We like our customers so much we want them to meet each other!

Shaunna Murphree won a 25$ Cupid’s Lingerie giftcard!

Sure, everyone says they like their customers. But who actually acts as if they like their customers? We’re putting our money where our mouth is!

We started the A+ Safe & Lock Customer Club a couple months ago. Each week we purchase a gift card from one of our customers and give it away on Facebook!

How do you enter? Watch our social media channels for the announcement. After the announcement is posted, leave a comment on the Facebook post announcing the giveaway before the expiration.

That’s all there is to it! We do a random drawing from the people that comment on the post each week.

How to you connect with us on social media? I’m glad you asked! Here are the direct links to all of our channels.

Jesse Sullivan won this $25 gift card to THINK Coffee!

Sanitization is at the top of everyone’s mind right now, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind at all times! Cleaning of frequently touched surfaces in a commercial setting is a good way to help maintain a sanitary environment for your team.

Keypads on safes are often touched frequently by a variety of people throughout the day. They are a great item to add to your sanitizing checklist, much like door handles and keyboards.

We made a brief video to demonstrate manufacturer recommended methods for cleaning and electronic safe lock keypad. While it is important to clean them, safe keypads can be damaged by liquid, leading to expensive repair or replacement costs. The methods we demonstrate in this video will ensure your keypad remains both sanitary and operational!

Temperatures are rising. That means outdoor activities are ramping up!

Apart from the unusual situation this year due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic, this is the time of year that a lot of people start opening up their RV’s & campers. Time to clean up from the winterization and get ready for some camping this Spring and Summer!

We get several calls this time of the year to help customers who have lost the keys to their RV over the winter. These things have a way of wandering off when they are put away for the Winter!

Whether your keys have been lost, broken, or simply locked inside of your RV, we can help!

We have the ability to originate a new key to your camper or RV on location, whether you happen to be in the middle of the woods somewhere, or still in storage. Our mobile locksmith shops are equipped with keys, key machines, and inverters to power our tools even in the most remote of areas. Lost the keys to your storage compartments? We can provide those as well.

If you find yourself locked out of your RV after a fun day on the lake or the trails, we can have you back in your RV in no time so you can rest up and be ready for another day of fun tomorrow!

Whether you are headed out for your annual camping trip, or running away deep in the woods to hunker down until this pandemic subsides, we can help you with RV lock problems!

It’s the center of attention right now. These are the health precautions that we take at A+ Safe & Lock every day to protect our clients and team members.

Don’t Lick Door Knobs!

This won’t read like the hundred other corporate statements you’ve received in the past few days. We’re a small family owned business and I write all this stuff myself. We don’t have a lawyer on staff to draft press releases!

At A+ Safe & Lock we are concious of the health of our clients and team members year round. Door handles and related parts are notoriously dirty surfaces, hence the recent meme about “licking door knobs in China.”

On every truck, we stock nitrile gloves for our technicians. They use these for obvious purposes when working on door hardware, and dispose of them after each job. This helps prevent cross-contamination from the many locations at which we provide service.

We also provide hand sanitizer in all of our service trucks for an additional layer of protection. Our technicians use sanitizer upon the completion of each job.

We provide all our team members with paid sick leave, so if they are not feeling well they do not feel obligated to come in to work. We interact with too many people on a daily basis to have a sick team member in the field!

Working frequently in educational, healthcare, and detention facilities, we always have to consider the high-vulnerability and high-risk environments in which we operate. For this reason we have had sanitary procedures in place for years that help prevent the spread of things like the Coronavirus.

With three full time locksmiths on staff, you can rest assured that we will not be dispatching anyone that is sick. Furthermore, we will take every precaution to avoid carrying contamination to or from your location utilizing the aforementioned tools.

This is not special activity for us. This is the commitment we have had to our clients for years, and we plan to keep it in place and improve upon it as we become aware of additional information.

Insurance & Tax Documentation

Prior to the beautiful new website built for us by the fine folks at Silverlake Design Studio, we had an unwieldy mess!  If you looked hard enough, you could find a page where we hosted our certificate of insurance and W9, and another page with key control documents for the convenience of our commercial clients.

Key Control Documents

I am now posting all of those documents together in this blog post for those that may need them. 

Whatever locksmith company in Conway or North Central Arkansas you choose to use, verify that they are properly insured and have a Sales Tax Permit. 

Due to the requirements of the clients we seek to serve, we always maintain automotive, liability, and workman’s compensation insurance policies.  All of our technicians have a copy of our Certificate of Insurance in their van at all times. We invite you to review it anytime you would like!

