How to Operate a Combination Lock
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.
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.