A good fireproof, burglary-rated safe can protect your valuables from burglars as well as from the devastating effects of a fire in your home or business. You should check to make sure that the safe you are purchasing carries a fireproof rating as well as a burglary rating. This article will give you some pointers about the types of ratings to look for.
A typical fireproof rating is usually expressed as an amount of time — for example a 1 hour fireproof rating or a 2 hour fireproof rating. What this means is that the safe has been tested under actual fire conditions. A 1 hour fireproof rating means that the safe has been tested to withstand the effects of a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour, and that the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F. This is a low enough temperature to keep the contents of the safe from suffering any permanent damage.
In addition, water and chemical sprays are used to put the fire out, and the humidity inside the safe is measured during the test to make sure that it does not rise above 80%. This ensures that the water and chemical sprays used to put out a fire in your home or business would not damage the contents of the safe, either.
Fireproof safes are constructed using special insulating materials in the body and door of the safe. These materials keep the temperature on the inside from getting too high. Because of this they have much thicker walls and doors than non-fireproof safes. This should be readily apparent when you compare safes. In addition, fireproof safes have special seals on the doors which are designed to expand when heated, thus sealing off any moisture from entering around the door.
Burglary ratings are also expressed as an amount of time. Typical burglary ratings include UL TL 15 or TL 30. These are ratings, given by Underwriter’s Laboratories, that indicate how long a safe can resist an attempt by a burglar to open it. A TL 15 rating, for example, means that the safe has been tested to withstand the efforts of a determined professional locksmith, using common locksmithing tools (including power tools), to open the safe, and that they were unable to open it after a period of 15 minutes had elapsed. The TL 30 rating means that the same test was performed for a period of 30 minutes.
Burglary-proof safes are constructed in a special manner as well. They use thicker steel all around. In addition, the steel plate that covers the locking mechanism is reinforced with special drill-resistant material to keep someone from drilling into the locking mechanism to open the safe. Burglary-proof safes also use heavier locking bolts and hinges on the doors. You should be able to recognize some of these features when comparing a burglary-proof safe as well.
If you want the added security and peace of mind that comes with knowing that your documents and other valuables are safe from burglars as well as fire damage, now would be a good time to look for a good burglary-rated fireproof safe. Be sure to do business with a reputable safe dealer with experience in the business, and consider purchasing only a proven, name-brand safe. Ask the dealer for a recommendation, then do a little research on the safe they recommend.
For more information on burglary-rated fireproof safes, visit the Value Safes website at the following address: http://valuesafes.com.