Cash box lock picking

[Muso]

Hey guys can anyone tell me where to begin opening a little cash box looks something like this:

http://images.officedog.co.uk/size600/p ... 0/8038.jpg

Unfortunately it has a lip seal which stops me from sliding some thin metal down the side and forcing the lever. Would a bump key be best or a trad style pick? I'm new to all this but willing to learn.

Many thanks

[Muso]

Just been reading around the forums and it seems this post might sound dodgey, I'm not trying to steal money. The box is attached to a wall in my house and inside it is the controller for the boiler, the evil landlord dictates when we can and cannot have the heating on, so I feel what I'm doing is ethical, its getting cold.

[Squelchtone]

Due to the nature of what this lock protects, and this being your first post, we are less than inclined to provide you with instructions on opening the container. If we tell you how and then someone trying to steal money from their work's office petty cash box googles this forum, we will have inadvertently given them the steps needed in committing a crime.

We pick locks for fun and for the challenge of it, but unfortunately many people in the general public see anything to do with lock picking as a criminal act, and we are trying to shed that image by not picking locks that are in use on soda machines, cash boxes, utility meters, cable company pedestals at apartment buildings, etc, etc, basically any lock that the lock picker doesn't own or doesn't have permission to pick, we don't pick, based on sound moral judgment.

If you need this item opened, please visit a local locksmith, they will be glad to pick it or drill it for you, for a small fee. If you just need this one box opened, this site is probably not for you, for you see we are not a technical support line for those times when someone is locked out of something. But if you feel that you would enjoy lock picking as fun hobby, then we encourage all new comers to purchase or make some lock picks, find some locks in the junk drawer at your house, or purchase some at the local hardware store and read lots and lots of the posts here to learn the basics that you can then use to become a more competent picker.

Best Regards,
Squelchtone

p.s. before I clicked to Post my reply, I noticed your update regarding the boiler controller that is inside. A lot of folks who rent, visit us asking about picking their apartment locks which they feel are ok to pick because they have payed to rent there, therefore have some right to pick it. Unfortunately, quite often a new picker can do something wrong while picking and may accidentally disable or break the lock, and that leads to an uncomfortable conversation with the landlord and sometimes to a loss of a security deposit, depending on how expensive the fix is.

I understand it is getting cold, so I think it may be time to have a talk with your landlord about that, and if they are reluctant, remind them that you do pay rent to live there, and should have heat as it is a basic creature comfort. You may also ask for the help of a local attorney/lawyer/city official, who may remind your landlord about his obligations to his tenants, but this may lead to further bad relations between you and your landlord.

[unlisted]

First, I highly doubt that the thermostat is mounted in that exact box.

Secondly, if it is, that is your major issue. A thermostat needs unrestricted airflow all around it- to get a true reading of the ambient air temperature. If your Tstat is locked up in that box- there is no airflow, which will mean the air temp in the box will be warmer than the ambient air temp in the room.

If the latter is true, talk with the landlord, and get him to purchase a proper T stat lockbox. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E3GNYU Works great, and has slots all over for airflow.


And sorry, we cannot help you with info on how to pick that lock, since you do not own the lock. You are right, your post does sound dodgy..

[Muso]

Hello

Thankyou for the replies, I guess honesty isn't always the best policy. Whats inside the box is a timer which sais when the heating comes on and off, its a little box connected to the boiler.
I wouldn't ask if I really didn't need to, to me it is the solution which requires the least hassle. I've spoken with the landlord regarding this of course and their attitude is "if you don't like it move out" the problem is I really like where I live and don't want to move out. The land lord isn't very smart so I figure if I could open it change it a little bit they wouldn' notice.
I'm going to have a go at picking it as I feel there is no other option.

Many thanks

[Buggs41]

That timer is probably being used to get the "non-peak" KW/HR rate from the electric utility. The lock for the box might be owned by the utility.

[femurat]

The fact that you're thinking your honest approach was wrong means you are not honest
Sorry for the twisted humour, this means there's nothing you can say to make us help you if you're trying to pick a lock in use.
May I ask you to think twice before picking that lock? Does it really worth it? Remember, once you cross the line there isn't a "undo" button. It's up to you...

