Choosing a Home Safe

safeRecently loved ones were awaken during the night by an explosion and massive fire near their living unit.  Realizing the danger, they grabbed their cat, computers, and passports and fled along with their neighbors to safety.  Fortunately, they experienced no loss or significant damage.  However, in the days following, the ordeal made them realize that a home safe was something needed to protect essential documents that one doesn’t have time to grab in those split seconds of escape.  So began the quest to find a home safe to fit their needs and available space.

Buying a safe should be a relatively easy task, right?  Actually, it can be a daunting task with the variety of different features, levels of protection, model numbers, certifications, sizes, and locks;  soon they were asking for help.  As we navigated the ‘waters of safe buying,’ here’s what we learned along the way.

  • A safe that isn’t safe, really isn’t a safe at all. As with any product, some safes are better than others. Consumer Reports offers some insight into choosing a home safe as well as what essential documents might be kept in a safe at home.
  • Determine what is to be stored—valuable documents and records, cash, jewelry, guns, family photos or slides, tapes, CDs, DVDs.  High-value or irreplaceable items are best stored in a safe-deposit box at a bank.  Gather all items together to determine the size or volume needed for the possessions to be stored.  Avoid the temptation to include too many sentimental items if space is a premium.
  • Decide which perils to safeguard against—fire, water, theft.  Fire is the number one concern of most consumers.
  • Look for the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or Interteck (ETL) security rating label that assures the safe has passed their tests for fire.  These two independent laboratories rate safes for fire-resistance (not fire-proof) based upon what type of materials they will protect, at what temperature, and for how long.  Their ratings should be on the safe as well as the packaging.  30 minutes of protection is the most common rating for a home safe but one might want to consider an hour.
  • Burglary resistance ratings are less common for home safes and may be labeled as a cash rating.  UL does test safes with common burglary tools and one may find a TL-15 rating which means that the safe can withstand 15 minutes of burglarizing attempts with common tools. A cash rating, when given, is calculated by the strength of the safe’s door and walls, the complexity of the locking mechanism, and the difficulty in removing the safe from its location; a higher cash rating generally equals more security.  In most cases, the weight of the safe will make it less attractive for thieves in a hurry.  Further, some safes come with optional bolt-down kits.  Others can be concealed in a wall or concrete floor.
  • Water resistance markings mean that the safe meets criteria for floods, broken water lines, or fires fought with water as determined by independent laboratories.  Some safes have a fire seal which prevents day-to-day moisture from entering the safe and in a fire, the seal expands to seal the safe tightly.
  • Opt for a combination lock rather than a keyed lock if possible.  Combinations can be kept in an off-site location.  However, keys are the most standard and basic option.  Keys do tend to get lost so if keys are the option, keep them in two different secure locations with an off-site note as to the locations.

In the end, a safe was purchased that we hope will meet their needs.  We hope that they never need to find out if it will withstand a fire or any other peril.  In making this purchase, they realized that it is just one piece of a household security plan that also includes a well-rehearsed emergency plan that focuses on personal safety first and foremost.

Marlene Geiger

I am a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a BS in Home Economics Education and Extension and from Colorado State University with a MS in Textiles and Clothing. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, gardening, quilting, cooking, sewing, and sharing knowledge and experience with others.

More Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AnswerLine

Connect with us!

AnswerLine's Facebook page AnswerLine's Pinterest page
Email: answer@iastate.edu
Phone: (Monday-Friday, 9 am-noon; 1-4 pm)
1-800-262-3804 (in Iowa)
1-800-854-1678 (in Minnesota)

Archives

Categories