If anyone can help me out with this I would surely appreciate it.

I was elected to the property owners association for the "ranch" we live on. Its a few hundred thousand acres and there about 800+ property owners. The POA boards primary duties are road maintenance and well maintenance. Originally as part of the development a convenience well was installed. There is no lock for access to draw water from the well. We have been having problems and want to install a puck style lock as shown below. One of the programs offered by Master Lock/American lock is a program called the Edge Key Control program. Only the account holder can order keys from Master Lock and they are in theory not duplicable on the open markt.

I have called various distributors and dealers as suggested by a call to Master Lock customer service, but to no avail. Either I have a dick growing out of my head, they only want corporate business accounts, or I have explained myself poorly.

Anyhow, we need 2 locks that accept the same key, an initial buy of 400 keys, each key serialized, keys cant be duplicated, and a quote for follow on key orders.

Any help or resources would be greatly appreciated.

David

What about a lock that has a combination on the lock (changeable) instead of a key?

The other option is to get an additional lock,a lock box, like the realtors use that takes a code, and put it next to the other lock and everyone has to open the lockbox to get the key to open the other lock.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Maste...on-Lock-Safe/3033334

I used to deal with a locksmith that sold masterlocks and he could make keys for them. But you might have to keep searching.

https://www.medeco.com/en/site...padlocks/hockeypuck/

This should get you started with a serious lock, not that Masterlock garbage. Restricted keyway - something that isn't stocked at the local Home Depot or Lowes, is what you want.
No nearby dealers, but your order is mostly keys, which are relatively light. If you don't have any luck with the local (?) dealers, let me know; I've got a guy here in NJ that would probably do this for you.

Jimmy - you're missing the point. Numbered keys provide accountability. Combinations can be easily or inadvertently shared.

Is there electricity at the well? Is there cell phone coverage?

Is the well behind a gate?

Who is causing the problems?

400 serialized keys sounds like a way to keep track of who has which key, but won't help you keep track off who is using the well and causing the problems. Would a couple of deer cameras that send picture notifications to your cell phone work?

Is it possible to post a picture of the well and what you propose to lock? A locksmith once told me that: "Locks are for honest people."

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Is it possible to post a picture of the well and what you propose to lock? A locksmith once told me that: "Locks are for honest people."

The quote I hear regularly is "locks are to keep honest people honest", but yeah Medeco is some fine, albeit pricey, stuff.

If you lock the well how will the Stagecoach driver water the horses? We all know only Apaches can find water sources in the desert.

I would contact Security Snobs they have been helpful with lock and security questions in the past.

Hope they can help you.

Kevin

I, too, recommend Medeco. That Medeco puck style lock is pretty neat. I changed out all of my locks when I moved into my home to Medeco’s and never looked back. Nothing is unpickable but Medeco makes it much harder to do; also it’s said to be unbumpable. I had 10 keys made at the time and they were all serialed. I was also given a card with info regarding my key. Only locksmiths have access to the proprietary machine can cut new keys, and they cannot make keys other than for the cardholder. Medeco’s are not cheap but well worth it in my opinion.

We considered a combination lock of some sort, but as stated, there is no accountability for that and there are other obstacles involved with a combination lock.

The well and controls are behind a locked gate. But the draw station is not. We do have game cameras. There is only enough power to run the actual well pump off solar.

One of the problems is unauthorized access. The Sheriff has stated they can only investigate/process if we catch someone in the act. Game camera pics aren't sufficient proof that water was being taken unauthorized.


Thanks for the input folks. I'll call Medco on Monday and see if I can get a quote and do some research on the Security Snobs website.

A) Any local commercial locksmiths?

B) How important is it to restrict access? 400 people sounds more like something which requires an electric system, of some kind, so that when someone loses their key, you don't have to replace all the keys.

C) We use the system Coastal Contract Hardware has in Myrtle Beach. Restricted, and just them, so much easier to deal with than Medeco, etc.

If 400 people are supposed to have access, how much harm can a few others be causing? (being serious) I know that doesn't matter, just wondering how you know "outsider" are the problem?

Years ago used to use BEST at work, my local key guy was able to duplicate them, even though I suppose theoretically he wasn't supposed to be able to?

We now use Medeco. I believe for a control system like that you're "buying the blank" so no one else can purchase it and can't make copies. I can't see that being much of an option for one key, unless it was priced out of reality for your situation. We have that setup, but have thousands of different locks.
(I guess I should really know more, I'm technically n charge of the lockshop)

My NJ locksmith is a Medeco dealer, and from what he's told me, it isn't so much that you're buying the blank - it's that the keyway pattern is registered to him. That makes it much harder for even another Medeco dealer to order blank keys, without that special card you get with the original order.

I suppose it would be naive to assume that every dealer gets a unique key configuration, but it does help keep the unauthorized duplicates to a minimum.

If you do go this route, be aware that buying 400 extra keys is going to be pretty expensive.

I've done something on a smaller scale (about 100 keys) and our rule was - if you lose your key, you're paying for the new cylinders and ALL the replacement keys.

People tend to take better care of their keys when replacing them costs real money.

Good luck!

If you want a price from my guy, drop me a line at my email.

There is actually over 800+ property owners who have legal access to the well, but only about 45-55 people live here full time. Unauthorized individuals taking water isn't the only issue with the well, but is one piece of the puzzle.

Electronic access is not an option, not for lack of power, but for lack of back up. This is a volunteer position and I am not available 24/7 to fix an issue of the electronics go bad. A lost key is on the owner, electronic malfunction would land in my lap. 24/7 service is also not an option.

Closest locksmith is a two hour drive one way. We need this to be a simple, manual, hands on type of project. KISS is the word of the day.

I am working on quotes, how we resolve lost keys and/or cylinder replacement is an agenda item after costs are derived.

quote:

Originally posted by motor59:
https://www.medeco.com/en/site...padlocks/hockeypuck/

This should get you started with a serious lock, not that Masterlock garbage. Restricted keyway - something that isn't stocked at the local Home Depot or Lowes, is what you want.

quote:

Originally posted by choang3:
I, too, recommend Medeco........ Medeco’s are not cheap but well worth it in my opinion.

Went with a Medeco dealer out of Phoenix. Great communication and better pricing than the Master Lock guy quoted with a patented key control system. Only dealer in AZ with this particular key system and he gave me a huge discount for ordering 400 keys up front with and additional discount of ordering more keys in 100+ batches.

Thanks for the recommendation fellas!

Hey I hear there’s an unemployed security guard in Toledo. Maybe he’d like to move and start a new life? Don’t give him a gun, just a cell phone and radio. And a stack of comic books.

Security Guard Available- cheap

I apologize now.

A few hundred thousand acres = (minimum) 300,000 acres which = 468 square miles.

That's a lot of area for one well to provide water for (and to be responsible for too)