Safe lock help · Sentry Safe
Safe lock troubleshooting › Sentry Safe › Sentry digital fire chest and file (CHW30300, FHW40300)
The SentrySafe CHW30300 water and fire chest and FHW40300 file safe have a digital keypad built into the carrying handle and a lid latch. They run on one 9-volt alkaline battery. This guide covers how to open it, set your personal code, replace the battery, and what the red and yellow lights mean.
Want the whole manual? Jump to the manufacturer download links.
Is this your lock?
- A fire and water chest or file safe with a keypad in the handle (a row of number keys, with a green LED, a red LED and a yellow LED).
- A reset button is on the top of the keypad.
- It uses one 9-volt alkaline battery behind a battery cover, and a 4 to 6 digit personal code.
- The model numbers in Sentry’s manual (P56619) are CHW30300 and FHW40300. Other CHW and FHW models are different (some have a key, called a “privacy key”): use the manual for your model.
How to open it
- Enter your code on the keypad. (The first time, this is the factory code from the back of your owner’s manual.)
- A green LED flashes to show the code was accepted. Wait a short moment for the lock to work.
- Press down on the lid and pull up on the latch to open it.
- To close: press down on the lid. The safe is locked.
- If you enter a wrong code three times, the safe goes into lockout mode: the red LED blinks slowly for two minutes.
How to change the battery
The safe uses one 9-volt alkaline battery (we recommend Procell). Do not use rechargeable or any other non-alkaline battery. The yellow LED blinks once every 30 seconds when the battery is low. If there is no light at all when you press the keys, the battery is dead.
- Put a credit card, ID card or another card of a similar size in the center slot of the battery cover. When you pull the card out, the battery cover pops out with it.
- Put in a new 9-volt alkaline battery in the marked place.
- Put the cover back on, left side with the two tabs in first.
- The personal code you programmed is not erased when the battery power is removed.
How to set your personal code
Do this with the safe OPEN.
Test your personal code before you close the safe. Sentry says to write it down and keep it in a secure place.
- Open the safe.
- Press and hold the reset button on the top of the keypad until the green LED flashes.
- Enter your new personal code, 4 to 6 digits. The green LED flashes with each good key press.
- 6 digits are accepted right away. 4 or 5 digits are accepted 10 seconds after the last key.
- The safe saves the code and goes to standby by itself, with no other signal. Test the code before you close the safe.
- If you wait 10 seconds without pressing a key, the safe times out. If fewer than 4 digits are entered, it goes to standby.
- Beeper: press and hold 1 and 9 together for 3 seconds to switch the beeper on or off. The green LED flashes either way, and the beeper sounds if it is on.
What the lights mean
| What you see | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| Green LED flashes | The code was accepted (or a key press was accepted while you program). |
| Red LED blinks three times | A wrong code or a programming error. Check the code and enter it again, or program again. |
| Red LED blinks slowly for two minutes | Lockout mode after three wrong codes. Wait two minutes, then enter your personal or factory code. |
| Yellow LED blinks once every 30 seconds | The battery is low. Replace it with a 9-volt alkaline battery. |
| No light when you press a key | The battery is dead. Replace it with a 9-volt alkaline battery. |
Wrong codes
Three wrong codes put the safe in lockout mode. The red LED blinks slowly for two minutes. Wait the two minutes, then enter your personal code (or the factory code).
If it still won’t open
The yellow light blinks every 30 seconds
The battery is low. Replace the 9-volt alkaline battery (see above).
Nothing lights up when I press keys
Power failure: put in a new 9-volt alkaline battery. If the safe is locked and the battery is dead, change the battery and try again, or call us.
I get three red blinks
The code was wrong or the programming did not work. Check it and try again.
I lost the factory code
SentrySafe can look it up from your model and serial number. Call us if you need the safe opened.
Download the full manufacturer instructions
This page is a quick-reference summary. For every feature and diagram, use the official manual for your model:
- SentrySafe Digital Chest and File owner’s manual P56619Sentry’s manual for the CHW30300 and FHW40300. Linked from SentrySafe.com’s Product Manuals page.
- SentrySafe Product Manuals (find your model)Type in your model number to get your own manual.
- SentrySafe Lost Key or ComboOrder a replacement key or request your factory code.
Need a hand?
Still stuck? We can help.
Having a hard time getting into your safe? Our technicians are trained to open malfunctioning safes professionally, so your valuables can still be safely secured. Call us or stop by.
Steve’s Lock, Safe and Alarm · 3401 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
More lock guides
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 19, 2026.