Frequently Asked Questions
1.
Why do I need a safe?
A gun safe protects you and your family against
theft, fire, and the potential liability that might arise if one
of your firearms is used to commit a crime. In the U.S., a burglary
is committed about every 12 seconds and a house fire occurs nearly
every 85 seconds.
2.
What size safe do I need?
Most safes have a listed capacity which is
based on the total number of gun barrel slots. Your particular
firearms determine how many you can store. For every scoped rifle,
add two slots and don't forget to account for future accumulation.
Take inventory of your valuables. You may want to store things
such as documents, taxes, pistols, expensive tools, photos, jewelry,
collections, heirlooms, and ammunition. These things take up a
lot of space in your safe and you'll want to make sure you have
extra space for things you may have overlooked. Buying one large
safe can save you the hassle of having to upgrade later, as moving
the safes into and out of your home can become a very expensive,
and exhausting undertaking.
3.
Is there such thing as a "fire-proof" safe?
There is no truly "fire-proof" safe, but
virtually all will offer some level of fire protection. The amount
of fire protection provided is determined by the design. The more
fire-lining and thicker the steel, the longer they can withstand
a fire, though every safe has it's limit.
4.
How does a safe provide fire protection? How does it work?
Virtually all gun safes and home safes provide
some minimal level of fire protection merely by the fact that
they are steel boxes. Increased fire protection is generally facilitated
by adding one or more layers of fire-resistant sheetrock that
acts as an insulator and a heat sink, and by the addition of a
fire/smoke seal on the door. There are a wide variety of fire
lining materials in use, such as ceramic insulation, mineral wool
blankets, or a combination of ceramic blanket and sheetrock, or
concrete mixed with vermiculite. The safe's door design can make
a big difference in its fire protective capabilities. Generally
speaking, composite door designs tend to offer better fire protection
than plate door designs. Plate doors, although generally offering
superior security, tend to transfer heat faster than formed "composite
doors".
5. What does "fire-rating" mean?Safe
manufacturers use fire ratings to give their customers an idea
of how long they can expect their safe to last in a fire before
its contents will be ruined. For example, if a safe's rating is
1200 degrees/45 minutes, the safe was exposed to temperatures
up to 1200 degrees. After 45 minutes, the internal temperature
of the safe reached a certain "failure" temperature. Most companies
use 350 degrees as their "failture" temperature, because this
is the temperature at which paper begins to darken.
7.
What is an intumescent door seal and why is it important?
When exposed to heat (in a house fire) the
intumescent door seal expands to fill any small gaps between the
door and the body of the gun safe, sealing out smoke, gases, and
heat. A safe without an intumescent door seal can not be expected
to offer more than 10 or 15 minutes of protection.
8.
How are safes fire tested?
Some gun safe companies choose to
send their safes to an independent "lab" to be fire tested, but
don't be fooled; in many cases, the labs allow the manufacturer
to define many or all of the test parameters. For instance, if
the manufacturer chooses, they can specify to have their gun safe
fire tested laying down on its back in the oven. This will lead
to a very inaccurate test. The coolest place in a safe during
a fire will always be at the bottom, as heat rises. Similarly,
the coolest place in a gas fired test oven will be the bottom.
If the safe is tested laying down, the entire temperature reading
inside the safe shows a uniform, lower than usual temperature.
Additionally, the weight of the door will unrealistically help
seal the door. The lab will then give the manufacturer a fire
rating of, for example, 1200 degree/60 minute fire rating, when
in a real-life situation, the gun safe would fail in a fraction
of the time. A safe standing upright in your home, will experience
much more heat than this test safe.
A manufacturer can also specify a longer ramp-up time (time it
takes for the testing oven to reach the desired temperature used
in their fire rating). The longer the ramp-up time, the shorter
duration at peak temperature. For example, if the safe's desired
fire rating is 1200 degrees/30 minutes, with ramp up during the
first 20 minutes, then the safe was only exposed to 1200 degrees
for the last 10 minutes of the test. However, a long ramp up time
is not necessarily bad as long as the test duration is appropriately
longer as well. Look for tests that are 30 minutes or longer with
at least 20 of those minutes above 1000 degrees. An hour long
test should have a ramp up of no more than 20 minutes. There are
a number of other factors that can skew test results, like thermocouple
(temperature sensor) quantity and location, burner placement,
safe placement in relationship to burners and oven walls, and
of course, failure criteria. As a consumer, it is impossible for
you to verify exctly how the test was done. You can ask all the
right questions, but you are still assuming that the person you
are talking to knows exactly how the test was performed and is
telling you the truth. For this reason, the only way to accurately
compare fire protection is to compare how the safe is constructed
and fire-protected. It is the only way you can verify you are
getting your money's worth.
