if you're a little embarrassed about the situation and feel reluctant to explain it to whoever helps you. Before you grab some makeshift tools and get busy, it's important to realize that your actions could end up making the situation worse. It's a far better plan to assess the problem, and then step away and call a residential locksmith for help. Here are some issues for which this plan is the right choice.
Trying To Remove Broken Key
It's a bad feeling when your house key snaps off in the lock, especially if this leaves you trapped outside. You might feel as though you've seen enough movies in which characters successfully picked door locks, and feel encouraged to grab a paper clip or another thin device and begin working to get the broken key free. What you might not realize, however, is that even if you're able to remove the key, you could do significant damage to the teeth of the lock — and need to get help, anyway. A locksmith can easily remove a broken key without damaging the lock, and then cut you a new key.
Forcing Open A Safe
If you have a safe in your home and have somehow managed to lose the key or forget the combination, you may be eager to retrieve whatever is stored inside. This feeling could compel you to look for a pry bar or any sort of prying tool, jam it between the door of the safe and the frame, and begin trying to break the door off. At best, this approach will ruin your safe even if you're successful. At worst, you won't be able to get the door of the safe open, but you'll damage the safe in the process. A locksmith can often open a safe without damaging it.
Prying Open A Filing Cabinet
While a safe might be difficult to open, a locked filing cabinet in your home office for which you've lost the key is much easier to get open. A pry bar will usually allow you to contort the filing cabinet's aluminum to the point that you can bypass the lock and open the cabinet. While you'll appreciate being able to get inside, you won't appreciate that your filing cabinet is now damaged. Take a step back, call a locksmith, and wait for him or her to unlock the cabinet safely for you.
Share
