This possibly may ought to be in a different forum, but it could fit here too... How do you folks handle the control of your emergency key(s)? Presumably, if you have a Key Holder, they would hold a key and there is an emergency key somewhere close at hand which is available to you... how do you control access to that key so that you don't use it without your Key Holder finding out? I'm looking for possible solutions so that I can present it as a solution to my wife to assuage any fears she has about my not having a key should I get in trouble when locked. She is going to be traveling in the not too distant future and will probably be gone for a protracted amount of time. It would be nice if she could have some control over that. We're not to the point where she keeps me locked up 24x7 but one can hope...
Oh, it’s easy. Have her lock both sets of keys away! Now you don’t have a dilemma at all. You are welcome.
There are a lot of options. Cheapest options: Wrap it by paper. Sign it and then wrap by plastic tape. Some fancier twists could involve a wax stamp or a glass bottle or a piggy bank with the opening sealed by wax. Basically anything that once opened cannot be put back up again. Timer box: App controlled key pod: A key safe with a numbered plastic lock: Safe with PIN number: (need a bit of patience to try out the combinations!) I myself prefer smaller ones like the key pod or key safe. You can put them in your wallet or bag and travel anywhere with them.
Hidden somewhere at home. She can reveal the location with a SMS, as needed. For added safety, she can schedule an email to be sent one day after her planned return; that way, she can rescind it upon her safe return.
Miss A used to insist I had an emergency key anytime I left the house. We came up with several pocket size solutions. The simplest was a small homemade CPVC key safe that would have to be destroyed in order to remove the key. It was easy enough to destroy but there was no hiding the key had been used. I believe there is a picture of it in my album
It’s probably smart to have an emergency key but my wife and I have never have. Luckily no need has ever arisen for the use of one. I’ve had funny stuff happen like a ball popping out from the ring and a little edema but nothing to where I immediately needed it off. With my ball trap cages I’m never to far away from a pair of pliers or a screwdriver where I couldn’t just break the slide in lock. My Behind Barz belt on the other hand is a different story, there’s no getting that one off without some serious tools. Hopefully nothing ever comes up where that is necessary but I suppose if I ended up in the ER for something they’re just going to cut it off anyway. So fingers crossed
We have a combination lockbox like this. She keeps both keys in it in her bedside table. My device has a small padlock that could be opened with small bolt cutters so I don't carry an emergency key. If I had a device with an integrated lock, I could take the lockbox with me when I travel and have her text me the combination in an emergency.
One of the other advantages to this is she has to really be in the mood to get the key and unlock me. And she is not inclined to take it along for just a night or two away from home. She has come to love to tease me and just leave me locked.
@ We discussed the emergency key and could not think of a reason why you would need an emergency key. The only thing you want an emergency key would be to save your dignity and embaressment in A and E. A
I have a tiny ring attached to the front of the waist belt of my full belt. A short thick rubber bend is passed through to hole in the emergency key and the ends locked together with a small padlock. For situations when an emergency key is thought necessary, the padlock is locked to the ring on the belt and the its key put into the safe. In an emergency I could break the band easily. Any medic wanting to remove the belt in an emergency would also see the key. If I break the band there is no way I could replace it and reattach the key. The bands are actually made of a small section (about 3mm wide) cut from an old bicycle inner tube. A small thin O ring would make a suitable alternative. When an emergency key is not required, the key can be easily removed and secured in the safe, as it is at the moment.
We use an IglooHome3 safe. She can phone or txt an unlock code (should be able to Bluetooth+internet unlock it but we haven't sorted that out yet). Not cheap, but very secure. I stare at it on the closet door when she is gone and can't do a damn thing about it.
She used to hide it somewhere in the house, now that I had a custom key made for her to wear, it came with a new lock and spare was given in a sealed box with wax seal. She has that somewhere I suppose, I don’t know if she hides it, keeps it at work, or just tossed it. She is not a fan of me having access to a key, regardless of whether it would be noticed if I used it.
A key is always available. I just choose not to use it unless an actual emergency occurs. It's not that hard.
Key safe with a 4 digit combination, which is very securely bolted to the wall. If I wanted access I'd have to destrory it, or the cage or the cage lock. I don't have access to the keys, which is just how I like it, and if there is some kind of emergency and she is not around then I will ask for the combination and she can change it when she returns.
A box of coin envelopes costs $16 and will last a lifetime ! Search Amazon for "coin envelope". She signs and seals it. Still have the same one from, wow, at this point I don't even remember how many years ago it was we put the e-key in there. Never have used it, but it's there if I need it. We do have a rule (not always enforced) that I have to give it back to her when we're together, then she hands it to me if we'll be apart for a while.