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Posted: 6/17/2011 5:56:34 PM EDT
| Has anyone done anything to add additional fireproofing to their safe? If so, what did you do - ceramic wool, fireproof drywall, intumescent caulk? |
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In a real big house fire it's not going to matter what you do. All you can do is buy a little more time.
The best thing to do is add mass and place the safe at the lowest point of the structure as possible (i.e. corner of a basement). To add mass, bricks/cinderblocks filled with sand surrounding the safe would work fairly well. Not much you can do about the door... Maybe have a false removable front with a few layers of fire-resistant drywall.. That might buy you a few minutes. |
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If you have a reliable water supply, use 1-inch or larger pipe and install a water curtain / deluge using standard 155F sprinkler pendants.
The function of a water curtain is not to suppress a fire but to provide cooling to the object it is protecting. Very effective. |
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NFPA codes requires that manufacturers provide tables for each of their sprinkler heads which illustrate spray pattern as a function of pressure.
Typically, a pendant or upright head will have a conical coverage pattern having a floor radius of about 8 feet provided that ~7 psi can be maintained at the inlet to the orifice. At 7 psi you'll dump about 15 gpm with a 1/2 inch orifice. If your safe is in a corner, with concrete or gypsum board walls on the two backsides, one head will give the remaining sides, exposed to the fire, good coverage density. Position it at a 45 degree angle normal to the exposed corner, just a few feet away. Your not trying to suppress a fire. Your providing cooling to the exposed surfaces. If the safe is not in a corner, two would be ideal. However, the water demand can exceed the delivery capacity of a well pump. If the supply cannot maintain adeqaute inlet pressure, the spray pattern won't develop properly. If your tied to a municipal main, you can probably do it. Obviously, the area needs to be heated to preclude freezing if that happens in your climate. Mcmaster Carr sells Tyco heads for ~$25 each. |
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