Safe Opening in Milwaukee

Why safes lock people out

Safe opening calls in Milwaukee start with a handful of problems, and each one points to a different way in:

• A forgotten combination. The code was written down somewhere, and that somewhere is inside the safe.
• A dead or failed keypad. The keypad stays dark, beeps an error, or will not take the right code.
• Too many wrong codes. Many keypad locks go into a lockout period after several wrong tries.
• A lost key. Small home and fire safes often have a key lock, and the key is gone.
• The handle will not turn. The code works, but the bolts are stuck because something inside failed or something leans on the door.
• An inherited safe. A safe from a relative's home or a closed business, and nobody knows the code.

Most openings without drilling take 30 minutes to 2 hours, and high-security safes can take longer. Our answer on safe dial vs keypad explains how each kind of lock works and fails.

How we open safes

We start with the methods that leave the safe whole. A dial lock can often be opened through the dial itself, with the right tools and time. A keypad lock is tested first: the keypad, the wiring, and the lock behind it, and many keypad safes also have a backup key lock. A key lock on a home safe is picked or decoded. These methods leave the safe and the lock ready to use again.

When the methods without drilling do not work, or the lock has failed inside, we drill. A safe is drilled at one exact point to reach the lock, not cut open. After the safe is open, we repair the hole with a hardened plug, install a new lock if the old one failed, and set a new code with you. The safe goes back into service.

Without drilling or with drilling

Opening without drilling starts at $149, and opening with drilling starts at $249. We look at the safe, the lock, and the reason it will not open, and we tell you which method we expect and what it costs before we start. If a method without drilling works, you pay for that one.

Inherited and estate safes

Older Milwaukee homes and businesses often hold a safe that nobody has opened in years: in a basement, a closet, or a back office. When a safe comes with a house or an estate, we ask for papers that show who has the right to open it, such as an executor's letter or court papers, and we open it with the family present when that is what they want. If the safe is worth keeping, we set a new code so it can be used again.

Gun safes, fire safes, and business safes

• Gun safes. Tall safes from Liberty, Cannon, Fort Knox, Browning, and others, with heavy bolts and most often a keypad or a dial lock.
• Fire safes. SentrySafe and similar safes are built to resist heat for a set time, with lighter steel than a burglary safe, and many use a key plus a dial or a keypad.
• Business safes. Drop safes, cash safes, and depository safes in restaurants and stores, often with time delay keypad locks.

After an opening, many owners change the code or the lock; see safe combination and lock change.