Tag: fire safes

Got a “Smelly Safe”? What to do:

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People sometimes complain that their home fire safe stinks and it makes the contents smell bad, too.  This is caused by leaving the safe closed for long periods of time, especially when it is moist inside.

1)  All safes should be opened every two weeks or so to let the old air out.  This is especially true with new units because the poured-in insulation may not yet be completely dried.  Just leaving the door open for several weeks might get the smell out.

2)  Clean the inside of the safe with detergent or bleach.  Then enclose one or two laundry dryer sheets inside.  We use Bounce/Febreze and it normally fixes the problem.

3)  If the smell persists there is probably mildew growing in the insulation.  We have had success by putting a bowl of bleach in the safe and closing the door for a week.  It seems like fumes from the bleach kill the mildew.

4)  Still got a problem?  Buy a new safe and open it regularly.

FIRE PROOF FILE CABINETS

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Disclaimer:  “Fire proof file cabinet” is a commonly used misnomer.  They should be called “fire resistant files” or “fire files” because they are not technically fire proof.  Most have a one hour fire rating while a few are rated for two hours.

Many people are not aware that there is such a thing as a fire file.  When they have massive amounts of important documents that need to be protected from fire, folks usually buy a fire safe for storage.  But few safes have drawers, so organization of papers is difficult.  Fire files make organizing easy and efficient.  They come in 2, 3 and 4 drawer units, for either letter or legal size papers.  Vertical and lateral styles are available.  90% have key locks, and combination locks are optional upgrades.  New units will run $1000 to $3000 so you might want to find used ones.

A good safe is harder to break into than a fire file.  However, if fire protection and organization of papers are the key issues, then get a fire file.

 

 

Stamp Collector’s Safe

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Stamps are easily damaged, in more ways than you might think. Of course they can be torn, burned, soiled, etc., all of which reduce their value. Same for historic signatures, photos, sports memorabilia and other collectables. Naturally, a valuable collection should be secured in a safe, but most stamp collectors use the wrong type of safe.

To protect contents from heat and fire, 98% of safes use moisture which is locked up in the safe’s insulation. When heated by fire the insulation cools by forcing moisture out, to the interior of the safe. Air inside the safe will be saturated and hot (up to 350 degrees). That level of moisture will affect the stamps’ adhesive and may also affect the delicate colors and paper.

Used Media Safe In Stock Typical Two Door Construction

To avoid the possibility of being damaged this way in a fire, the best stamp collector’s safe is technically a media safe. Media safes generally keep humidity below 85% during a fire, and maintain a temperature of only 125 to 150 degrees.

Note: Media safes tend to be expensive, but we usually have used ones in stock.

Antique safes and fire resistance

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Most antique safes were intended to be fire resistant safes — they were filled with concrete or some other material for that purpose. This is what makes the walls so thick and what makes the safes so heavy. But in the “old days” there was no standardized testing program, so it was all just a guess. Some years ago we even found a note from a manufacturer glued to the bottom of a drawer inside a safe.  The note said that the fire resistance of safes was an inexact science, and that if this safe ever went through a fire it’s condition should be reported back to the manufacturer to help them gauge effectiveness of their fire insulation.

Two months ago a customer brought in an antique Alpine brand safe.  Her house was completely destroyed by fire.  Pictures of the burned house showed that the only spot where rubble stood more than 2 feet tall, was the place where the safe rested underneath charred remains.  When our technician opened the safe (they rarely work after going through a fire) it was found to be completely full of papers, none of which were burned.  It’s impossible to predict, but not all antiques would have held up as well as this Alpine.  The woman was thrilled to recover all her documents, and she kept the safe even though it was no longer useable.