Home Safes Wiki

Home Safes – When you are more comfortable storing your valuable possessions at home, rather than in a safety deposit box or in some other storage facility, then a Home Safe is a must-have to help protect against theft, fire, water and those that should not have access. Home and Office Safes come in a number of varieties and sizes. They are a great solution for storing jewelry, important documents (birth certificates, marriage licenses, passports, etc.), cash, gold and firearms (although if weapons are your primary storage need, then a Gun Safe might be more appropriate). At gunsafes.com, when we consult on an appropriate safe for the Home or Office, we generally give the consumer a bit of homework.

First, we ask the consumer to make a list of everything she wants to store in the safe. The safest bet is to place all of these items in one area and measure the amount of space they take up. We also recommend leaving space for future needs as safes are very difficult to remove once in place.

Second, if the consumer is looking for a full size safe, then we ask her to identify where she intends to keep the safe and to ensure the floor is secure for that size of a safe.

First, we ask the consumer to make a list of everything she wants to store in the safe. The safest bet is to place all of these items in one area and measure the amount of space they take up. We also recommend leaving space for future needs as safes are very difficult to remove once in place.

Third, we ask the consumer what their protective concerns are, water, theft, fire or all of the above. Not all safes are created equal, so all of this information will help us help the consumer purchase the exact home security solution they need.

In our experience, Fire Protection seems to be the top concern of most Home Safe buyers. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there’s a 1 in 4 chance that in an average consumer’s lifetime, she will experience a home fire requiring a call to the fire department. Underwriters Laboratories (UL Mark) and Intertek (ETL Mark) are two organizations that test consumer products, and both test safe fire resistance based on the type of material protected and the length of time the safe will protect those materials. For Home Safes, 30 minutes of fire protection is common, but there are a number of options above and beyond this standard.

Burglary protection is also very important to home owners. UL tests safes using tools, torches and explosives. For instance, a TL-15 rated safe can withstand attack for 15 minutes using common tools. Combined with a home security system, where the police can be at the home in 15 minutes or less, this might be a good deterrent for burglars. Weight is also an important factor for a burglar – if it is difficult to remove and/or bolted to the ground/wall, then it is much less attractive as a target.

Some safes are also water resistant. Intertek offers a “verified” mark on safes that meet manufacturers’ criteria for water resistance. This includes submerging safes to simulate a flood or broken water line.

There’s a lot more to a safe than meets the eye, so your best bet is to give us a call at (855) 248-6723 and use our vast knowledge at GunSafes.com to ensure you get the exact product you need for your home.