Category: How to…
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How to Open a Safe Without a Key
You can open a safe without a key several ways, and how easy it is depends on how good the safe is. Cheap big-box safes can often be opened by getting a key made from the code, bypassing the electronic solenoid, bouncing the safe, or holding a strong magnet on the override. A quality safe…
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How to Cover a Door Knob Hole or Deadbolt Hole
To cover a hole in a door left by a knob or deadbolt, the cleanest fix is a metal cover plate (a hole filler plate) that mounts over the opening, far cheaper and tidier than filling with putty, which cracks, or replacing the door. Match the plate to your hole, usually 2-1/8 inches across for…
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Are All RV Keys the Same?
No, not all RV keys are the same, but the compartment keys usually are. One universal key, the CH751, opens the storage compartments on up to 90 percent of RVs. Ignition and entry-door keys are different from rig to rig: RV doors typically use TriMark keys with about 1,000 cut combinations, and ignitions match common…
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How Locksmiths Make Keys for Locks Without the Original Key
A locksmith can make a key for a lock with no working key, a service called key origination. They do it one of four ways: cutting a key from the lock’s code, scoping the cylinder to read the cut depths with a camera, disassembling and decoding the cylinder, or impressioning a blank in the lock.…
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Why Your Schlage Electronic Deadbolt Unlocks When Pushing the Schlage Button (and How to Fix It)
If your Schlage BE365 deadbolt unlocks the moment you press the Schlage button, or your code locks the door instead of unlocking it, the drive cam was installed 180 degrees backwards. It is the most-missed step in the manual. Pressing Schlage is supposed to let you lock with the thumbturn, not unlock. The fix: take…
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Why is Your Ignition Hard to Turn? Causes and Fixes
If your ignition is hard to turn, it is an early warning, that something is failing and one day your key won’t turn at all. There are three causes: a worn key (most common), a worn or dirty ignition cylinder, or a binding steering-wheel lock. Try a spare key first, if it turns easily your…
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How to Unlock a Bedroom or Bathroom Door (5 Ways)
To unlock a bedroom or bathroom door from the outside, use the small hole or slot in the center of the knob. A privacy lock has no keyhole, just that hole, which reaches the inner turn-piece. Push a privacy key, a small flathead screwdriver, a thick paper clip, or a flattened clothes-hanger tip straight into…
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Best Lock Lubricant: What Locksmiths Use (and What to Avoid)
The best lock lubricant is a Teflon (PTFE) dry lube such as Tri-Flow. It frees the lock without attracting dust, so the cylinder keeps turning smoothly for years. Powdered graphite works on a clean lock but builds up and jams over time, and oil sprays like WD-40 are the worst choice for a lock because…
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How to Get a Replacement Safe Key (Sentry and Others)
To get a replacement safe key, find the key code stamped on the lock or printed in your manual, then order a key from the manufacturer (Sentry, Stack-On, and others mail keys by code) or take the code to a locksmith for a same-day cut. Lost the code and the safe is locked? A locksmith…
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How to Reset a Kwikset Smart Lock (With or Without Code)
To reset a Kwikset smart lock, slide off the interior cover, pull out the battery pack, then press and hold the Program button while you reinsert the battery. Keep holding about 30 seconds until the lock beeps and the LED turns red, then press Program once more. That factory reset wipes every user code, Wi-Fi…