Best place to put a fire safe??
Jones
documents, handguns, and valuables. I have 2 possible locations for
mounting, and can not decide which is best. Please let me know your
thoughts.
I have a basic colonial house with a partially finished basement.
1st choice - Basement, in an all cement/concrete corner.
Reason - There is NOTHING in that area to really catch fire, it's all
concrete. There is earth on the other side of those concrete walls, and
seems like the best place with respect to temperature during a fire.
Drawback - It's not a waterproof safe. Documents/safe may be subject to
possible basement flooding and water damage. Also, a thief could use a
large assortment of nearby powertools to attempt to break into the safe in a
burglary.
2nd choice - Upper level of home in office closet.
Reason - Most convenient. It's my office, so all documents are easily
accessible to me in everyday use. Also, clothes in closet disguise the safe
and make it easy to overlook in a burglary.
Drawback - Heat rises, and the upper level of the home is subject to the
most intense heat in a fire, causing more potential for damaged contents in
a fire.
Please let me know where you would put such a safe. I am also open to other
ideas.
Thanks
Bill
Dan Hicks
important documents (like home inventory) off-site (at your place of
work, at your mother's house, etc). Install a SECURE safe (and most
fire safes aren't very secure and in fact are light enough to easily
cart off) somewhere dry to keep your "local" valuables.
db...@sprynet.com
heat rating on them like: four hours at xxxxx degrees meaning that the
papers will not burn up with in the time limit for some many hours.
a fire safe is not a place for guns or valuables. the safe door will
pop off with large hammer and a pry bar....
put it in the basement with two 18 foot long pipes welded to the body
of the safe in a cross manner, no one will take it with them.........
Roger Shoaf
cabinet. It is not designed to fend off a crowbar wielding burglar for
long. It also is not a good idea to be drilling holes in the safe. The
reason for this is the insulation works by releasing steam into the safe in
the event of a fire so the inside of the safe does not exceed the rated
temp. To bolt it down, consult the dealer for a bolt down kit.
This safe will also weep a little moisture into the safe over time. If the
safe is opened on a regular basis this is not a big deal, but if it stays
closed for months at a time I would get some descant packs to absorb the
moisture or your guns will rust.
The standard fire safe will keep the contents of the safe at less than 350
degrees when the outside is in a 1750 degree fire for an hour. The standard
house will not burn for an hour. If it was my safe, I would keep it
upstairs.
--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.
Jones <nos...@ismi.net> wrote in message news:3acff150$1...@news.ismi.net...
Dan Hicks
bags. Otherwise moisture will wreck the gun over time.
davefr
it in on a floor safe and embed it in a concrete wall or floor. They
are the best bang for the buck and can be hidden quite well. Even if
a burglar finds it, it'll take quite a bit of valuable time to open.
Critical documents would be safer in a bank safe deposit box.
These residential safes are only good for protecting contents for
small fires. Don't kid yourself, the first place the burglar will
look is in your closet and he'll have it open in less than 5 minutes.
Roger Shoaf
davefr <dav...@REMOVETHISpacifier.com> wrote in message
news:jsv0dtktehhln1etk...@4ax.com...
> If you really want to store valuables in a residential safe than trade
> it in on a floor safe and embed it in a concrete wall or floor. They
> are the best bang for the buck and can be hidden quite well. Even if
> a burglar finds it, it'll take quite a bit of valuable time to open.
>
> Critical documents would be safer in a bank safe deposit box.
>
> These residential safes are only good for protecting contents for
> small fires. Don't kid yourself, the first place the burglar will
> look is in your closet and he'll have it open in less than 5 minutes.
Well as a locksmith I have seen the afterwards of a lot of burglaries and I
have seen fire safes forced open, but most of the time the burglar does not
want to spend the time to force the safe open. My first choice would have
been for a burglary safe in a concrete cladding, but the choice of a fire
safe is a lot better than leaving the pistol in the nightstand drawer and
the stamp collection in the back of the desk drawer.
The safe will slow down the ordinary house burglar, and is a whole lot
better than no safe at all.
basil...@zotnet.net
>I recently purchased a nice sized 2 Cubic foot fire safe for my important
>documents, handguns, and valuables. I have 2 possible locations for
>mounting, and can not decide which is best. Please let me know your
>thoughts.
Far better than any fire safe at home is an off-site safe at a bank.
Mine, which holds my mortgage, etc. costs me $15 per year. Larger ones
cost more. Mine is ~24 x 3 x 4. It is more than enough for my needs.
For a gun safe, buy a designed as gun safe. Put it in your basement
and bolt it to the floor with concrete anchors. Put plenty of
desiccant in it and check the safe regularly. If you are going to be a
safe gun owner, I would suggest that at a minimum you will want to
pull out your guns once a month and inspect them lightly oil the
actions rub down the stocks and generally pamper them. Certainly you
should fire them regularly (that is what well regulated in the 2nd
amendment is all about) to keep in touch with them. Nothing more
useless than a gun that does not get used (unless it is an antique for
collection only.)
Make sure you have a good basement sump and sump pump if needed and
that you test it regularly. Possibly on the same day as the gun check.
Love your tools and they will love you back.
Best wishes