subject: What are Fire Safes, Burglary Safes and Storage Safes? What's the Difference? [print this page] What are Fire Safes, Burglary Safes and Storage Safes? What's the Difference?
What are Fire Safes, Burglary Safes and Storage Safes?
What's the Difference?
There are plenty of safes to choose from, to be sure, and the daunting task of making sure you buy the right one can be a bit intimidating. One great resource to get some information, before you buy any safe, is to check with your insurance provider so you can be sure to qualify for any discounts on your premium. That being said, there is all the difference between fire safes, burglary safes and a storage safe (though there are different varieties of each).
To make the taxonomy of safes a little trickier to navigate, the truth is that any safe can come as a fireproof safe. "Fire safes" are "fireproof" or rather, fire and usually water-resistant. They aren't necessarily the best at defending against theft. Burglary safes are especially useful at thwarting theft, but may not be so good at fire resistance. Storage safes, usually referred to as locking storage cabinets, are usually made fire-resistant, but the locking mechanism isn't made to fend off professional-level burglars. Usually storage safes are meant to keep children from accessing school supplies, or chemicals, and the like. The locks are typically there to frustrate access, though there are varying degrees of storage safe features there are storage cabinets that can definitely suit as a stronghold for more valuable items.
Those are the key differences between fire, burglary and storage safes. Of course, as mentioned, any safe can come with features that defend against fire and theft, so is it right to classify these safes in separate categories? Not necessarily. "Fireproof" and "burglar-proof" are more like two upgrade options that you can apply to most any type of safe. "Storage" cabinets and safes, on the other hand, are more of a different species or category of safe altogether.
What Kind of Storage Safes are There?
This really depends on what it is you want to store. When the term "storage safe" or "storage cabinet" is used, it usually denotes a free-standing cabinet with metal-clad doors and walls. Think of the typical public school classroom where there are supplies to be stored. This is the typical storage cabinet or safe. This may be upgraded many different ways, and companies like FireKing are producing a number of levels of protection in this type of safe.
Another type of storage safe is a media safe, which may store paper-type products or files. Yet another type is a microwave-style safe, so named because of its shape, a little box that's roughly the size of a microwave oven. This type of safe may or may not offer explosion, water, theft fire and fall protection, depending again on the upgrades.
Still another type of storage strongbox is called a data safe or data storage safe. This is specifically designed to store and protect your electronic storage media, and electronic gadgets. These usually come with the ability to be plugged into your computer, and usually store an external hard drive or similar items. This type of safe is very particularly designed to be water and fireproof, as well as theft-proof. Many times, they offer explosion and impact protection as well. Three very important features of data storage safes:
1) They do not allow the internal temperature of the safe to reach critical levels. For data devices, this means the internal temperature can only reach 125 maximum to protect the contents. The only way to ensure your storage safe has this level of protection is to make sure it has a certified seal from the Underwriter's Laboratory that classifies it as having the UL "fireproof" fire rating, class 125.
2) They protect against humidity. Different safe manufacturers employ their own methods, ranging from a device that de-humidifies to dessicant material lining the safe. Humidity as well as water damage the data storage devices.
3) They usually offer impact, theft and explosion ratings not common to all safes. In general, data storage safes offer the most protection in home safes, next to a GSA-rated storage room. GSA storage rooms and vaults offer the most protection, protecting against assault with heavy weapons. They are usually room-sized, meant to protect human life against storms, serve as bomb shelters, guard against sieges and the like.
Which Do I Need?
This will depend upon answering a few questions: A) What are you protecting? B) What are the size and budget limitations? C) What level of protection do you want to guard against?
As to the size of the safe, it's always a good policy to buy a safe bigger than you think you need. Otherwise, buying many smaller safes will quickly add up.
There are many upgrades available, and differ from company to company. Knowing these answers, however, will allow you to select the right safe for your needs and can be answered by a safe dealer of your choice. Be sure you know your needs, and any respectable dealer will be able to guide you from there.
Buyer Beware! Some Quick Tips on Fire Safes and UL Ratings
Some non-negotiable properties to think about: you need to buy safes with genuine standards that back the manufacturer's claims. For instance, for any fireproof safe, you must be absolutely sure that the safe is backed by the UL stamp of approval. There must be a plate designating that the safe has been approved by the Underwriter's Laboratory. Why is this? This is really the only safe-guard you have to ensure the safe is genuinely fireproof, and not "fire-safe." Such a designation is meaningless, and indicates poor craftsmanship right from the word "go."
Unfortunately, the safe industry isn't impervious to nefarious business practices. There are plenty of lightweight, thin-walled, would-be "standards" that many manufacturers employ themselves. Without a standard against which to measure their claims, such as the UL's fire rating system, all the promises of protection should be viewed askance.
For example, if you find safes that are "UL Listed" or "UL Tested," these are not fireproof, nor genuine fire safes. The stamp should include the word "CLASSIFIED" above the UL logo, and the following additional information:
RECORD PROTECTION EQUIPMENT
AS TO FIRE RESISTANCE
RATING: CLASS X-# HR
No.
or
RECORD PROTECTION EQUIPMENT
AS TO FIRE AND IMPACT RESISTANCE
RATING: CLASS X-# HR
No.
The letter "X" would be a classification of 125, 150 or 350. This translates into the internal temperature of the safe during a fire with outside temperatures reaching from 1500-2000 degrees F, depending on the test. The "#" would be a number, usually , 1, 2, 3 or even 4. It stands for the duration of the safe, in hours, in the test fire. The lower the number for the "CLASS," the better the protection. The higher the number before the "HR," the better the endurance. A one-half (" ") here would indicate the bare minimum for the UL rating: 30 minutes, or a half-hour. Finally, the words, "As to Fire and impact resistance" refers to the fact that the safe bearing this label has been shown to provide impact resistance in drop tests of 30-feet. That's helpful protection in the case of a fire raging, where a 600-lb. safe can easily drop through a weakened framing structure.
One last note on the UL fire ratings for fire safes: there is a world of confusion when it comes to an item being "UL listed," "tested," or "rated." Be sure that, when buying a fireproof safe, you are buying a safe with the information above with the UL logo, that it is listed as having been "CLASSIFIED" and listing its "Rating," anything less may simply be a ruse by the safe company designed to close a sale, not protect your belongings.
One last tip on buying fire safes and burglary safes: be sure to read consumer reports and testimonials. Sure, the safe label may claim the overall thickness of the door is 3", and the bolts may seem huge that bolt the door closed, but too many companies have provided shoddy construction. Many times, the 3" or so thickness includes 1-2" of sheetrock and plenty of sheet metal, easily broken into or burned. Don't buy a safe that seems too good to be true as far as pricing and weight. Make sure the proper UL listing is in place, and that you have read up on any complaints leveled against the manufacturer.
