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Fire Resistant | Handgun |Rifle | Biometric | SafesIt is important to have fire safes for the home and with good reason. We don't always expect our home to go up in flames, but it is possible and really one of the major accidents around the home itself. Fires safes for data, guns, as well as other valuable documents may be able to survive a fire, meaning that you won't have to replace things like birth certificates, social security cards, and even valuable computer information. However it is important to understand that fire safes are not all alike, and that these safes have different ratings, and different fires safes keep different valuables secure in a fire.
Here is basically how most fires safes work. All safes are going to have thick walled construction, whether it is fire safes for the home, for data, guns or other valuables. This is just pretty much standard for any kind of safe, and the thickness of the metal depends on what type of safe you are using. Larger, free standing safes are going to be the thickest, with portable safes having the thinnest walls. While this is important, there are other more important factors to consider. One is the amount of inner layers of insulation, as well as the type of insulation. These are panels that are installed in between the layers of steel. They are usually solid, and are made from fire resistant material. Some of these insulating pieces even have the capability to release a certain amount of moisture during a fire, which can cool down the interior enough to save the contents within. Fire safes for data for example have a higher rating, because sensitive discs, zip drives and external hard drive can be damaged at much lower temperatures. Underwriter's Laboratories as well as many other fire safety commissions do extensive testing for fire safes. While the details could fill up a whole article, here are the basics of the testing. One is the heat test. A safe, whether it is small or large is put into a furnace and heated up to temperatures from 1700 degrees and up, depending on the safe. At what temperature the contents of the safe start to burn is what the safe's temperature is rated at. Another test is how long the safe can withstand these temperatures before failure. The length of time determines the safe's time rating. There are also other testing involved, such as the stress test. Once the safe has reached a certain determined temperature, it is dropped from a height of thirty feet onto a pile of debris that you would normally find in a collapsed building, bricks, concrete and other rubble. If the safe doesn't break open, or crack to the point where the contents are compromised, it passes the test. These are just the basic tests that are performed by UL. Some manufacturers of safes put their products through even more testing on top of what is standard. For the lay person, the important thing to know about fire safes for the home is that the higher the rating, the better protected your valuables are in the event of a fire. Fire safes for data are going to have a higher rating than other safes, because of the sensitive information they protect. It is important that when you are looking for the right fire safe, that you look carefully at their ratings. Some fire safes for the home also have other features. One of these is a special door or seam seal that reacts in a fire. When a certain temperature is reach, the seal reacts, and expands to fill every crack or seam in the safe itself. Heat or smoke damage can come in from the smallest crack, and so this seal prevents this from happening. On the average, fires safes for data are going to be a little more expensive, because they have to have this added protection. However many of these safes are around the same price as any high quality safe. It is important that you stay away from the cheaper safe models, because their internal insulating panels are just not going to be as high of quality. As with any other products you buy, it is a good idea to shop around for fire safes for the home, comparing features, ratings and prices over a wide range of brands and retailers. |
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