Are you looking for fire protection for your documents or computer records? Whether it is for the home or business there are safes of all sizes that can keep your documents safe from the flames of a fire. They usually provide a limited amount of protection.
There are Fire safes which are so called because they have the ability to keep the interior of the safe at less than 350 degrees for the stated period of time. This allows the contents to remain protected from the actual flames. Most manufacturers will not call them "fireproof" but "fire resistant" instead. In order for a safe to resist heat, the special composite material sandwiched between the outer and inner metal walls gives off moisture. This creates steam inside of the safe. The steam will not exceed 350 degrees fahrenheit. The manufacturer has to insure that the "steam" created by the composite fire retardant material will be released from the safe. So these safes are not air tight. They must release the steam created inside while the fire is red-hot outside.
The labels on all fire safes state the length of time tested and that the safe will maintain a temperature of 350 degrees fahrenheit or less during that time. There are ones available that can withstand flames for 1 hour, 1-1/2 hours and up to 3 hours. When purchasing a fire safe, take into account how far you are from the fire department responding to a fire at your location to determine how much protection you will need.
The safe will still protect your paper documents, however, when the fire retardant, composite material runs out of moisture the safe will no longer resist the fire.
The mixed media file cabinet is a great choice for both paper and computer media safety. Available in 2,3, or 4 drawer models, they resemble regular file cabinets. You can choose to have media protection drawers or fire rated drawers for paper records, or both. The paper record storage drawers are tested and rated by UL to be Class 350 – 1 Hour., where internal temperatures stay below 350F when exterior temperatures reach 1700F. During the same 1700F test, media drawers were able to maintain an internal temperature below 125F without exceeding the 80 percent humidity level. This drastic standard is required to protect computer media like DVDs. The construction of each file protects against magnetic interference as well.
Another less expensive option is the fire and impact file cabinets that are for paper records only. They can have 2 or 4 drawers and are about 1/2 the price of the models mentioned above, and still provide the 350 degree security needed for paper files.
So called Burglar and fire safes are another much smaller option and provide both fire and burglary safety. They are usually 20" to 30" square, with the interior being even smaller. They come with UL 350 protection for 1 to 1.5 hours. There usually is 2" of concrete between the steel inner & outer walls which provdes the needed burglary and flame safety, unlike the steam method above.
Whichever one you choose, all of these and many more can be found at the Safe and Vault Store.com
By: suzik
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fire filing cabinets, www.safeandvaultstore.com
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