Vaults and Safes

Fireproof home safes that also carry a burglary rating can perform double duty — they can protect your valuables from burglary and damage due to a fire.  There are separate ratings for burglary and fire, so be sure and check the ratings on the safe you are considering purchasing.  An example fireproof rating is a 1 hour fireproof rating.  An example burglary rating is a TL-15 or TL-30 rating.

The 1 hour fireproof rating means the safe has been tested under actual fire conditions to make sure that the contents did not receive any damage due to the fire or due to the water used to put out the fire.  The TL-15 or TL-30 burglary rating means that the safe has been tested to resist the attempts of a professional locksmith to open the safe given 15 or 30 minutes to do so.  For more information on fireproof home safes.

Fireproof gun safes can provide protection for your valuable guns against the harmful effects of a fire or from burglars.  Fireproof gun safes carry a fireproof rating that ensures they have been tested under actual fire conditions.  For example, a 1-hour fireproof rating means that the safe has been subjected to 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 protect your guns from permanent damage.  Fireproof safes are also tested for water resistance, to guard against the water used to put out the fire.  During the fire test, the humidity is tested to make certain that it does not rise above 80%.  For more information on fireproof gun safes.

You may have heard the generic term sentry safe.  Well Sentry safe is actually the brand name of a line of safes that are so popular that the term has become generic.  Sentry Safe has been a world-leader in the manufacture of safes for 75 years.  They manufacture safes is all sizes and shapes, for home and business use.   They have a full line of gun safes, as well as special media safes for protecting valuable computer backup data.  They offer fire and burglary proof safes in a broad price range.

If you are considering the purchase of a safe, you should definitely look at the Sentry lineup - it includes something for every budget and the quality and reputation of the company can’t be beat.  One of their most popular types of safes is a small chest-style safe that can easily slip underneath a bed.  It is primarily designed to protect valuable documents from fire and water damage.  These are the safes that the generic term sentry safe is most often applied to.  For more information on the sentry safe.

Good safes are key to an overall security strategy for your home or business.  A good safe can protect your valuable items from burglars and from damage due to fire.  Be sure to check when looking for a safe to make sure that it carries a burglary and fireproof rating.  Example burglary ratings are UL TL15 and TL 30 ratings, and example fireproof ratings are 1 hour and 2 hour fireproof rated.

Safes that carry these ratings have actually been tested to resist burglars and also tested under actual fire conditions to make certain that the contents of the safe were not damaged.  Also, if you decide on a free-standing safe, make certain that it is bolted down.  Good freestanding safes have bolt-holes in the bottom of the safe for this purpose.  This keeps a would-be thief from carrying the safe to some other place where they will have plenty of time to open it.

A bolted down safe can save your valuables from the devastating effects of a home burglary.  Here are a few statistics to keep in mind if you’re thinking about purchasing a safe:

-A burglary occurs approximately every 15 seconds in America
-Nearly 66 percent of all burglaries are residential, and of those, 62 percent occur during the daytime
-Most burglaries occur between 9am and 3pm - when most people are away at work
-Only 13% of burglaries are solved by police
-Only about 15% of property stolen in burglaries is recovered by police
-Nearly 85% of burglaries occur in large metropolitan areas

These are just a few reasons that you should use a good bolted down safe in your home.  Also, be sure to check the burglary and fireproof rating of the safe for an even more secure setup.

Here are a few things you can look for to make certain that the office safes you’re considering purchasing are up to the task.  Look for a 1 or 2-hour fireproof rating.  This means that the safe has undergone certain tests to make sure that your documents and cash would be safe in an actual fire.  For example, a 1-hour fireproof rating means that the safe has been subjected to an actual 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 prevent permanent damage to cash, documents and other valuables.

In addition, the humidity was measured during the test to make certain that it did not rise above 85% - this is to protect the contents of the safe from damage due to the water used to put out the fire.  Another rating to check is the burglary rating of the safe.  Some example burglary ratings are TL-15 and TL-30.  A TL-15 minute rating means that a professional locksmith spent 15 minutes trying to open the safe, using common locksmithing tools, and was unsuccessful.  This will ensure that your valuables are safe from burglars as well.

If you want to make sure that your valuable business documents and any petty cash that you use remains safe, you might want to consider getting an office safe.  Office safes come in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles.  Some of the things to look for are a burglary rating, a fireproof rating, and the type of locking mechanism used on the safe.  Burglary ratings are usually specified in minutes, with TL-15 and TL-30 being common ratings.  Fireproof ratings are usually expressed in hours, with a typical rating for an office safe being a 2 hour fireproof rating.

There are several different types of locking mechanisms available.  The most common are the keylock, the combination dial lock and the electronic keypad lock.  The electronic keypad locking mechanism is the most convenient.  With this type of locking mechanism, you simply enter a pin number on an electronic keypad similar to the ones found on ATM machines.  The correct pin number opens the safe, and you can assign multiple pin numbers to different people.  This allows you to see who accessed the safe and when.  For more information on the office safe.

Designed for use in jewelry stores, coin shops, and pawn shops, jewelry safes provide a very high level of security against burglars.  A jewelry safe carries a burglary rating, meaning it has been tested to withstand attempts to open it.  An example rating would be a TL 30 rating, which is a very secure safe.  The TL 30 rating means that a professional locksmith, using common locksmith tools, was unable to open the safe in a period of 30 mintues.

Jewelry safes usually have a 5″ thick door and a 2″ thick body.  They have a hardened steel drill-resistant plate surrounding the locking mechanism and use 1-1/2″ thick steel locking bolts.  Most jewelry safes also have a fireproof rating of about 1-1/2 hours.  So if you need the maximum in security for your valuables, consider buying a jewelry safe.  For more information on jewelry safes.

If you’re looking for a safe to protect valuables at your home or business, don’t forget to check and make sure that the safe carries a fireproof rating.  Most people think about burglary when shopping for a safe, but fireproof safes can be an important line of defense against a fire.  They also provide protection from the water used to put out the fire.  Look for a rating such as “1 hour fireproof rating” on the safe.  This means that it has been tested under actual fire conditions and the temperature and humidity inside the safe did not rise above certain levels.

If you need to protect valuable computer backup media, you’ll need a special fireproof media safe.  These safes are tested to keep the temperature and humidity at an even lower level to keep from harming fragile backup media.  Fireproof safes are designed with special insulating materials and special heat-activated door seals.  So if you’re looking for a safe, be sure to check and make sure it carries a fireproof rating.  For more information on fireproof safes.

If you’re considering purchasing a fireproof safe, there are a number of factors to consider.  First and foremost,  you should make sure the safe carries a fireproof rating.  These ratings are usually expressed as a number of hours, such as a 1 hour fireproof rating.  This means that the safe has been tested to withstand a 1700 degree F fire for a period of one hour, and the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.  Safes with a fireproof rating having special layers of insulation and door seals to keep the temperature on the inside low during a fire.

Another thing to consider is what you are going to store in the safe.  Do you need shelves, or just a large opening?  How large are the items you are going to store?   Where is the safe going to be located?  These things will determine the size, shape and interior arrangement of the safe.   Also you will need to consider the type of locking mechanism you want.  Fireproof safes are available with keylocks, combination locks, and convenient electronic locks.  Now that you know what to look for, don’t put off buying a fireproof safe any longer - one could save your valuable documents and other valuables from being destroyed in a fire.