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Posted: 2/3/2009 6:43:44 PM EDT
| Is there anyway to add fire protection to a non fire rated safe? I am having a difficult time finding a lite enough safe to go up in my apt. I know that the floors should hold the weight, but being that they shake every time someone on the third floor walks around, I worry about anything more than 400 lbs. I do not need a large safe and would like to save my money so I can get a large safe when I move into a house, but that is 9 months out. Any ideas for a way to add some fire protection to a Job Box or something stronger than my current gun cabinet? Thanks |
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In short, no.
Making a real fire-resistant safe is pretty hard work to do right. A house fire produces temperatures that will destroy just about anything you're going to build yourself. If fire-protection is your main concern might I suggest a real UL-rated fire safe. There are plenty out there in all different weights. A non-theft rated Fire safe isn't that heavy after all since they can get away with sheetmetal and do away with overly complex bolt mechanisms. Any wooden structure built to code could take at the very least 600 pounds of static point load. |
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Call me a skeptic, but fire protection on safes is all but useless for most any type of house fire.
If you're seriously worried about fire protection at your location, your best bet is to store it off site. Most safe fire protection keeps the temperature down by releasing moisture. Guns + moisture and the duration before you'll be able to get the safe opened (dials/handles melt before the rating temp is met, not to mention the time before it all cools, they move the safe (i'm sure they wont let you just go tromping into the rubble), and you get it to a locksmith), you're firearms will most likely be caked in rust. In addition, most fire protection is just so inadequate for the size of the safe, it doesn't do much to help anyway. Fire protection was added to gun safes in order for the rather expensive item to be more accepted by the non-shooter to be more comfortable with the purchase to use for other things as well. I'm not saying it doesn't have its purpose, but if your place burns down, I'd feel really lucky if the guns made it. |
| I am more worried about theft portection than a fire at this point. The apt complex does have a fire suppression system, so I just want to get something now that is safer and stronger than my cabinet but inexpensive so when I get the house in a few months I do not feel bad ordering a larger safe. |
| I am adding fire resistant drywall to my safe walls. I'm moving all my guns out of my current safe into a new 4 x 8 walk-in that is in the garage. I'm pretty sure a fire in my garage wouldn't get hot enough to get though 3 layers of 5/8 drywall behind the 1/4 steel walls. I believe a lot of companies use either drywall or concrete to line their safe walls. I wouldn't feel as safe doing this in a home where there are a lot of combustibles, but in my garage, other than my truck, theres not much to burn but the walls. I hope I never find out, but this will keep my mind at ease. Lets face it, anything is better than nothing. |
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type x gypsum sheetrock can be bought for $15 a sheet at lowes, homedepot etc.. chemical composition is 85% water or something, put it around the outside of whatever safe you have and it will definately not hurt the chances of the contents burning up.
Blackops_1. |
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Quoted:
I am adding fire resistant drywall to my safe walls. I'm moving all my guns out of my current safe into a new 4 x 8 walk-in that is in the garage. I'm pretty sure a fire in my garage wouldn't get hot enough to get though 3 layers of 5/8 drywall behind the 1/4 steel walls. I believe a lot of companies use either drywall or concrete to line their safe walls. I wouldn't feel as safe doing this in a home where there are a lot of combustibles, but in my garage, other than my truck, theres not much to burn but the walls. I hope I never find out, but this will keep my mind at ease. Lets face it, anything is better than nothing. Not to ruin a nights sleep but if a vehicle catches fire in your garage you better have a suppression system. The heat put off by a burning vehicle is ridiculous with the burning plastics and often magnesium and all the other materials and they go up like a Christmas tree fast as all get out. The guns would be the last thing you would worry about, the house would be gone. Sorry just a lil occupational experience, I've seen a couple of FORDs take houses with them in there last efforts to ruin lives. lol  Sorry I'm a CHEVY guy. 
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+1 to firefghtr. Garages (by nature) have all the stuff stored in them that you don't want inside the house - gasoline, other fuels, etc). Alot depends on the local FD - if you face a chance of a wildland fire your at the mercy of the big guy. The idea of multiple layers of 5/8" sheetrock is what is required for fire protection. Maybe add a small air gap between the outside and inner layers.
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There isn't really a good way that I am aware of.
+1 on car fires being hot though. We got called out to a pickup on fire the other day that melted the radiator and heads off of the engine. Also when they hit the engine bay with water a magnesium crossmember "exploded" when I was 5 or 6 feet away. That was interesting for sure :) Good video of magnesium reacting to water in a pickup fire. Even though our pumper uses foam it still is quite the fireball. This guy using no SCBA is STUPID!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trN1N7MZTVM&feature=PlayList&p=FA4BCA4B41E8F693&playnext=1&index=73 |
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The weak spot in diy fireproofing is the door. How do you cover the door with sheetrock and maintain accessability?
Intumescent Coating may be an option. It probably looks like hell but it might work if it will stick to the outside finish on your safe. The coatings are designed to provide insulation to the steel in the event of a fire. Their function is identical to other more traditional materials such as gypsum wallboard and coatings categorized as Spray Applied Fire Resistive Materials (SFRMs). The SFRMs typically include ingredients such as mineral wool, cement and gypsum. Because of the intumescent coating's paint like qualities and their other somewhat unique characteristics when compared to the more traditional materials, the use of intumescent coatings have expanded within the architectural and design communities.
The intumescent coatings, as well as the other traditional materials, are intended to provide an insulating barrier between a fire and the structural steel. This insulating barrier is necessary to ensure the structural performance of the steel members at the temperatures anticipated during a fully developed fire. For intumescent coatings to provide this insulating barrier to the structural steel, two unique characteristics of the coating must be considered, coating expansion and retention of a char layer. |
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