Safe TIPS:
Dial the combination smoothly and gently.
Use a random set of numbers for a combination.
DON’T use your birthday, anniversary, telephone number, etc.
Use the correct safe to protect and secure what you are storing.
Use Burglary resistant safes for storing cash, weapons, jewelry.
Use Fire resistant safes for documents, stocks, insurance papers, etc.
Use Data rated safes for computer disks, data and video tapes, CD’s, etc.
Keep a “dessicant” or dry storage pack inside the safe to combat moisture.
Humidity and dampness can harm both the safe’s contents and mechanisms
Combination Lock Servicing is performed periodically to ensure smooth and proper safe lock operation. This should be done on an annual basis. The lock is disassembled, checked, cleaned, and re-lubricated with the proper lubricant to provide trouble-free service.
If your safe lock is difficult to open, the dial is hard to turn, or you have difficulty operating the combination, IT’S TIME TO HAVE THE COMBINATION LOCK SERVICED.
Safe Ratings Guide
Underwriter’s Laboratories BURGLARY SAFE Ratings
- B1 – Theft-Resistent Label - (Minimum Security rating)
- B2 – UL/RSC Label – Residential Security Container (Medium Security rating)
- B3 – Non-Rated Anti-Theft Label - (Incorporates features of high-security safes but without a UL rating)
- B4 – UL/TL-15 Label (Tool Resistant – 15 Minutes) Timed attack by various break-in tools
- B5 – UL/TL-30 Label (Tool Resistant – 30 Minutes) Timed attack by various break-in tools
- B6 – UL/TL30X6 (Tool Resistant – 30 Minutes, 6-Sided) or TR/TL-30 Label (Torch & Tool Resistant – 30 Minutes)
Underwriter’s Laboratories FIRE SAFE Ratings
(The flash-point of paper is 451 degrees farenheit)
- FR – Fire Resistant unrated insulated safe or container (Awaiting UL Approval)
- 1/2 Hour – UL Class 350 – Interior will not exceed 350 degrees for 30 minutes in a 1550 degree fire.
- 1 Hour - UL Class 350 – Interior will not exceed 350 degrees for 60 minutes in a 1550 degree fire.
- 1 Hour + - UL Class 350 – Interior will not exceed 350 degrees for 60 minutes in a 1550 degree fire + Impact Label*.
- 2 Hour - UL Class 350 – Interior will not exceed 350 degrees for 120 minutes in a 1550 degree fire.
- 2 Hour + – UL Class 350 – Interior will not exceed 350 degrees for 120 minutes in a 1550 degree fire + Impact Label*.
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*Impact Label - Safe is heated to 1550 degrees for 30 minutes (1638 degrees for 2-Hour Rating) then dropped onto concrete rubble from a height of 30 feet. Safe is then turned upside down and reheated for another 30 minutes (45 minutes for 2-Hour rating). Safe must maintain it’s integrity and protect all contents in order to pass the UL Impact Test.
Starfleet Lock & Safe, Inc. Guide to Choosing the Correct Safe – And Where to Buy It.
See Video Below!
Choosing the correct safe for your needs, can be a complicated task, there are many different kinds of safes in the marketplace. Safes are designed and built to provide specific protections for the items you want to place in them. Choices include burglary safes, depository safes, fire/record safes, media/data-safes, gun safes, wall safes and even more.
Safes are sold in many places, hardware stores, sporting goods stores, office supply stores, “big box retailers” of all types, even on the Internet. When you consider buying a safe from these sources, you need to answer a few questions.
- Who is going to help me decide what type of safe I need? Do you really want advice on protecting your valuables from a minimum wage clerk at the local mall?
- How is my safe going to be shipped? No matter how low the price, you will still have to pay shipping charges, safe are heavy and hard to handle and move.
- Who is going to install it, and be sure it is secure? Many safes gain security by being bolted to the floor or wall, if this is not done correctly a thief could just remove the safes from you home or business.
- Who is going to service and maintain it? In order to operate correctly and provide the protection you expect, lock and bolt mechanisms should be checked and maintained on a periodic basis.
Safes are also sold by specialized safe retailers and many locksmith stores, these folks make their living selling and servicing safes, they are the experts. When you buy your safe from a specialized safe retailer or locksmith who sells safes, they will help you make the correct choice. Starfleet Lock & Safe, Inc. is a professional safe retailer, we are the experts, we are fully qualified to help you choose the correct safe for your unique needs. Some criteria you will need to consider are:
- What items do you want to protect?
- What do you want to protect them from?
- Where are you going to keep your safe?
- How much space do you need?
These are only a few of the questions you need to answer in order to choose the correct safe for the job at hand. Choosing who to ask. or who to answer these questions, could be as important as which safe you choose.
Check the links and the video below, to start you in the right direction.
FAQ’s for choosing the correct safe.
- If you keep your business documents and records in your home or at your place of business you need a fire safe. Statistics show that if a company’s records are lost in a fire, 17% can no longer furnish a financial statement, 14% suffer a reduction in credit rating and 43% go out of business completely. No home or business is safe from fire.
- If you keep cash or valuables at home at your place of business, or in a safe deposit box, you may want to consider a burglary safe or high security container.
- If you have a high traffic retail business where a lot of cash is handled you may benefit from a depository safe, or skim safe, to control the who has access to your cash and for how long.
- If you keep computer media on your premises it should be stored in a media/datasafes.
- If you keep guns for sport or hunting they should be stored in a gun safe.
Video Presentation on Choosing a Safe – “Racing to The Bottom”
Related articles
- 6 Tips for Choosing The Right Home Safe (wisebread.com)
- Howstuffworks “How Safecracking Works” (home.howstuffworks.com)
