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Fire resistant safes are essential for anyone looking to protect their valuables and important documents. Regular safes might offer some level of protection against tampering and burglary attempts, but they cannot protect your safe and its contents from fire. With a reliable fire resistant safe, you can guarantee maximum protection for your treasured possessions. In this blog post, we will discuss how fire resistant safes work and offer five important fire resistant safe buying tips to help you choose the perfect safe for your home.
How do Fire Resistant Safes Work?
Fire resistant safes are specifically designed to protect paper and keep its internal temperature below 350 degrees, which is the critical temperature where paper begins to char and burn. Fire resistant safes are built with a double wall and are kept cool by fire-resistant materials placed between those walls. The materials used for insulation may vary, but most commonly include ceramic fiber, vermiculite, or perlite. The thicker the walls and the more insulation materials, the longer the fire resistant safe will withstand fire.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that fire resistant safes have limits. Although they can withstand fire, it’s only a matter of time before the constant exposure to heat makes them vulnerable and less effective. A good fire resistant safe can last for at least 30 minutes, which can be plenty of time for you or a fireman to extinguish a fire and recover your belongings.
Fire resistant Safe Buying Tips
A fire resistant safe is a necessary investment in providing protection for your valuables and important documents. However, before you go and purchase a fire resistant safe, there are still some things you need to keep in mind. Below are five fire resistant safe buying tips that will help you get the best home safe Australia that can protect your valuables from fire and suit your other storage needs.
- List Down All The Things You Want To Keep Inside
The first thing you need to do is to determine all the things that you are planning to keep inside your safe. This will help you narrow down your search to a fire resistant safe that can accommodate your needs. For instance, if you want to store cash and documents, you need a fire resistant safe that will not get hotter than 350 degrees. Film and tapes need to be stored in a safe rated to not exceed 150 degrees. And, for magnetic media like hard drives, you need a safe that limits the interior temperature to 125 degrees. Listing down your items and checking their temperature requirements can help prevent any damage.
- Check Fire-Resistance Ratings
Refer to a safe’s fire-resistance ratings to find the one most suitable safe for you. These ratings are provided by various industry bodies and indicate the amount of time a safe can withstand fire exposure, the type of explosion a safe can survive, and the level of impact it can endure. A good fire resistant safe should have a minimum of a 30 minutes fire rating. Anything less than that might not provide sufficient protection for paper or money in the event of a fire.
- Determine Where You Can Best Install Your Safe
Check your home for available space where it is good to install a safe. Try to pick a spot that will be hard for burglars to find. Keeping your safe in a hidden location decreases the possibility of your safe getting tampered with. Once you find a good place to hide your safe, you can then decide what size and bolt work you will need your safe to have. Safeguard safes stock a wide variety of sizes for fire resistant safes. Feel free to browse popular fire resistant safe options such as the Chubb Viper Safe 50, the Burg Wachter Combi Line Safe CL440E, and the Diplomat Security Safe 060EH.
- Your Fire Resistant Safe Should Also Be Waterproof
If your home has a sprinkler system, it may be activated during a fire. To put out a raging fire, the fire department will also use high-powered hoses. So, if your safe isn’t waterproof, the water could damage your safe’s contents, even if the fire doesn’t. Check a waterproof feature to ensure that you get maximum protection from both fire and water.
- Consider The Internal Dimensions Of A Fire Resistant Safe
Because a fire resistant safe is double-walled, the internal dimensions might be smaller than you expect. This is because of the special fire-resistant materials in its cavity. Check both the external and internal dimensions of the safe you would like to purchase. Also, remember to make sure that your safe will not just have adequate space for its intended contents. You should also make room for additional things you might want to add in the future.
By adhering to the aforementioned fire resistant safe buying tips, you can ensure that your valuables remain safe and secure from the dangers of fire, theft, and water damage. At Safeguard Safes, we offer a broad range of safes suitable for both commercial and residential purposes. To learn more about our selection, please give us a call at 1300 764 971.
