What to Look for When Choosing a Fireproof Document Safe
You never know when a disaster will happen, so it is a good idea to keep all important documents in a fireproof safe . If you are looking to buy it for your home or office, here are the features you should look out for.
As Sweethome’s Nick Guy explains , a decent fireproof safe should last 30 minutes at 1550 degrees Fahrenheit, in addition to keeping your documents locked up securely. Of course, most fireproof safes on the market are capable of this, so it is more important to keep an eye on the internal temperature of the safe. If you’re just keeping documents, the internal temperature should stay below 350 degrees Fahrenheit during a fire. But if you want to store digital media such as CDs, DVDs or flash drives, the safe needs to keep the internal temperature below 125 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, a decent fireproof safe must also be waterproof. It must be able to withstand immersion in water in the event of a flood.
If you’re unsure of where to start, Guy has a few guidelines based on his own real-life tests. Guy, along with a couple of volunteer firefighters, tested five popular fire safe safes from First Alert, SentrySafe and Honeywell, and burned them on a test bench that simulated a house fire at 1300 degrees Fahrenheit. The first Alert 2030F ($ 63) did the best in keeping the flash drive, DVD, printed photos and newspaper from fire and water damage. It also has a fairly solid key-based locking mechanism. You can find out more about their tests and alternative choices at the link below.
Best Fireproof Document Safe | Sweethome