9.
Why use sheetrock for fire protection?
Sheetrock is relatively inexpensive
and is actually very effective in a fire. It transfers heat extremely
slowly. A typical gun safe may have over 100 pounds of sheetrock
inside of it. Moisture, normally trapped in the gypsum mixture,
when heated above 212 degrees, turns to steam and escapes. This
process is called 'calcination' and will hold the internal temperature
of the safe at approximately 220 degrees until the sheetrock has
dried out completely.
10.
What fire rating do I need?
As a consumer, you must decide what level
of fire rating is appropriate for your situation. Some determining
factors are: fire department response time, type and amount of
fuels near the safe, and heat tolerance of the items stored in
it. Most house fires can reach temperatures of 1200 to 1500 degrees.
Paper documents and wood start to change color at approximately
275 to 300 degrees. The average person may store rifles, photos,
jewelry, or documents in their safe which may be located in the
garage. What's in your garage now? Most garages are full of stored
items, most of which are flammable. If you have a car parked in
the garage, the gas tank is a potential source of fuel that you
must consider. In such a case, we recommend a safe with a fire
rating of 1200 degrees for a period of 40 minutes or more. For
other locations in your house with minimal fuel in the vicinity,
a 1200 degree for 30 minute fire rating may be adequate, depending
on the safe company's fire rating rating parameters.
11.
Many safe companies have different body thicknesses. How do I
know what I need?
Three factors to consider when determining
the appropriate body thickness are the sophistication of the burglar,
the value of the items that will be in the safe, and your budget.
While no safe is burglar proof, the thicker the walls of the safe,
the longer it will take the burglar to gain entry. We recommend
12 gauge (.105") as the absolute minimum acceptable body thickness.
1/8" (10 gauge) is better and is the minimum body thickness found
on all Rhino and Bighorn safes. UL testing shows that a metal
thickness of less than 12 gauge (.105") can be defeated with a
cold chisel and hand sledge hammer in less than 5 minutes. Remember,
the lower the number, the thicker the steel.
Against and educated, trained burglar with the right tools, a
12 gauge steel body provides 3-7 minutes, 1/8" steel body provides
about 7-10 minutes protection, 1/4" provides 10 to 20 minutes,
and 3/8" provides 20 to 45 minutes. Fortunately, the average residential
burglar is usually poorly equipped and trained. Most residential
burglaries are done in a hurry so an 1/8" thick steel safe is
adequate. If, however, you are storing a large amount of cash
and valuables in your safe, you should consider the upgraded thicknesses
mentioned above, along with a quality alarm security system.
12.
What is the difference between a composite and a plate door?
There are two types of doors currently in
use in the gun safe and home safe industry; the plate door and
the composite door. The plate door consists of a plate of steel
with a framework welded on the back of it. The plate is usually
3/16" thick or more. Sheetrock is usually attatched to the back
of the plate. Composite doors are a formed steel outer shell filled
with fire protective sheetrock. Properly constructed composite
doors provide better fire protection than plate doors. Unfortunately,
some well known safe manufacturers use 14 gauge steel (.0747")
or thinner when manufacturing their composite doors. Some merely
spot weld the door shell and then cover up the joints with body
putty, with the end result being a door that may appear to be
4 inches thick but can be easily smashed open with an axe or a
sledge hammer.
13.
What is a relocker?