Some of our clients have other insurance requirements, such as being listed as an additional insured, and we are happy to accommodate such requests. 

So here it is!

Click here for a copy of our Certificate of Insurance

Click here for a copy of our W9

Click here for a copy of our Sales Tax Permit

Key Control Forms

Click here for a Key Liability Form

Click here for a Key Identification Log

Click here for a Key Control Log

Proper documentation is critical to the effective management of a key system.  You need to know which keys operate which doors. This is the purpose of the Key Identification Log.  It provides a list of key codes and identifies the doors or areas to which those keys grant access.

You need to know who has what keys at all times.  This is the purpose of the Key Control Log. With this form you can maintain a record of the date a person was given a key, to whom the key was given, that person’s acknowledgement that they received the key, and when they surrendered the key.  When used in correlation with the Key Identification Log, you can identify who has access to what doors in your key system. 

A large Master Key System can be very expensive to modify.  The Key Liability Form helps emphasize to keyholders the responsibility they bear while in possession of your keys.  Some institutions choose to transfer liability for irresponsibility with keys to the keyholder by making them pay to rekey the portion of the key system compromised in the case of a lost key.  For keys in the upper levels of the hierarchy, this cost can quickly reach into the thousands of dollars range. Even if you don’t intend to use it, it’s good for keyholders to understand the true value of the keys in their possession.

Would you like to discuss additional options for maintaining key control in your facilities?

A Master Key system is indispensable in large facilities and multiple location businesses.

However, a poorly managed Master Key System can create more problems than it solves!

A Master Key System creates a hierarchy of keys and locks. This allows some keys to open all doors, while restricting access from other keys. This is very helpful for controlling access in a large enterprise.

Let’s look at a school campus as an example. With a custom created Master Key System, we can allow and restrict access to all levels of faculty. Administration, Custodians, and teachers can have access to everything they need and nothing they shouldn’t.

Often in the Master Key Systems we create for School Districts, Administration and Custodians need access to the entire facility. They are issued a “Building Master” which opens every door on their campus. Teachers, however, only need access to classroom doors and some common areas like work stations. They are issued a “Classroom Key” that operates classroom and common area doors. In most cases today, exterior door access is granted by electronic credentials to maintain a proper audit trail and limit non-audited access to the building.

But what about large districts with multiple campuses? How many keys do District level administrators or maintenance faculty have to carry? JUST 1! That’s right, another level can be created above the “Building Master” that is called a “Grand Master.” In a properly created Master Key System, the Grand Master operates every lock in the system. This “Grand Master” provides access to every lock in the system to District-wide faculty, while preventing campus faculty from accessing other campuses.

A visual description of how a basic Master Key System operates can make it easier to understand, so we have created a sample hierarchy chart below.

Sample Master Key System chart

This is an example of a very basic Master Key System, but they can get much more complicated! Additional levels can be added, multiple keyways can be integrated, and locks can be “cross-keyed,” all of which increases the complexity of the key system.

One of the most critical elements to an effective Master Key System is accurately cut key! Even if you have properly keyed cylinders, if you receive poor duplicate keys, they will not consistently work across your facility.

The other critical element to a useful key system is accurately keyed or “pinned” cylinders. When a Master Key System is in use, it is imperative that OEM pins be used. “Universal pins” are not sufficiently close to manufacturer specifications for reliable operation when the complexities of Master Keying are added.

We manage Master Key Systems in operation on thousands of doors throughout North Central Arkansas. If you would like information about creating a Master Key System or correcting problems in an existing system, we will be happy to help you!

Exit hardware comes in many styles and levels of quality. The application determines the appropriate harware.

Many doors are required by Fire and Life Safety codes to utilize a lock called an Exit Device. These devices are referred to by a variety of names, but they are essentially a lock that has a releasing push pad or bar that extends at least 2/3 of the door. When depressed, the bar unlatches the door allowing free exit, or egress, from the facility. This is particularly helpful in emergency situations when people are in a panic as they exit a building. No conscious action is required to exit the building—if you run into the Exit Device, it releases the door! For this reason another term for these device is “Panic Hardware.”

Depending upon the size and purpose of the facility, various Code Standards require the installation of panic hardware. Exit Hardware come in several functions. There are Rim Devices, Mortise Devices, Concealed and Surface Vertical Rod Devices among others. Furthermore, there are Fire and Wind Rated devices. Finally, there are a variety of exterior trim options for doors that require the ability to re-enter the building.

