AMSEC ESL20XL Safe Lock: Change Code, Users, Time Delay, Beeps

Safe lock help · AMSEC

Safe lock troubleshooting › AMSEC › ESL20XL and ESL20 (manager, courier and 8 users)

The AMSEC ESL20XL (and the current ESL20) is a round keypad lock with keys 1 to 9, C, 0 and # for commercial and retail safes. It has a master user (manager), up to eight more users and an armored car (courier) user, plus time delay, dual control, duress and an external control option. This guide covers how to open it, change the combination, set up users, replace the two 9-volt batteries and what the beeps mean.

• How to open
• Battery
• Change code and users
• Beeps
• Lockout
• Users and advanced features (master user only)
• Time delay, dual control and duress
• Troubleshooting
• Manuals

Want the whole manual? Jump to the manufacturer download links.

Is this your lock?

• A round electronic keypad marked ESL20 (AMSEC’s product page says the current ESL20 has a backlit keypad and a splash-proof keypad) with C and # keys and a red light.
• It uses a fixed 6-digit combination and two 9-volt alkaline batteries. AMSEC’s product page says it supports 1 manager, 1 courier and 8 users.
• The master user is user 0, subordinate users are 1 to 8 and the armored car user is 9.
• AMSEC’s manual is the ESL20XL Operating Instructions, Revision A (August 9, 2018). It is very close to the ESL15 manual, with extra duress and external control options.

How to open it

1. Make sure the safe handle is centered in the locked position.
2. Press C.
3. Key in your 6-digit combination.
4. Press #.
5. If it was right, the lock opens for 3 seconds. Turn the handle to the unlocked position and pull the door open during that time.

• Press C to clear a mistake. If no key is pressed for 10 seconds the lock goes back to rest.
• The lock keeps the first 5 digits and then only the last number you press as the 6th digit, so you can press extra numbers before the last digit to baffle onlookers.
• Use only your fingers. Sharp objects damage the keypad and are not covered by the warranty.
• If time delay or dual control is on, a valid code starts the delay or asks for a second code.

How to change the battery

The ESL20XL uses two 9-volt alkaline batteries (we recommend Procell). AMSEC says to use fresh, name-brand batteries and to replace them once a year. A strong-looking battery can still fail, because the lock needs a quick burst of current.

1. Grip the keypad and rotate it about 1/8 turn counter-clockwise to release it from the base.
2. Carefully pull the keypad away. Do not let it hang from the cable to the lock.
3. Lift the two 9-volt batteries out of their pockets.
4. Carefully take the battery clips off the batteries without pulling on the wires.
5. Snap on two new 9-volt batteries, tight, with no loose contacts.
6. Press the batteries back into the pockets, with the wires routed so they are not pinched.
7. Put the keypad back on the base starting at the top (about the 11 o’clock position), seat the three tabs, then rotate clockwise to level. It snaps into place.

• Do this with the safe door open and test your combination afterward.

How to change the combination

Master user combination

1. Press C, then #. You hear a short warble and the red LED flashes.
2. Key in your old 6-digit combination, then #. A short good tone.
3. Key in your new 6-digit combination, then #. Another short good tone.
4. Key in the new combination again, then #. A long good combination tone means it is recorded.

A subordinate user (1 to 8) with their own code

1. Press C, #, the user number, #, the old user code, #, the new user code, #, the new user code again, #. This works only if the master user allows users to change their own combination (function 60).

Adding a user or changing one without the old code

1. Press C, #, the user number, #, the master code, #, the new user code, #, the new user code again, #.

• A wrong entry gives the bad combo tone (4 short beeps) and the old code is kept.

Beeps and lights

A warble is a high-low-high-low run of tones.

Wrong-code lockout

After 4 incorrect combinations the lock goes into a 15-minute penalty lockout. The red LED flashes once every 5 seconds and any key gives 8 rapid chirps. Removing power does not reset it. Wait it out.

Users and advanced features (master user only)

Only the master user sets up the advanced features, using a 2-digit function code: C, #, the function code, #, the master code, #, the setting (1 for on, 0 for off, or a number), #. Each # gives a short warble and the last gives a long warble.

1. 01 time delay on or off, 02 delay period (1 to 99 minutes), 03 open period (1 to 9 minutes).
2. 10 multi-user mode, 11 add or enable a user (1 to 8), 12 disable a user, 13 disable all users. A disabled user’s code is kept.
3. 20 duress (needs an expansion module). 30 dual combo mode, 31 two subordinate users may open together.
4. 40 armored car time delay bypass (user 9), 41 subordinate users may authorize it, 60 users may change their own combination.
5. 50 external control: lets an outside device (key switch, alarm system or access manager) disable and enable the lock. It needs an optional expansion module.

• Function 99 resets all functions and deletes all users. We are not printing the steps: call us.

Time delay, dual control and duress

Time delay makes the user wait before the safe opens: a valid combination starts it, the LED flashes about twice a second, a long warble marks the end, and you then key a valid combination in the open period. Cancel with C, any number and #.

Dual control needs two different users to key their combinations one after the other, the second within 10 seconds.

Duress: ending a code with the last digit one higher or one lower sends a silent alarm through an ESL20EXP expansion module, and the lock opens normally.

If it still won’t open

Weak or dead batteries

This is the most common problem: no keypad response, or no click from the bolt. Replace both 9-volt batteries with fresh name-brand alkaline. If it still does not respond, press C first, check that the cable is seated in the keypad socket and that the battery clips are tight on the posts.

Bolt binding: it clicks but the bolt will not retract

The safe’s boltwork can press on the lock bolt. If the handle turns clockwise to open, turn it all the way counter-clockwise before you key the code; if it turns counter-clockwise to open, turn it all the way clockwise first. Or find the middle of the handle’s free play.

It works for a while after new batteries

That points to bolt binding in the boltwork. This needs a service visit. Call us.

Download the full manufacturer instructions

More lock guides

• AMSEC ESL15 (multi-user, time delay, dual control)
• AMSEC ESLAudit and ESLAudit II (screen and audit trail)
• AMSEC ESL10 / ESL10XL
• ← All safe locks

About this guide. This is an independent guide from Steve’s Lock, Safe and Alarm, a safe and lock dealer. Brand and model names belong to their owners and are used only to help you identify your lock. We are not affiliated with the manufacturers. These steps summarize the manufacturers’ own instructions; your lock may be a different version, so if anything here does not match what your lock does, follow your manual or call us. Always change codes with the safe door open, and test the new code several times before you close the door.

Steps last checked against the manufacturer documents on October 20, 2026.