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When you need to get into your safe, whether it’s to take something out or put something in, it can be extremely frustrating when the electronic lock simply won’t work.

Fortunately, the most common reason for this is battery related, and easy to solve.

Battery failure

If your electronic lock has suddenly stopped working and you’re unable to open the safe, you’ll want to check the battery before doing anything else. In most instances, the battery will be dead. 

Changing the battery once a year can help to avoid this problem.

But,there is also a chance that the amperage in the battery, simply isn’t high enough. Let’s look at this in a little more detail:

• Amperage explained

While voltage and amperage are both measures of electrical current, they measure different kinds of electrical current. Voltage measures the pressure of electrons flowing, while amperage measures the volume of electrons. For an electronic lock to function properly, the voltage and amperage must be correct.

If you test the static voltage of a battery, it might give you a reading of over 9 volts, but its true performance will come when a load is place on it. how your battery performs under a load is determined by its cell design, chemical make-up and internal resistance.

• How can you tell if the problem is related to amperage?

It might be that even with a battery that has the wrong amperage, the keypad will still make a noise and appear to be working normally, or it might make the lock issue a series of beeps or tones, such as it might if you had entered the wrong combination code. This is usually because the lock is powering down and then back up in the middle of the combination entry sequence.

If you’re still unsure as to whether incorrect amperage is causing your electronic lock to malfunction, schedule a consultation with the safe manufacturer or company who installed the safe.

Should you ever need to replace the electronic lock on your safe?

If you have a lock that was manufactured in the mid 80’s up until 2014, you can expect the lock to carry on functioning for up to 12 years, although this can naturally vary. For locks made in 2015 up to the present day, you can expect them to last for as long as 20 years before they need to be replaced.

Can I switch to an electronic lock?

If you decide you want to swap to an electronic lock from a manual one, this can be done with the help of a professional safe technician.

Electronic locks offer fantastic convenience and security when functioning at their best, and to ensure that they continue to offer you such great convenience, be sure to replace the battery annually, and with one that has sufficient amperage. If you’re unsure about this, simply check with a local safe expert or licensed locksmith.