Are you considering purchasing a fireproof safe to protect important documents or data media?
Choosing the correct fireproof safe for your home or business is crucial. Losing irreplaceable documents through a fire will be devastating.
How does the Fire Protection Work on a Safe?
The construction of a fireproof safe will differ from the construction of a normal safe that has limited fire protection. The insulation materials used on a fireproof safe will allow the safe to be protected from fire at varying levels. Fireproof safes will have a thicker wall to protect the contents from fire.
The inside of a fireproof safe will be required to be below a certain temperature before it will combust. The temperatures will vary depending on the type of content being stored within the fire safe.
- Paper – 175c
- Computer Data – 52c
- Digital Media – 120c
What is being stored within the safeÂ
Before making a purchase, it is important to consider what type of content is required to be stored in the safe regularly. You can’t store paper together with computer data as the data media will melt at a lower temperature in comparison to paper.
Internal Size and Measurements
A key factor when choosing a fireproof safe is the internal dimensions and volume that each safe has. Documents, folders, digital and data media will all be different in size. So it is paramount that you calculate the exact dimensions of what is required to be stored and then measure this against the size available of each model.
Each model range will always have different sizes and internal volumes to meet your requirements.
Minutes for Protection
Each available fire safe will have a different length of protection for minutes. So a fireproof safe will have 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes or 120 minutes for fire protection.
Your insurance company may specify a certain level that you need to have when purchasing a safe.
Locking Type on a Fireproof Safe]Â
The locking type used on a fireproof safe is another important area to consider before purchase as you ideally need to have the best locking type to suit your home or business.
- Key Locking
- Electronic Locking
- Combination Locking with Key and Electronic
- Fingerprint Lock
If you are purchasing this safe for a business or government department, we would highly recommend choosing a fireproof safe with an electronic lock. This is so that it allows more end users and staff access to the safe if required as a key lock always comes with 2 keys as standard.
An insurance rating on a fireproof safe
The combination of both fire protection along an insurance rating for cash and valuables is available on most safes. Normally the data media or digital media safes will naturally have a lower insurance rating as cash or valuables aren’t necessarily stored within that safe.
But home safes that have an insurance rating can also have different levels of fire protection included on the safe to cover the protection for paper documents.
Conclusion
When it comes to the purchase of a fireproof safe, the selection of the right one for you or your business can be narrowed down to make the choice as easy as possible.
Before looking, specify what is required to be stored within the safe, the internal dimensions and the volume that you require to have. Also, consider if there is a requirement for the minutes of protection that is required to be met.
If you need help choosing the right fireproof safe, ask an expert. Contact the team at SimplySafes.
If you need help choosing the right fireproof safe, ask an expert. Contact the consultants of Simplysafes. They will help you purchase the right safe for your specific needs.