Insurance

Fireproof safes are perhaps one of the most essential and also most under-purchased items in the family home. Every homeowner buys insurance to protect their home's physical structure as well as contents against fire... but few realize that insurance company requirements mean that they have to prove their ownership of anything they claim, and if all of your bank statements and receipts go up in a blaze which claims your house, you may be caught short. Fireproof safes are also essential for keeping items which insurance simply can't replace, like family photos and heirloom jewelry. However, depending on the items that you'll be storing in your safe, you'll need to look carefully at its features and ratings. Today we give you a complete guide to buying a home fireproof safe.

Know Your Fire Rating
Every fireproof safe has a fire rating from Underwriters' Laboratories, and you'll need to pick the appropriate one for the materials you'll be storing in your fireproof safe, floor safe or wall safe. For example:

UL72: This is the system of standards that most American fireproof drop safes and depository safes are tested under

UL125: This is the highest rating of fireproof safe (despite the fact that it has the lowest number), because it keeps the internal temperature below 125 for whatever the time period specified is. These are suitable for storing external hard drives, USB backups and disc media.

UL150: These safes must keep the internal temperature below 150F for the time period specified. They are suitable for storing film, microfilm, microfiche and paper.

UL350: These safes must keep the internal temperature below 350F for the duration specified on their rating. They are suitable for storing paper documents, but any computer media information is usually destroyed.

Know the Time Period You Require
Many people believe that they need only a 1-hour safe or a 2-hour safe, because they think a fire would rip through their home too quickly to heat their fireproof safe for too long. Actually, the internal temperature of the safe continues to rise for some time due to heat transference of the metal, so it is often wise to get a longer time duration rating for your fireproof safe than a short one.

Rust Proofing
Your fireproof safe will naturally be very well sealed to stop outside air circulating freely inside it, but if you'll be storing jewelry or other valuable rust-prone items in there, you may want to consider a heating system for your depository safe which keeps the internal temperature at a constant warm level and prevents air vapor condensing to rust the items inside.

Should My Safe Also Be Burglary Rated?
Yes! A locked floor safe, wall safe or movable depository safe in your home is an invitation for a burglar to take it away and try to crack it... even if it only has your insurance records in it and has absolutely no value. Fireproof safes should also carry a reasonable burglary rating, because they are a highly desirable item to steal.