Home Safes Are an Important Part of Your Overall Home Security Strategy
Home safes are an important element in an overall home security strategy.
No matter how good your alarm system or other security precautions, you are still at risk of someone gaining unauthorized access to your home.
This risk may come from someone you trust, such as a workman performing some job in your home.
So good home safes are necessary as a last line of defense in your overall home security strategy.
Their are a number of different types of home safes.
Some are designed primarily to protect valuable documents from damage due to fire.
These are usually small, chest style safes that open from the top.
As these can be easily carried off, they are not recommended as part of a strategy against burglars.
We are primarily concerned with wall safes and upright cabinet style home safes which cannot be easily carried off.
Wall safes make good home safes if they are well-hidden.
Because they are built of fairly thin materials in order to fit inside interior walls, they are not very burglar-proof.
So unless they are well-hidden, they may not provide very much protection.
The most secure type of home safes are upright, cabinet style safes that can be bolted in place and/or are too heavy to carry off.
These types of home safes are also sometimes rated for fire and burglary protection.
You should check and make sure the safe you are considering carries both types of ratings.
An example fire rating is a 1-hour fireproof rating.
This means that the safe has been tested under actual fire conditions to withstand a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour, and that the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.
In addition, to protect against damage due to the water used to put out the fire, the safe is tested to make sure that the humidity did not rise above 80% while the fire was being put out.
An example burglary rating is a UL TL 15 or TL 30 rating.
A TL 30 rating, for example, means that a professional locksmith was given 30 minutes to try and open the safe, using common locksmithing tools, and was unable to do so.
A safe that can resist the attempts of a determined burglar to open it for 30 minutes is a very secure safe -- burglars rely on a quick in and out and will not spend that kind of time in your home.
Another consideration when looking at home safes is the type of locking mechanism used.
Their are three basic types - keylock, combination dial and electronic.
The keylock uses a key that you must keep track of.
The combination dial uses a mechanical rotary dial which you use to enter the combination.
Electronic home safes use either an electronic keypad on which you enter a PIN number, or use biometrics -- you simply place your index finger on a fingerprint scanner to open the safe.
You should look for a reputable dealer with plenty of experience in the home security business when purchasing a safe.
An experienced dealer can help you decide which safe is best for your needs.
They can also recommend the most reputable manufacturers.
No matter how good your alarm system or other security precautions, you are still at risk of someone gaining unauthorized access to your home.
This risk may come from someone you trust, such as a workman performing some job in your home.
So good home safes are necessary as a last line of defense in your overall home security strategy.
Their are a number of different types of home safes.
Some are designed primarily to protect valuable documents from damage due to fire.
These are usually small, chest style safes that open from the top.
As these can be easily carried off, they are not recommended as part of a strategy against burglars.
We are primarily concerned with wall safes and upright cabinet style home safes which cannot be easily carried off.
Wall safes make good home safes if they are well-hidden.
Because they are built of fairly thin materials in order to fit inside interior walls, they are not very burglar-proof.
So unless they are well-hidden, they may not provide very much protection.
The most secure type of home safes are upright, cabinet style safes that can be bolted in place and/or are too heavy to carry off.
These types of home safes are also sometimes rated for fire and burglary protection.
You should check and make sure the safe you are considering carries both types of ratings.
An example fire rating is a 1-hour fireproof rating.
This means that the safe has been tested under actual fire conditions to withstand a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour, and that the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F.
In addition, to protect against damage due to the water used to put out the fire, the safe is tested to make sure that the humidity did not rise above 80% while the fire was being put out.
An example burglary rating is a UL TL 15 or TL 30 rating.
A TL 30 rating, for example, means that a professional locksmith was given 30 minutes to try and open the safe, using common locksmithing tools, and was unable to do so.
A safe that can resist the attempts of a determined burglar to open it for 30 minutes is a very secure safe -- burglars rely on a quick in and out and will not spend that kind of time in your home.
Another consideration when looking at home safes is the type of locking mechanism used.
Their are three basic types - keylock, combination dial and electronic.
The keylock uses a key that you must keep track of.
The combination dial uses a mechanical rotary dial which you use to enter the combination.
Electronic home safes use either an electronic keypad on which you enter a PIN number, or use biometrics -- you simply place your index finger on a fingerprint scanner to open the safe.
You should look for a reputable dealer with plenty of experience in the home security business when purchasing a safe.
An experienced dealer can help you decide which safe is best for your needs.
They can also recommend the most reputable manufacturers.
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