How Fire Rated Safes Are Tested

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How Fire Rated Safes Are Tested
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• Terrifying in the level of destruction they can
  cause, fires cost home and business owners
  billions of dollars in property damages every
  year. In a frightening statistic reported by
  global, non-profit organization The National Fire
  Protection Agency (NFPA), a home structure fire
  takes place as often as every 85 seconds.
• With this in mind, its little wonder that
  theres a continuing need for fire rated safes,
  but how do you know if the safe youre about to
  purchase (or have already purchased), will give
  you adequate protection against the ravages of a
  house fire? While a conversation with anyone
  specializing in the manufacture or sale of safes,
  will answer all of your fire rated safe questions
  for you, it can be helpful to understand a little
  bit yourself, before buying one

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• What to look for in a fire rated safe
• Offering the ultimate in fire protection, a safe
  constructed with inner and outer steel plates
  that enclose a poured fire insulating material to
  create a seamless fire barrier, will have been
  tested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL rating)
  or Intertek (ETL).
• Next in terms of the level of protection they
  offer, are fire safes built with between 2 and 4
  layers of gypsum board that are positioned
  throughout the interior body and door. These are
  typically tested and verified by Intertek (ETL).

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• Offering adequate protection, fire safes that are
  built with 1 or 2 layers of gypsum board
  positioned throughout the interior body and door,
  have a manufacturers independent fire rating.
• Fire labels explained
• Safes with a UL Label/Class 350 degrees
  Fahrenheit- one hour and Class 350 degrees
  Fahrenheit-two hour, are designed to maintain a
  temperature less than 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  inside the safe, when exposed to fire for a
  period of one hour at 1700 degrees Fahrenheit or
  for a period of two hours at 1850 degrees
  Fahrenheit.

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• These safes must have successfully undergone all
  other necessary requirements for the Fire
  Endurance Test, Explosion Hazard Test and the
  Fire/Impact Test. See below for more details
  about all three of these tests
• Fire endurance test
• The safe is locked and exposed to what is
  described as a uniformly distributed fire, with
  heat sensors and paper placed inside. Controlled
  to reach a maximum temperature of 1700F for a
  period of one hour, or 1850F for two hours, the
  furnace is then allowed to cool without being
  opened. Recorded throughout the test and during
  the cooling period, a definite drop in
  temperature must be illustrated never exceeding
  350F.

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• When the safe has cooled, its opened and all of
  the locking mechanisms and parts fastenings are
  examined, along with the interior, which is
  checked for any evidence of undue heat
  transmission.
• Explosion hazard test
• Locked and placed inside a furnacepreheated to
  2000F, the safe is kept there for 30 minutes,
  and in the event of no explosion, is left to cool
  without opening the furnace doors. When cool, the
  safe is examined using the same process as the
  Fire Endurance Test.

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• Fire Impact Test
• Once the explosion hazard test is finished, the
  safe is taken out of the furnace and within two
  minutes, is dropped from a height of 30 inches
  onto a heavy concrete base. The safe is then
  examined for signs of deformation, parts
  rupturing, and damaged insulation. When cool, the
  safe is inverted and reheated to 1550F for 30
  minutes.
• Once cool again, the safe is examined, just as
  with the previous two tests.

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• For more detailed guidance on purchasing a fire
  rated safe for your home or business, reach out
  to a local safe specialist, who can help you get
  the best deals, for the best safes.
• BigBearSafe designs, manufactures and distributes
  a large variety of high security safes, fireproof
  home safe, vault doors and other physical
  security equipment since 1999. With a team of
  highly skilled workers and engineers our primary
  goal is not only to meet our customers
  expectations, but to exceed them through superior
  quality and security. If you are looking for fire
  safe box in Huntington Beach, visit
  BigBearSafe.com.