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Posted: 1/22/2013 5:33:46 AM EDT
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Ok, I'm at a point where I'm driving myself nuts with sourcing/spec'ing my next safe. After visiting local stores multiple times I'm seeing a lot of stuff I don't like on a lot of the safes I'm looking at. Enter Sturdy.... I'm looking real hard at their Model 3627 but when I add the $600 up-charge for the fireproofing it really puts the unit out of the price range I wanted to stay in (especially when considering I'd have to muscle this thing around once it landed at my house).
I live within 1/2mile of a firehouse that is staffed 24/7 with professional (full-time) firefighters. I have a good homeowner's policy coverage for items that would go in this safe but I'm not sure I could live with myself if we had a fire and my stuff, some of which may become irreplaceable given the way the political climate is, was lost. Of course reading as much as I've read so far, it sounds like some people believe that sheetrock safes release steam during fire events which would ruin the valuables anyway (esentially boil the stuff inside)..... My fall backs from a Sturdy would potentially be a AMSEC BF6030 (which is really out of my price point), or what originally got me into the 'buying another safe mode', the killer price Lowes has on Fatboy Jrs, although I fully know there's no comparision in theft deterrance between it and the Sturdy (or AMSEC IMHO). Two more questions I have while I'm thinking about it.... - Would it be feasible to do one's own primitive fireproofing on an otherwise non-firelined Sturdy? Thought process would be to provide at least some sort of protection that could help protect in smaller fires i.e. non 'total burn downs'? - Do the non firelined Sturdys come with a door seal or no? Thanks! |
| Sure, I"d think a few sheets of sheet rock around the out side of the safe would provide pretty good fire protection and the moisture in the gypsum would be released outside of the safe so no moisture damage to deal with. Main things to worry about are the door seal and insulating the door itself. Someone posted here that Sturdy Safe put the door seal on for him without the fire lining which I think is a must. You also might want to see if you can just get the door insulated with the door seal added. Sturdy won't provide the fire replacement warranty put a sheet rock encased Sturdy Safe with a glass and ceramic insulated door would probably provide pretty decent fire protection in a shorter duration house fire. |
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A fire doubles in size 30 seconds. How long will it take 911 to receive the call from you or your alarm company? How long will it take 911 to contact your local fire department and how long will it take your local fire department's dispatch to dispatch the apparatus? How long will it take the engine company from the furthest point away from you to arrive and start fire suppression? I say the furthest away because the closest apparatus may be busy with another call. We lost a house that was across the street from a fire station because that truck and a couple other near by engines were busy with another fire.
My point is crap happens and you can't count on others to save your valuables. That said, you can do your own fireproofing, but it won't be as complete as a properly fire-lined safe. Fire code sheetrock is not going to hold up in a fully involved house fire whereas safes protected by the non-ceramic or ceramic fiber wool will as evident in the Sturdy video(s). $600 is very cheap insurance to protect something that you may not be able to replace, but that's just my $0.02 
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Quoted:
A fire doubles in size 30 seconds. How long will it take 911 to receive the call from you or your alarm company? How long will it take 911 to contact your local fire department and how long will it take your local fire department's dispatch to dispatch the apparatus? How long will it take the engine company from the furthest point away from you to arrive and start fire suppression? I say the furthest away because the closest apparatus may be busy with another call. We lost a house that was across the street from a fire station because that truck and a couple other near by engines were busy with another fire. My point is crap happens and you can't count on others to save your valuables. That said, you can do your own fireproofing, but it won't be as complete as a properly fire-lined safe. Fire code sheetrock is not going to hold up in a fully involved house fire whereas safes protected by the non-ceramic or ceramic fiber wool will as evident in the Sturdy video(s). $600 is very cheap insurance to protect something that you may not be able to replace, but that's just my $0.02 If you are going to take it that far, Take a look at brown. They think any lining is a bad idea and only offer encasement with concrete on the outside. Who's right, I don't know. I can tell you I would bet on a conventional unlined safe that was in a closet lined with 4 layers of sheetrock and a firedoor. |
I got scolded by several guys in GD for the same line of thinking OP. In all seriousness, when I have one single rifle that is close to 3k with accessories skimping out on 600 bucks for fireproofing is kinda cheap.  Plus, its not like I can buy another AR right now haha.
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I'm pretty sure (from when I ordered my Sturdy) that you can add the fire liner at a later date. Personally, I think the extra $600 is worth it for things you may not be able to replace. I called and asked them this very thing. She said it is possible to do so but it is a PITA. She said you need to be good with pop-rivet installation and working with metal. Though I have experience with both, the amount of labor alone made it worth the $600 to me. |
| A family friend had a fire a couple years ago, house wasn't a total loss, but nothing inside the non-fire protected safe survived and fire/rescue was there in only a few minutes. For only a few hundred dollars more you could have very good fire protection inside the safe. That's what pushed me over the edge anyway. I have fire/rescue less than a mile away, but by the time they would have the fire out, everything inside the safe would be gone. It took me a couple months extra to save up for the Sturdy fire lining and I paid more than I originally intended to, but it was well worth it. Sturdy's fire lining isn't just a few sheets of sheetrock either, granted, its no concrete lining or surround, but it's a great safe offering great protection at a reasonable price. |
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I'm having this same problem deciding for myself right now. I live in the suburbs so the firehouse is nearby. I can't seem to recall a single instance where a house had a sizable fire before the firefighters reached them. I've decided on going with a Sturdy safe, but I've never heard an instance of how well it holds up in a fire without the fireproofing.
Ugh... decisions. |
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