Anyway I have to thank you Muso: you received excellent replies to your post, now I can use them to continue this little project.

Cheers

[Solomon]

I can see this going horribly wrong... just wear a jacket if it's that cold inside. If your landlord is genuinely at fault here, contact citizens advice and have the issue dealt with properly. You're paying money to live there.

[Squelchtone]

I can see this going horribly wrong... just wear a jacket if it's that cold inside. If your landlord is genuinely at fault here, contact citizens advice and have the issue dealt with properly. You're paying money to live there.

Is citizens advice an advocacy group in England?

Muse, you can also get an electric heater and plug it into the mains...

Your landlord would notice btw, because his oil/gas bill will go up next month so he will know someone was tinkering with the timer. You could ask him for a multi-zone timer that turns on and off several times per day, instead of just midnight-5am, etc.

good luck man, keep it legal.
Squelchtone

[unlisted]

Whats inside the box is a timer which sais when the heating comes on and off, its a little box connected to the boiler.

... Hmm.. this just keeps getting more and more strange.

I was in England last year, I have family and friends over there. Not once did I see a "timer" to control heating while I was in England. Nor did I see timers sold in any of the hardware stores to control heat.

Your calling a thermostat a timer, which is wrong. A timer would never be able to effectively heat- since it would not cycle the boiler at the right time. Warm day out? Your place would be too warm. Really cold out? Your place would be very cold.

You may want to have a look at the links below for clarification:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermostat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timer

[Squelchtone]

You may want to have a look at the links below for clarification:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermostat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timer

Ahh I see what you mean unlisted, I was picturing something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-TN111GC-Appliance-Settings-Lighted/dp/B0000BYC7B/ref=dp_cp_ob_hi_title_1

Squelchtone

[unlisted]

Ahh I see what you mean unlisted, I was picturing something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-TN111GC-Appliance-Settings-Lighted/dp/B0000BYC7B/ref=dp_cp_ob_hi_title_1

Squelchtone

Completely F****** useless for heating a building... good for car block heaters thou.. (well the waterproof ones)

[mh]

I have a small heating control unit in my house that would fit into such cash box. It would be ok to mount it inside because a) it doesn't generate excessive heat and thus doesn't need ventilation and b) it doesn't need to sense the temperature either, because it's connected to an outside sensor.

( German over-engineering, I guess; why measure the temperature outside when you can also measure it inside... Just don't install too much of that expensive insulation material, and your control system could simply react to short term temp changes... )

So the story is credible to me, yet it's not ok to tamper with someone else's equipment.

[Muso]

It's definately a timer, it controls when the central heating comes on like a little dial you can set it sat 6-8am, then 5-10pm or whatever, it's not ver advanced though so when say someones off work or its a weekend its just the same as pre-programmed. unlisted: theyre not that common to be honest which is why you havent seen one.
We do have a thermostat, sadly that no longer works. Anyway I realise no one will give me any practical advice, I shall work it out myself.

Thanks for replying!

[unlisted]

mh- I don't know who does your heating systems over there, but its all wrong-

If you have a indoor temperature sensor mounted inside a sealed box, how well will it be able to "sense" changes when someone opens a exterior door, or leaves a window open?

http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/n ... ostat.html

Placement. Mount the thermostat about 5 feet above floor level in the main living area and away from the kitchen. Be careful not to place it near an incandescent light, a TV, or appliances that produce waste heat. In fact, don't place it near any spot that can trick the temperature sensors: in a draft or direct sunlight--behind a door or in a closet; by a radiator or a warm air supply grille; on an uninsulated exterior wall, a wall covering pipes or flues, or a wall near a door or beneath stairs where vibrations can interfere with accuracy.

Basically a indoor thermostat should be mounted on a wall, open to the room, without a source of heat or cool draft near it.

It cannot get proper ambient room air temp sealed up in a box.

To the OP, why not use ice cubes on the top of the box? Trick it into thinking its cooler in the room. (cool temp drops, so if you place ice on the top of the box, it would conduct the temp into the box, thus cooling the tstat down) Use a ziploc bag, and/or a rag for the water drips..

I would much rather you do something liek that, than try to pick a lock.