Thursday, June 7, 2018

Safely Extracting Your Key from the Ignition

Motorists often face challenges that they can’t predict. When your key is stuck in the ignition, this is one of those times that you couldn’t have predicted. It can be one of the most frustrating situations that a motorist will have to endure, in addition to losing your car keys or misplacing them. Dealing these types of situations, you’ll need a lot of patience to effectively deal with this type of problem. Panicking only makes the problem worse than it already is. When a person is upset, it is difficult to think rationally. Perhaps this article will make you stop and think seriously about how you will respond when your key is stuck in the ignition so that you aren’t making the problem worse than it already is. If you’re in a hurry, you certainly don’t want to contribute to your problem. You might make matters worse and more time consuming. When you over react, you also usually end up spending far more money than you anticipated. At Fast Accurate Locksmith in Kansas City, KS we help many motorists extract their key from the ignition. However, when you want to attempt to try it on your own, here are a couple of things you can do to safely remove the key from the ignition without damaging it. 

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Spray a Lubricant – Spraying a silicone lubricant inside your ignition can sometimes loosen the key. You should avoid causing the key to break off in the ignition at all cost. 

Check the Steering Position – You should check to make sure your car is in the parked position. It should be in the off position because when it is not, the key won’t turn. Sometimes the key may turn too far. You can tell whether or not you’ve turned the key to far if your car radio is on but your car is turned off. Place the car in park, if it is not and then try to turn to the key. Most cars will not enable you to remove your car key as long as the car is any other position other than ‘parked’. 

Jiggle the Steering Column – Gently move the steering column back and forth. While you are doing this, slowly try to extract the key from inside the ignition. When you turn the key in the right position at the exact right time, this could help you to safely remove the key from inside the ignition.  

Check the Battery – When you have a battery that is dead, your key will be stuck. The battery needs to be charged again or else the key will not come out.  

Keys with Debris – Over time debris may build up on the keys. The built up debris can cause your key to stick inside the ignition. People use their keys to open things and over time this will build up on your key. This debris will make it difficult for you to get the key out. Once the key has been removed, clean it or use a new one. 

Use Pliers  When something gets inside the ignition, no matter how small it is, it might be difficult to remove your key. We do not encourage our customers to put anything inside their ignition, however if you’re careful enough, you can avoid making the problem worse. You can use small plier’s to extract whatever is in your ignition. If you don’t know if you can reach whatever is in the ignition, this is one of the times you should call a locksmith. You can also save yourself some frustration by allowing a locksmith to safely remove whatever is inside your ignition. Sometimes when motorists try to remove something from inside the ignition, they make the situation worse. We know that when the key is stuck in the ignition, people tend to panic. When people panic, they often make the problem worse. You don’t have to try to extract whatever is in the ignition on your own when there is often a locksmith just a phone call away. 
There is no reason for you to call a tow truck or an auto mechanic to get your keys out. Make use of an automotive locksmith who has the training and experience needed to remove your keys from the ignition. In most instances, they can even determine why your key became stuck so that you do not have to worry about this problem occurring again. 

Most people enjoy saving money and don’t like the idea of wasting their hard earned money. Undoubtedly, they want to spend their money on something they really want. In order to save money, you might watch a video or purchase DIY video’s that will enable you to handle certain problems on your own. While we encourage you to try certain things on your own, be advised that many of the video’s that you may watch will often leave out something important. The one thing they leave out is the one thing that will enable you to resolve the problem. You can’t trust everything you read online or watch in a video. They may not always be the most reliable resource. 
Utilizing the services of a locksmith to help you extract a key from your ignition will save you time and money. A professional locksmith service is familiar with this type of problem. It isn’t uncommon for people to get their keys stuck in their ignition. You don’t always have any control over this and that is why it is important to know what to do so that you can resolve the problem without making it worse. Getting your key stuck in the ignition is something that can happen to anyone. Instead of trying to figure this out on your own, you can contact a local locksmith to aid you in retrieving the key from the ignition. Don’t waste another minute trying to get your key out, instead, do the smart thing and call a locksmith.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Panic Bars, Importance in Commercial Property

