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In today’s age, most of our data has gone digital. Despite that, there are still some things that are in physical, paper form such as your original documents or copies of important information. Keeping these documents safe at home can be somewhat of a challenge. Not only do you need to keep them safe and organised but also protect them from fire and water damage.
The best way to store your important documents at home is in a fire and waterproof safe. These safes are made to protect their contents from getting damaged due to a fire or water, and also from theft.
Read on to find out all about fire and waterproof safes, why investing in them is so important, and how you can protect your important documents at home:
WHAT ARE FIRE AND WATERPROOF SAFES?
A fire safe is a secure storage box that is designed to protect your valuables from heat and smoke damage caused by fire. Although most good-quality safes provide a certain level of protection from fire, the level of protection depends on the type of safe and its fire rating. The higher the fire rating, the longer it can withstand the fire.
Fire safes are constructed with special materials to keep the interior as cool as possible. They have a double-walled steel body filled with fire-resistant composites such as alum or gypsum that create water vapour to form a pressure seal. There are also strategically placed vents all over the safe to control the pressure and humidity levels within the inner chamber where the contents of the safe are.
Many fire safes also have a wall of moisture that activates in case of a fire. While this feature helps keep the contents of the safe protected, it may also encourage the buildup of moisture inside the safe, especially in hot and humid conditions. The best way to deal with this issue is to periodically air out the safe or keep a desiccant bag inside. If the levels of moisture are high, you may even invest in a small dehumidifier for the safe.
A wide range of fire safes also offer protection from water. In case of a fire, the sprinkler system can douse the safe in water, which can damage its contents if the inner chamber isn’t properly sealed. Waterproof safes are also a great choice in areas prone to flooding and water damage.
Fire and waterproof safes can be used to store any items of value that you wish to keep secure from theft and damage. This includes cash, important documents, jewellery, and digital devices.
Due to fire safes having insulation lining, the walls may be thicker, and the size of the interior may be reduced. For this reason, it is recommended that you always check the dimensions of the safe, particularly on the interior, to ensure adequate space for your belongings.
Since fire and waterproof safes are a bit on the heavier side, it is preferred to keep them on the floor. For additional security, it is recommended to bolt the safes to the floor so that they become more difficult to pick up and steal.
TYPES OF FIRE AND WATERPROOF SAFES
There are two types of fire and waterproof safes available in the market:
- Fire safes for paper
- Fire safes for data
A fire safe for paper is a specialised safe designed to keep paper-based items such as birth certificates, house deeds, and bank documents safe from fire and smoke damage, which is achieved by maintaining the internal temperature of the safe below 170 degrees Celsius.
A fire data safe, on the other hand, is designed to keep data items such as USBs, hard drives, tapes, CDs, DVDs, and film negatives. To prevent the plastic-based data from being damaged or corrupted, the internal temperature is maintained at 52 degrees Celsius.
Although fire data safes are essentially designed to protect media devices, they can also be used to store other items including important paper documents. If you wish to keep cash and valuables in a fire data safe, make sure to check its burglary rating to determine its level of security against theft and force, and whether the safe can be bolted to the floor or wall for added security.
When it comes to fire paper safes, they may not be suitable for storing electronic media since the latter combusts at a lower temperature. You may choose to invest in a specialised fire safe for paper with an internal compartment with additional insulation for storing data items.
PROTECTING IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS IN A FIRE AND WATERPROOF SAFE
When protecting yourself and your belongings from any kind of threats, always be prepared for the worst. This will force you to think of the worst-case scenario and prepare for it in the best way possible.
House fires are more common than you think. They can wreak havoc and result in loss of life and property. Therefore, it is detrimental that you take the necessary steps to prevent it from happening along with damage control.
Even though most of our data is now digital, there are still a lot of documents in physical form that need to be kept safe from theft, fires, and floods. Documents about your personal information may be targeted for identity theft, which is why it is very important to keep them safe.
Since paper is highly combustible, it can burn to ashes within seconds and all your important documents may be lost forever. The same is the case with water as paper can get ruined when it gets wet.
Some of the important documents that you need to keep safe include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, passports, insurance documents, deeds, wills, contracts, bank statements, school transcripts, degrees and diplomas, medical records, and family pictures.
WHAT ARE FIRE RATINGS FOR SAFES?
The fire rating for a safe is an important criterion to consider when looking to protect your valuables from the heat and smoke damage caused by fires. It determines the amount of time the safe can withstand a fire and keep its contents secure.
One very important thing to understand about fire safes is that they are not 100% fire or waterproof. They are resistant to fire and water for a few hours depending on their build quality and construction.
The standards for fire resistance for safes in the UK are known as EN 1047 and every good-quality fire safe must meet these standards to be called one. To do so, the safes undergo extensive testing at different temperatures and for varying lengths of time to test their endurance. The tests include:
Fire Endurance Test
This tests the safe’s ability to withstand high temperatures over a period of time. It is conducted by exposing the safe to high heat by placing it in a furnace and keeping a check on its internal temperature.
The procedure usually involves heating the safe to around 900°C, replicating the natural progression of a house fire. The safe is left in the furnace to cool down and then opened to evaluate any signs of damage to the contents caused by the heat. The fire rating it will be awarded will be based on the duration it can maintain its internal temperature to protect the paper documents from burning.
