When you have important documents that need protecting, installing a safe is a great way to ensure that your documents will be protected. However, if you have items that could be damaged or destroyed in a fire, you will need to purchase a properly rated fire safe in order for your valuables to be protected. Many people don’t understand how fire safes work, and how they are able to protect items from being damaged or destroyed in a fire. Here is a guide to how fire safes work, and how it protects valuables in the event of a fire.
Understanding Fire Safe Ratings
Contrary to what some people may think, a fire safe is not necessarily “fire-proof”. Fire Safes are constructed in a special manner that allows them to survive a fire for a rated period of time. More specifically, they are designed to endure temperatures of 1700 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the special construction of it, they are able to keep the interior of from rising above 350 degrees Fahrenheit. However, fire safes are only effective for a set period of time. The two most popular ratings are: 30 minutes and 1 hour. This means that it will be able to protect items inside against temperatures above 350 degrees Fahrenheit for either 30 minutes or 1 hour. Since the ignition temperature for paper is 451 degrees Fahrenheit, this means that interior papers and other items should be ok for at least 30 minutes or 1 hour. In general, 1 hour fire safes are more expensive than 30 minute ones are.
How Fire Safes Works
A fire safe is constructed in a manner which is designed to give it its protective properties against fire. First, a hollow composite metal container is filled with a special mixture that is similar to concrete. After it is finished, hardened and shaped, the box is painted and fitted with operational parts. The cement-like mixture is designed to retain moisture even when dried, after the setting process is finished. When it is exposed to extreme heat, such as in the event of the fire, the special cement-like substance releases the moisture as steam. This steam is channeled into the interior of the box, regulating the temperature and creating a pressure seal against exterior heat.
What NOT to Store in a Fire Safe
Since a fire safe functions by the use of pressurized steam, this means that anything inside will be exposed to a moderate amount of heat, as well as a significant amount of moisture. This means that you should never store items, documents, valuables or other items in a fire safe that could potentially be damaged or destroyed by moisture. This includes:
- Computer Discs
- Audio Tapes
- Video Tapes
- Stamps
- Photographs
Some fire safes are designed to protect computer data, such as CD’s or DVD’s. However, if this is something you’re interested in, be sure that the one you purchase is designed to protect these types of documents.
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