Home Safes

Every home has special valuables, like money, computer back-up disks, jewelry, stamp or coin collections, firearms, and camera equipment, just to name a few. To you these are treasures, but to thieves these treasures are a gold mine. The ease of turning these items into fast cash is just what they are looking for. Even your best hiding place is no challenge for a thief.

The most secure place for your precious valuables is in a safety-deposit box at your local bank, but considering their limited amount of storage room, you may need something larger for your items, or you may just want the convenience of having a secure place accessible to you at anytime of the day or night. A small investment in a home safe could save your treasures in the long run.

You need to protect your valuables from more than just a thief; the loss from a fire can be just as devastating. In a fire those precious pictures in that old photo album could turn to a pile of ashes in just a few minutes and become just memories. But keep in mind that not all safes are created equal, most of your department store safes are filled with a fire retardant mixture that absorbs moisture and can lead to rust and mold if not opened on a monthly basis. So when you are shopping for a fire safe, look for one that will not absorb moisture. You will also want to consider bolting the safe to the floor, so that someone won't walk off with all your valuables. Most in-ground safes are very good for burglary protection, but have no fire rating on them, to be sure put your important documents in a fire rated chest.

A fire-resistant safe should have an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) rating. Class C-rated safes will protect paper documents for up to an hour at 1,700 degrees F; Class B safes, for up to 2 hours at 1,850 degrees F; and Class A safes, for up to 4 hours at 2,000 degrees F. Remember to keep these facts in mind when shopping for a safe place for your valuables. Don't assume that just because it says it's a "safe", it will meet all your requirements.