Explosion Hazard Test
On being exposed to sudden very high temperatures, the safe may burst due to the sudden increase in pressure. This test simulates a similar situation to see whether the safe can withstand the pressure.
The purpose of the explosion hazard test is to assess the safe’s ability to withstand a sudden increase in heat and the integrity of its construction. The procedure involves subjecting the safe to a rapid increase in temperature up to 1000°C to mimic the effect of a flash fire or explosion.
After this is done, the safe is checked for any damages and deformities caused by the sudden heat and if the contents of the safe have been compromised.
Fire Drop Test
This test checks the safe’s ability to fall from a certain height and not get damaged, which may be the case if a building is on fire and the safe needs to be safely evacuated.
The procedure involves first heating the safe to a certain temperature, like how one would do in the fire endurance test. Next, while the safe is burning hot, it is dropped from a height to test the impact of the heat and fall.
After being dropped from above, the safe is once again heated to make sure its contents are still protected despite the fall. Lastly, the safe is cooled down and opened to check the situation of the inner chamber and any damage to its contents.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FIRE AND WATERPROOF SAFES?
A good quality safe comes with many features, the most important of all being protection from theft and damage. When choosing a fire and waterproof safe for protecting important documents at home, you need to be sure about its fire rating as that is what determines its ability to withstand heat and pressure.
Although the fire rating of a fire and waterproof safe is its highlighting feature, it is not the only thing to consider. Here are a few things to keep in mind when investing in a safe for your important documents:
Safe Ratings
A fire rating is what sets a fire safe apart from a regular safe. A safe with a certified fire rating is proof that it has undergone extensive testing for fire resistance and can protect its contents from damage due to fire for a certain period of time.
Fire ratings are also used by insurance companies to determine the level of security of the safes, with a higher fire rating linked to a higher level of security for your items. This can also lead to a reduction in your insurance premiums since the risk of theft and damage is minimised.
Other than fire ratings, safes also come with burglary and cash ratings. A burglary rating determines how secure a safe is against burglaries and follows European Standards EN 15540 and EN 1143-1. A cash rating is another important type of rating for safes that determines the ceiling amount that an insurance company will cover for the safe’s contents.
Safe Size
Safes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. To get the best one for your needs, always start with assessing your requirements. What do you wish to store in the safe and how big is it? In the case of important documents, count the number of documents and their size and dimensions. Some documents may be bigger than others and require more space to prevent getting creased or damaged.
Since fire and waterproof safes have an insulation lining, the capacity of the inner chamber is often compromised due to it. The capacity of the safe may actually be less than it appears, which is why it is recommended to always check the internal measurements of the safe to be sure that the space is adequate for your needs.
It is worth considering getting a bigger safe than you currently need in order to future-proof yourself and be able to store more things later on if you wish.
Lock Type
The locking system on a safe is an important feature to consider since it determines how easy it is for unauthorised individuals to access its contents. In addition to fire safety, you may also want to protect your important documents from being stolen, and for that, you need a secure locking mechanism on the safe.
Key locks are traditional locking systems that use a physical key to lock and unlock the safe. Whoever has the key has access to the safe. The safe owners need to be very mindful of the key’s safety as it can easily get lost, misplaced, and stolen. Some types of keys can also be easily copied.
Combination locks require a combination to access the safe and can either be mechanical or electronic. Mechanical locks have a dial or wheel that needs to be turned in a specific sequence for the safe to open. Electronic combination locks, on the other hand, come with a keypad for entering the code.
Biometric locks are advanced high-security locking systems that use unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, retinas, and voice for access. They are incredibly secure and a great choice for protecting confidential documents at home. For added security, these locks can also be used as part of a dual authentication system where they can be used with combination locks.
Advanced Features
Modern fire and waterproof safes offer much more in terms of safety and security. Look for advanced features such as alarm integration, remote access, motion sensors, real-time alerts and notifications, more secure access management, and the ability to integrate with other home security devices.
All these features can be found in smart fire safes that allow users to manage, control, and monitor them through a mobile application. The smart safe can be a part of the smart home ecosystem and offer a high level of security, convenience, and control.
WHY CHOOSE CALDER SECURITY?
Choosing a fire and waterproof safe for your documents is an important decision that requires careful consideration of several factors such as the fire rating, size of the safe, and the locking mechanism. If you’re unsure about which fire and waterproof safe to choose, it is best to get professional help and seek advice from an expert in the field.
We, at Calder Security, are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA) and are familiar with a wide range of safes, cash boxes, and strong boxes. Our SSAIB-approved contractors can help you assess your security needs and recommend a suitable safe perfect for your requirements.
We offer professional safe installation services to not only prevent theft and fire damage but also ensure that the safe is secured in place properly, cannot be removed, and is not in danger of falling or damaging anything.
We also offer safe opening services since misplacing the keys, forgetting the code, or failure of the safe itself can all lead to the contents of the safe being inaccessible. By design, of course, safes are very difficult to access in these circumstances and you need a professional safe engineer to do it for you. Our Calder specialists can open most safes and restore them to full working order afterward.
When you need to relocate or remove your safe entirely, you can count on us to carry out the job with ease. In addition to that, our professional safe repair and maintenance services ensure that your safes are always in optimal health providing you with the best security.
Contact us here or call us at 0800 612 9799 to talk to our security professionals for more information on the best fire and waterproof safes and how to protect your important documents at home.