With the rise in theft, robbery, fire outbreaks, and other unfortunate incidents, people have started investing heavily in safe and vaults to store their valuable items. In case of any emergency, people first protect their dear ones and then, try to safeguard their valuables. The main advantage of having a safe is that it has all the valuables in one place. So, you need not try locating them during an emergency. Secondly, they are fireproof. Hence, you need not worry about any damage to your valuables in case a fire breaks out. In this article, we’ll walk you through the list of valuables you can store in your home safe along with what to do if your safe is faulty.
Disadvantages of bank safes
Are you contemplating storing all your valuable items in a bank safe? Let me tell you that you might have to rethink that decision.
Firstly, they are difficult to access when in need.
For instance, if you are suddenly in need of your passport or any other personal document, you can get it from your bank only during its operating hours. Post that, you have to wait for a few hours to grab your documents.
Next, they are rarely insured.
The valuables that you store in bank safes are rarely insured. This includes the money secured in the safe. Hence, if there is any damage to the safe or loss of valuables, you cannot claim insurance.
A residential safe, on the other hand, is easily accessible and can be insured through the renter’s insurance policy. Hence, we recommend having a safe at home to save you from trouble.
List of items stored in a Residential Safe
Any item can be termed valuable depending on the sentiments attached to it. For example, a simple pen can be valuable according to you. The best place to put them all is safe. They are inaccessible to thieves and do not pay heed to the flames. Here is a list of items you can store in a home safe.
1. Personal Documents
Every individual has several documents that are essential for them to survive in any part of this world. They define their identity and they must take maximum caution while keeping them at home. The documents can be a birth certificate, passport, license, or any other personal document. You can place them all safely in a safe.
2. Jewelry
A safe is the exact place where you can keep all your jewelry. Safe is within your reach. So, you can wear them whenever you want and keep them away from the hands of burglars. Unless your jewelry is for investment purposes, you can secure all your jewelry within the confines of a safe.
3. Cash
You might belong to the category of people who do not like to keep cash in the bank. Then, safe is the best option for you. You can secure all your money in the safe. It is fireproof and you can easily use them whenever you want.
4. Guns
If you are someone who owns a gun, we definitely recommend buying a safe. This is because a safe will keep it away from theft and children. As a bearer of the gun, it is your responsibility to ensure that they do not reach the wrong hands and cause any accidents.
5. Family Valuables
Items that belong to your family and are passed along for generations can be stored in the safe. If there is something – an object, will, or testament that you would like to pass to the next generation, you can place them inside the safe.
6. Keys
Inside the safe, you can put your safe deposit keys and spare keys of your cars, house, office, or any other property. This will not only protect them from damage but also prevents them from getting lost.
7. Important Papers
It is a good idea to have a physical copy of important documents like insurance policies, bank account information, wills and testaments, health care documents, and house pictures in a secured place like a residential safe.
8. Precious Metals
Lastly, you can store metals other than your jewelry in a safe. You can keep precious metals like silver, platinum, or diamond in a safe vault.
How to open a faulty safe?
Now that we have run through the different valuables that can be stored in a residential safe, let’s see how to open a locked safe. With more people relying on safe and Vaults to secure their valuables, there is also an increase in the reports of the safes becoming faulty or being difficult to unlock. If you are one of the affected people, your first reaction would be to break the safe. But, we do not recommend it as the safe becomes disposable after breaking it open. The right way to deal with a faulty safe is to contact a safe locksmith. In this section, let’s check out the process that safe locksmiths employ to unlock a safe.
Unlocking Safes by Manipulation
This is the most common method locksmiths employ to unlock a broken safe. In this method, the safe is also not damaged. Let us explain what happens here – The locksmith will listen to the safe where they move the dial along with its wheels till they are aligned properly. On alignment, they hear a sound when the driver pin hits the flywheel’s notch. It is a signal that the safe is unlocking.
Opening Safes through Drilling
As the name suggests, a hole is drilled into the safe in this process. Though the hole is small, it will cause small damage to the safe’s external appearance. The hole’s location depends on the safe’s type and the position of the lock. As a hole is drilled into the lock, a scoping instrument is pushed through the hole. This will help the locksmith to see the operation of the safe. They will study how the safe unlocks and then begin the unlocking process.
Using Scoping to Unlock Safes
In the previous method, a scoping instrument is used to study the lock. Unlike drilling, here, a scoping borescope is inserted through the drilled hole to understand the internal design of the lock. We recommend this method when there are additional security measures to unlock the safe.
If none of these methods work, only then the safe locksmith with resort to the last two methods – Cutting & Prying. In either method, the safe will be damaged and it costs more to repair the safe than to buy a new one. We reiterate that a good locksmith never uses these two methods unless the situation is beyond their control.
Desert Locksmith Of Arizona
Desert Locksmith of Arizona is the most popular and reputed locksmith service provider across Arizona. Their service is available across Pheonix, Tempe, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Glendale, Mesa, and Peoria. With more than 15 years of experience in this industry, they have the knowledge and expertise needed to help you get out of the most difficult situation.
Be it Safe lock installation or Safe repairing services – we are equipped to help you right from the installation to fixing them. Our services are registered, recognized, and insured. So, you need not worry about the quality of the service. We offer the best services across Phoenix. Call us at 602-301-5243 for locksmith services.