|
Home Safes
A home safe can help protect your valuables
from theft and fire. Family heirlooms,
expensive
jewelry, cherished collections,
important
records and documents, and irreplaceable
photos and mementos can all be
safeguarded
from a devastating loss by purchasing
a safe.
Newer model safes are easy to
use and come
in a wide variety of sizes and
colors. Some
can be hidden in walls or floors,
making
them almost impossible to find.
Consider the following if you
wish to buy
a home safe:
- Fires can burn so intensely that no safe
is truly “fireproof” if exposed to high temperatures
for long periods. Depending on the materials
used to manufacture the safe and the method
used to construct it, safes can provide varying
degrees of fire resistance. Better, more
expensive models will offer more resistance.
A good safe should be able to keep its internal
temperature below 350 degrees Fahrenheit
for at least 30 minutes, the average time
it takes for fire fighters to arrive and
put out a fire. Look for two to four layers
of 5/8 inch fireboard construction.
- Protection from theft is provided by the
body construction of the safe,
including
the thickness of the steel
plates used and
the quality of the welding.
The thickness
of the door and the use of
hardened plate
steel for door reinforcements
are also important.
The type and quality of lock,
the number
of locking bolts, the bolt
locking mechanisms,
and the relocking devices must
also be considered.
All of these improve as you
pay more for
a better safe model. Look for
features such
as:
- Internal ball bearings encased in hardened
steel that protect against
attempted drilling
because they will break drill
bits.
- A mechanism that will cause the door handle
to slip when excessive force
is applied.
- A sensory relocking device that will secure
the door in the locked position
if the lock
is tampered with.
- Heat treated steel that hardens the safe
against breaking, bending
or penetration.
- Construction that welds and seals all the
seams.
|
|
|