In a new construction project, the architect usually specifies the appropriate hardware for the project. In a remodel or change of use for a facility, a local locksmith can be a lot of help determining the appropriate hardware for your door.

A good local locksmith will be familiar with a variety of exit hardware options as well as the applicable codes. Your locksmith can help you navigate the complexities of choosing an appropriate and reliable piece of hardware that will serve you trouble free for years to come.

Whether you call it an Exit Device, A Panic Device, a Crash Bar, a Push Bar, or any other name, if you need assistance finding the right hardware for your door in North Central Arkansas, give us the chance to help you in the right direction!

Alarmed Exit Devices are a great option for doors that require free egress to comply with Fire or Life Safety Codes but not intended for regular use.

Exit Device Alarms are often installed on emergency exit doors and stockroom exits. In these applications, the alarmed exit device allows customers or employees to escape the building freely in an emergency, while also alerting anyone else in the facility that someone has exited through the door. This accomplishes two things:

1. Alerts everyone if there is an emergency so they can begin evacuating the building

2. Alerts staff if there has been an attempted theft

AlarmLock 700 Alarmed Exit Device

When an Alarmed Exit Device is functioning properly, it is armed (the alarm is turned on) or dis-armed (the alarm is turned off) with a key. When the device is armed, an ear-piercing alarm sounds every time the latch is retracted. Whether the bar is pushed to exit the building, or someone tries to bypass the latch during an attempted break-in, the alarm sounds. By providing a solution to both of these possible problems the Alarmed Exit Device serves as both a security AND a safety device!

There are a few problems that can arise with Exit Device Alarms.

The most frequent problem that we are called to resolve is dead batteries. Most of the standalone Alarmed Exit Devices on the market are powered by a 9V battery. Obviously, that has to be replaced occasionally. We reccomend you replace the batteries in an exit alarm annually.

Another common problem we find is wires cut or pinched, creating a short in the device. When you replace the batteries, take particular care to pay attention to the location of the battery and other wires that are under the cover. If these wires are pinched or cut, it will cause the device to no longer alarm. The physical locking mechanism will still secure the door, but the alarm will not sound when the latch is retracted.

If you pay attention to these simple maintenance tips, your Alarmed Exit Device will provide many years of reliable service!

Continuous Hinges are the best hinge option available for high-use commercial doors. Most brands come with a Manufacturer’s Lifetime Warranty, but that warranty obviously “hinges upon” ( You’re welcome ;) ) a correct installation!

Far too often we are asked to repair doors with improperly installed continuous hinges. The most common mistake that we find in the field is the leaf side of the hinge not bolted through the door. Unskilled installers use self-tapping screws to surface mount the hinge to the leaf of the door.

Over time, these self-tapping screws pull out of the surface of the door. This results in the door not latching corretly, dragging on the threshold, or rubbing on the frame. These are all problems that a continuous hinge is supposed to correct, not cause!

To install a continuous hinge correctly, sex bolts are used to secure the leaf portion of the hinge to the door. These bolts go all the way through the door to securely anchor the hinge permanently in place. This prevents the hinge from working loose and causing any of the problems previously described.

We documented the problems we found with this hinge last week as well as the correct installation process. You can watch this video to determine if your hinge is installed correctly, or just to make sure that it is installed correctly when you have the work done. You can even use it for instructions if you want to install one yourself!

This is a frequently requested instructional video showing the actual installation process for a full surface continuous hinge. The video is 14 minutes long....

If you would like assistance troubleshooting, repairing, or installing a Continuous Hinge in Conway, Arkansas or anywhere in North Central Arkansas, give us a call!

Combination locks can be a little confusing to operate. We’re here to help!

A mechanical combination lock is one that has a dial you rotate as opposed to an electronic keypad. There are a variety of types of mechanical locks available today, but this article deals with the most common type we find around Central Arkansas. These instructions will not help you if you are trying to open a Sentry Safe. Sentry uses an entirely different type of lock, but we have videos explaining how to operate them as well!

The technical term for this type of lock is a Group 2 Mechanical Combination Lock. This is for a 3 wheel, or 3 number, version.

The basic dialing sequence for a 3 wheel combination lock is as follows:
4 rotations left (counterclockwise) to the first number
3 rotations right (clockwise) to the second number
2 rotations left to the third number
1 rotation right until the dial comes to a complete dead stop.