A relocker is a device or design that "re-locks"
the locking mechanism in the event of tampering. Generally, a
spring loaded plunger is mounted inside the safe with a trigger
mechanism that will fire if the lockbox is damaged. UL Group 2
lcoks and better have internal, spring-loaded mechanisms that
will relock their deadbolts if the back cover of the lockbox is
removed or punched out. All Bighorn safes have both a spring loaded,
plunger-type relocker and the UL Group 2 lock's relocker. A new
invention, developed by Rhino Metals, Inc., is the integrated
relocker. We've patented a lock design, used in the Rhino series
safes, that incorporates additional modes of relocking geometry
into the parts of the boltwork. This design is used in conjunction
with the Group 2 UL-listed lock's internal relocker and the standard
spring-loaded relocker to offer up to 5 times the security of
other brands.
14. Should I get a safe with
an electronic lock or a manual lock?
A manual tumbler lock is typically less expensive
than an electric lock, however, its security, depending on the
manufacturer, will essentially be the same. The biggest reason
people upgrade to an electronic lock is for convenience. With
a manual lock, you'll have to remember how to dial a combination
of three numbers. This, for a lot of people, gets confusing. If
you happen to miss a number on the manual lock or even are slightly
off, you'll have to start over again. With an electronic lock,
you'll have a combo with a certain number of digits that are pressed
on a keypad. Immediately after the last digit in the combo has
been pressed, the lock opens. Another feature of the electronic
lock is the ability to see better in a dimly-lit area. The numbers
on a dial lock can be hard to read when in a room with low light
or if you have a vision problem. If you needed to get into the
safe quickly, an electronic lock would be much faster. Therefore,
if you are storing home defense weapons in your safe, you may
want to consider an electronic lock. Lastly, the combo on the
electronic lock can be changed by the customer quickly and easily
without using any tools, while the manual lock does require tools
and is not as simple.
15.
Is the manual lock or electronic lock better in a fire?
Neither. The manual lock and electronic
lock will both be damaged in a fire.
16.
Is the manual lock or electronic lock better during a break-in
attempt?
Each lock will perform the same in a break-in
attempt. However, most quality electronic locks have an automatic
lock-out eature which disables the lock for a period of time (usually
15 minutes) if someone enters three incorrect combinations consecutively.
17.
What do I need to be prepared for when moving my safe into my
house?
Safety should be paramount given the weight
of most safes. If you've never moved something this size, have
back problems, stairs are involved, or the safe weighs more than
500 pounds, you should hire a professional. Always keep non-essential
persons away from the area.
Moving a safe to a ground-floor location should be possible using
two or more men with the proper tools. A moving dolly with pneumatic
tires or a heavy-duty appliance dolly should be able to handle
up to 700 pounds. These can be inexpensively rented from a local
tool rental store. Remember, a heavy weight placed on small diamter
wheels may damage floor tiles, wood, or vinyl flooring. Lay sheets
of plywood to dissipate the point load and protect door thresholds
if necessary. More than three stairs requires specialized equipment,
more men, or better yet- a professional. The pro may save you
time and money in the long run.
18.
What is the best location in the house for my safe?
Locating your safe in the garage is convenient,
but unlless the safe is bolted to the floor, it can be an easy
target for burglars. It is not uncommon for theieves with a truck
to back into a garage and load up a safe in broad daylight. Even
with the safe anchored down, it is a good idea to cover it in
some way to hide it from view. You'll also want to remember that
heat rises, so the first level or basement of your home will best
protect it and your belongings in case of fire.
19.
Should I anchor my safe to the floor?
For security and safety reasons, most manufacturers
recommend bolting your safe to the floor. Most safes are pre-drilled,
allowing you to bolt into wood or concrete. Rhino and Bighorn
safes come standard with concrete anchoring bolts included. A
masonry drill and bits in the appropriate size (usually 3/8")
can be rented from most tool rental stores.
This
is a picture of a very well known gun safe manufacturer's internal
hinge where the internal hing attatches to the inside body of
the safe. Notice the large area of exposed metal. In a house fire,
this exposed metal area will be glowing orange, radiating heat
directly into the gun safe's interior. The manufacturer claims
a "certified 30 minute/1200 degree fire rating". Furthermore,
internal hinged gun safes frequently have significant gaps in
their fire/smoke door seal, where the hinge attatches to the door.
For this reason, it is unrealistic to expect more than 20 to 30
minutes of fire protection from any internally hinged gun safe,
unless the manufacturer has taken extra steps to remove these
deficiencies.