Fireproof Safes: What You Should Know Before Buying One

Practically every home and office has some documents and/or computer media to protect against fire and of course the best thing to do is to store them in what everybody refers to as "fireproof safes."

First of all, let us clear a common misconception namely, the term "fireproof safe" is a misnomer. The safes are not really fireproof in the real sense of the word; they are merely fire-resistant.

Moreover, many of these products do not provide any protection against burglary and therefore an accurate description for them would be fire-resistant cabinets rather than fireproof safes.

Having said that, please note that some manufacturers do produce safes which are fire-resistant as well as burglar-resistant in which case, we can rightfully refer to them as safes.

Commercially mass-produced fire-resistant cabinets are designed and manufactured to provide protection against fire for a finite period of time. The most common time ratings are: half an hour, one hour, two hours, three hours and four hours.

For any given size, of course the price goes up as the number of hours goes up. The most common fire rating is one hour although some retailers will quote two hours for some products in their advertisements. Verify before buying!

There are two types of fire rating:

1. where the manufacturers says that their product is rated for x number of hours and

2. where the product is tested and certified by an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

In order to earn the certification, a manufacturer has to submit one or more units to the laboratory for testing. If the unit passes a particular test, then the manufacturer is entitled to affix a label (which is actually a metal plate) on the unit attesting the nature of the test.

Fire-resistant cabinets are designed and manufactured to provide protection for three types of materials, namely:

1. Paper documents;

2. Computer Media such as back-up tapes, microfilm, CD's, DVD's, etc., (except diskettes) and

3. Computer Media including diskettes.

The most sensitive materials are computer disks and diskettes. Cabinets designed to provide protection for diskettes will pass the test if the temperature inside does not exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.66 degrees Celsius) for the designated number of hours.

Cabinets designed to provide protection for back-up tapes and photographic films will pass the test if the temperature inside does not exceed 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65.55 degrees Celsius) for the designated number of hours.

The temperature inside the cabinets designed to protect paper records should not exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176.66 degrees Celsius) during the test for the designated number of hours.

So we can see now that the critical factors involved in the protection of paper records and computer media are... time and temperature. UL designates the fire tests as Class 350, Class 150 and Class 125.

Underwriters Laboratories tests these cabinets by inserting them in a furnace and subjecting them to temperatures ranging from 1550 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the Class and the time the cabinet is being tested for.

Sometimes you might come across a phrase "tested to UL standards" in a retailer's ad or product description. This does not necessarily mean that the product has passed the test. If it did, it would have a label which typically reads as follows:

Record Protection Equipment

Classified By Underwriters Laboratories, Inc

As To Fire Resistance

Rating: Class_______-____Hr

When buying a fire-resistant cabinet (we can call it a safe if it is also burglar-resistant) estimate the amount of space you will need to store all your precious things and allow some room for future requirements. As the walls of a fire-resistant cabinet (and the door) are much thicker than those of ordinary steel cabinets, be aware that the outside dimensions are not a good indicator of available internal volume.

Internal volumes are usually quoted in cubic feet in North America and in litres in Europe and in other countries that use the ISO metric system.

Make sure that your floor is strong enough to support the weight of the safe or cabinet. Determine the Class of Equipment and the time rating you will need and buy accordingly.

Joachim Fernandes is a veteran expert who has been in the business of high-security safes and vaults for more than 47 years. For more information please visit: http://tinyurl.com/74emdff