How A Commercial Locksmith Can Help When You Lose The Keys To An Important Filing Cabinet
If you keep documents in your office locked in a filing cabinet, there might be times when you need the help of a commercial locksmith service to open or replace the lock. If your key is missing, you think an employee might have a copy of the key, or the key stops working in the lock, you can hire a commercial locksmith to replace the lock on your cabinet. Here's how it might work.
The Old Cylinder Core Is Removed
The locking mechanism on a filing cabinet can be accessed by removing the top drawer. If the entire lock has to come out, the locksmith can reach the lock to remove it and insert another one. However, the lock is usually sturdy, so it may not need to be replaced. If the key is lost, all that needs to come out is the old core, and that can be done without removing the top drawer or lock.
This requires the use of a control key. The regular key that unlocks the lock doesn't unlock the core. You need a control key for that. This key unlocks the last pin the regular key can't reach. This unlocks the core so it can be pulled out of the lock. If the control key is lost, a commercial locksmith can pick the lock to release the core. Once the core is released, it can be pulled out of the lock.
The New Cylinder Core Is Inserted
A new cylinder should come with a new control key. The key is needed to lock the new core in place. The new core slides into the cylinder and is locked in place using the control key. After that, the new regular key can be used to lock and unlock the filing cabinet.
You'll want to keep the new control key where you can find it, but you probably don't want it on the same ring as the regular key or they could get confused easily. If you can find the control key when you lose your keys or need to change the lock, you can change the core yourself and save a call to a locksmith.
However, if you don't have access to a control key, the lock has to be picked, and you'll need commercial locksmith services to change the lock core and get the filing cabinet open. Fortunately, you can often get commercial locksmith services quickly so you can access your files without too much delay and disruption to your workday.
Contact a local commercial locksmith for more information.