Fire Protection

Fire causes countless billions in damage every year, with a new fire starting every 60 seconds. Consumers seeking a safe are sure to become extremely confused with the “broad” representations made by some manufacturers.

When buying a safe, it is important to understand how well it will perform in a disaster

  • Will it live up to the claims that were made?
  • Will your valuables be safe?
  • Are you paying for protection that simply isn’t there?

Why size does matter?

Accredited laboratories like Intertek-ETL require the absolute largest safe in a series to be tested. Other manufacturers not using accredited testing facilities can exaggerate claims by burning smaller safes then applying the more favorable test results to a larger safe in the series. This amounts to your belongings being placed in harms way. Let’s take a closer look.

When burning a 35 cubic ft. safe, and an 8 cubic ft. safe – both constructed the same exact way – with comparable materials, the 8 cubic ft. safe will last 1 hour 15 minutes while the much larger 35 cubic ft. full size safe lasts 40 minutes. That’s 35 minutes less protection in a real world application for the larger unit. However, the increased minutes for the smaller unit are what they print. Don’t look for actual facts to be advertised!

Temperature readings & sensors

The temperature inside a safe during a fire can vary drastically between the bottom and the top of the interior. Intertek-ETL’s intense battery of tests dictate, if ANY sensor in the safe reaches 350 degrees, the test will then stop immediately. As heat rises, the top quadrant of a safe is the hottest – many competitors limit thermo-sensor placement far away from this upper area or simply don’t install any at all up top! This provides a deadly false reading – with much, much longer burn times being presented. In actual practice, your belongings on the interior would be molten before the “advertised” fire rating is achieved.

This Intertek-ETL verification test exceeds the number of thermo-sensors required under UL 72 guidelines.

Warranty

For detailed warranty information, please see our Warranty page.