When determining what safe to purchase, consider:
- What you intend to store in the safe
- The type of content. For example, papers, film, electronics such as disks. According to the Wall Street Journal, to keep:
- Most papers such as a paasport or birth certificate intact, you need a safe built to keep its internal temperature below 350 degrees.
- Film, a safe built to keep its internal termperature below 150 degrees
- Electronics such as floppy disks, the internal temperature should be kept below 120 degrees.
- The volume the content will take up.
- The type of content. For example, papers, film, electronics such as disks. According to the Wall Street Journal, to keep:
- The hazards you wish to protect against
- In general, safes protect against fire, or burglary, or both.
- Fire protection is about the maximum internal heat inside the safe and the amount of time the safe will keep contents above that termperature. See above for temperatures.
- Burglary protection is about the amount of time it takes a burglar to break into a safe, depeding on the instruments used.
- A special safe is required to protect against water damage.
- Check your Homeowners and other insurance policies to determine if there are minimum requirements.
- In general, safes protect against fire, or burglary, or both.
- What are you willing to spend?
- Costs usually depend on the number of hazards protected against and the degree of protection
- Consider the value of the items to be stored.
- The location of the safe.
- The amount of space available including obstructions to opening the safe door.
- The maximum weight that can be handled in the desired location.
When looking at a specific safe:
- Look for labels from Underwriters Laboratories, a product safety testing organization or Intertek (ELT). Avoid claims such as "UL-equivalent."
- Look for a safe that is built to withstand at least 30 minutes of fire up to 1,550 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Check with your insurance company for recommended safe ratings and manufacturers.
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