Shut The Front Door Ep. 2 - Combination Locks How to open a mechanical combination lock and preventative maintenance

For example, let’s say the numbers in your combination are 65-15-70. You would begin by turning your dial left (counterclockwise) and every time you see the number 65, you count it as a revolution. Continue rotating the dial to the left until you see the number 65 for the 4th time, and stop directly on it.

Now you can proceed to the 2nd number in your combination, which is 15 in our example. Begin rotating the dial to the right, and count every time you see the number 15. Continue rotating until you see 15 for the 3rd time, and stop directly on it.

We proceed on to the last number in the combination, which is 70 in our example. Rotate the dial to the left counting every time you see the number 70, and stop direcctly on it the 2nd time you see it.

Now that you have dialed in your combination, all that remains is to retract the bolt to unlock the safe! This is accomplished by rotating the dial to the right until it comes to a complete stop. This usually happens between the numbers 0 and 85, depending upon the manufacturer of the lock.

Now you can rotate the handle on the door and open it!

The video above provides additional visual instructions and details to this process.

If you have more than 3 numbers in your combination or some other different detail involved in your safe, give us a call! We will try to walk you through it over the phone, and if that doesn’t work, we will come to your location and help you gain access.

Bad things happen around the world all the time. We can’t stop that.

But we can help disaster victims in Conway and North Central Arkansas gain access to their possessions.

We provide safe openings for local disaster victims free of charge. If you have suffered loss due to Fire, Flood, or other natural disaster, give us a call.

Many times after surviving flood or fire, a safe lock will fail, particularly if it is an electronic lock. For those who have been the victim of a total loss fire, sometimes the only familiar things left in existence are contained inside their fire safe!

After a safe has been in a flood or fire, time is of the essence to minimize damage to the items inside. Most safes are not waterproof, so if they are submerged, you can assume that the contents have been exposed to water.

In a fire, a fire rated safe becomes extremely humid inside which can be problematic for items such as guns. It induces rust in metalic parts like gun barrels.

If you have a safe to which you cannot gain access after a disaster, give us a call. We will work with your schedule to help you get back to your possessions as soon as possible.

Disaster recovery is a process, and we would like to help you start that process by reuniting you with what remains after the disaster!

People often ask us, “What do you locksmiths do besides unlock houses and cars?” In short, we service anything in a door opening—from the threshold to the closer, and anything in between!

To the right you can see a gallery of before and after pictures from a recent commercial threshold replacement we provided at a local Sonic in Conway, Arkansas. This back exit at receives heavy use for trash removal as well as stock replenishment. As you can see from the first picture, the threshold took all the abuse it could stand! This problem presented not only an inconvenience, but a safety hazard as well due to the sharp edges of the aluminum sticking up at ankle height!

This door required a special rabbeted threshold that is not readily available at local hardware stores. This typ of threshold is common in food service applications for health department code compliance because they provide a seal around the full perimeter of the opening, preventing intrusion from insects, rodents, or windblown debris.

Next time your door is slamming, or won’t close, or won’t latch, or your key is difficult to turn in it—contact us! We will help you in the right direction so you can get back to your important work without distractions from your doors!

If you have ever been the victim of a burglary, you know how unnerving the experience can be.

And that concern doesn’t go away overnight! Unfortunately we can’t heal all the trauma associated with the experience, but we can help provide you with a little peace of mind!

A common method of attack used by burglars is to kick in the door. This is a very fast way to gain entry to a residence due to the cheap locking hardware frequently used in residential construction.

When a door is kicked in, what usually happens is the jamb is broken out at the location of the strike plates. This is where the latch on your lock enters the door jamb. These strike plates are often only secured into the jamb with 3/4” screws. This means it requires surprisingly minimal force to to split out the trim and have the door wide open!

The video below demonstrates a product that can not only prevent a kick-in attack, but can also usually repair a door jamb after it has been split out. Not only does it repair the jamb, it makes the jamb much stronger than it was before the intrusion!

Take a look, and give us a call if you have any questions! We want to help you avoid an intrusion or recover from one.

Shut The Front Door Ep. 4 In this episode, Ted Nugent joins us for an Installation and Demonstration of the Jamb Enforcer, and we make unfounded blanket statements about gamers! Great product to reinforce a door frame against forced entry, or repair the jamb after a kick-in attack.

After a long hiatus for a complete redesign of the website and branding, (Thanks to Silverlake Design Studio) Shut The Front Door is back in business!

We hope to bring you interesting and helpful information on a more regular basis moving forward.

Would you like more information about a security or door harware topic? Drop us a note and we will contribute what we can to the discussion!