For every superstar athlete they seem to have a lesser known younger brother. That’s what life is like for a panic bar. Everyone knows what their big brother the ‘fire door’ is all about but no one really knows what a panic bar is. Ask someone and they will tell you an answer like a place to drink before they get on a plane or the newest entry from the M&M Mars candy bar line. That’s despite that fact that these relatively unknown safety devices play such an important role in commercial building safety. 
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Given all this, it’s time to write an article on these really creative emergency door opening devices. They are less expensive to install than fire door locks and they are a super-reliable quick door opening mechanism that is virtually tamper proof from the exterior side of the door. After reading this article you will fully understand ‘exactly’ who the fire doors important little brother is. 
What Is a Panic Bar (also known as a ‘crash bar’)? 

How did these devices get their scary name? It’s because of the reason why they were invented in the first place. Every commercial building is required to have so many emergency exits and these are usually fire doors. The only thing is, that in the event of an actual fire some of these doors may be blocked and cause a mass exodus at a single fire door. The ensuing ‘panic’ could cause more injuries and death than a fire as many people try to scramble through a single opening.  

This is a scenario no one in their right mind wanted. The solution was to create several more less sophisticated doorways that would also let people escape without creating the dangerous scenario that just having a few working fire doors created. Hence the ‘panic bar’ was born. They enabled doors to stay securely shut until they were needed in the event of an emergency. 

Why Having Panic Bars Is Recommended and Necessary 
Ok you know what a panic bar is and what is does but you may not know the many reasons that they are important to have installed on your commercial building’s doors. The list is long and it just may surprise you. 

Here are some of the many reasons why it’s important to have panic bars installed on several of your commercial building’s doors: 
  • Panic bars may say lives in an emergency 
We have already touched upon the safety aspect of panic bars. Even saving one human life in an actual emergency makes it worth having these installed on your commercial property. They should help any business owner sleep better knowing there are good options in the event there is a fire, natural disaster or other emergency when people are occupying their building. 
  • They’re reliable 
Here are few locking devices that work as well as panic bars. They come the closest of most any locking device to being a sure thing they are called upon to work. That’s what makes them among the most trusted locking devices in the marketplace. They require very little maintenance to stay in good working order too. This applies even after they have been in place for a long period of time (even though you should have a locksmith check them periodically to ensure they are working properly). 
  • In some states they are required by law 
One big reason to install panic bars on your commercial property is they may be a required item. Some states have laws on the books that require you to have so many doors with fire alarm locks and panic bars. Failure to comply with these laws may hit you hard in the pocket book in the form of fines. Not to mention the effect lawsuits could have on your business if there was an actual emergency and failure to meet state and local requirements caused injuries or death. 
  • You may get a break on your insurance premium 
Speaking of your pocketbook, insurance companies know that having panic bars installed on the doors at your commercial building lessens the chances of death and injuries if an emergency occurs too. That’s why so many insurance companies are willing to give you a break on your premium. All you have to do is meet their requirements as to the number of doors with panic bars installed on them at your business. 
  • It’s a simple and effective safety device 
What is one of the best reasons to install panic bars? It’s because they are simple and work so well. Panic devices have proven to save many lives in verified fire and other emergencies a countless number of times. As was mentioned before saving just a single life makes any device like a panic bar with putting on some of the doors at your commercial property. 
  • They work well on all different types of commercial buildings 
Panic devices are made in all different shapes and sizes too. That means they can be made to fit on a variety of different types of commercial exterior doors. Several models even come in adjustable lengths and have other adjustments on them that will give them a custom fit too. So whether you own a movie theater with many doors or  warehouse with just a few doors it is in your best interest to have as many doors as possible equipped with panic bar devices. 

Get Your Panic Bars Installed, Maintained and Repaired by a Pro 
Panic bars may seem like simple devices but they are a locking mechanism that absolutely must be installed properly to work correctly when they are called upon in an emergency. It takes an experienced and skilled locksmith like Fast Accurate Locksmith of Kansas City, Kansas to get a job like installing and repairing panic bars done correctly. Make sure anyone you hire to install or repair your panic bars really knows what they are doing when it comes to working with these devices. They could mean the difference between life and death in an emergency situation.