A Thing To Know About Fireproof Safes
Thinking about fireproof safes?
Here are some tips to remember when deciding among the various models out there today.
The first thing to know is not something concerning the safe but, actually, yourself, what you will be using one for.
That’s because fireproof safes come in two standard categories – those for paper documents and those specifically designed for computer media such as floppy disks and compact discs.
Okay, so not very many people are still making use of compact discs as a method of information storage, much less those three and five-inch floppy diskettes – but the point is, two types exist, and you need to primarily decide on that.
Units that provide fire defense for optical or magnetic media have a higher potential to deal with heat, as a result media will melt way before paper, which burns at over four hundred degrees Fahrenheit, is affected.
The next consideration for you would be to determine how long the fire protection should last.
Most consumer models can provide between thirty minutes to three whole hours – which might not seem like much, but then again, the typical fire lasts only twenty minutes.
So unless you don’t have a dedicated full-time fire department in the area, even thirty minutes’ worth of protection should be sufficient.
Obviously, one-hour safes will provide much more satisfaction, though two and three-hour varieties are best.
These models, however, will even cost quite a premium, with costs in the quadruple-figure range.
They also offer, it should be noted, other features in addition to fireproofing, such as burglar-proofing, water resistance, and even waterproofing.
Most importantly, however, is crush-resistance, as measured by the equivalent of a straight three-story drop.
After all, it’s possible that the ceiling should collapses onto the safe in case of a devastating fire.