If you have a commercial facility, it’s vitally important that you protect what’s in your building ~ the irreplaceable valuables, the important documents, and all the crucial data pertaining to your business. Generally, for most businesses, a premium-quality commercial safe is an effective way to do so.
As soon as you begin shopping, you’ll find out that there are many types and styles of safes and safe locks. How can you possibly decide what’s right for you? Before you buy, do your research. Ask these questions.
1 How big does your safe need to be?
You might pile up everything you want to store in your safe, and then measure it. But the problem with that method is, the safe you’re going to need is probably much bigger than you first thought. Ask an expert which items ought to be placed inside a safe. Then you can mathematically determine how much space you’ll require.
2 What’s the approximate value of the items you’ll be putting in the safe?
The items’ value will influence the level of security you need.
There are basic categories of safe classes, which will play a large role in your insurance coverage, and affect any insurance claims. According to the classification of the safe you choose, your insurance coverage goes up. The safe’s class ~ from TL15 (approximately $150,000 of coverage) to TRTL60X6 (about $2 million or more of coverage) ~ is established by:
- torch resistance (the level of resistance to a robber’s torch)
- area testing (how easy it is to get into the front door, or into all the sides);
- time testing (how long it takes a safecracker to break in); and
- tool resistance (the level of resistance to carbide drills, picking tools, hand tools, and mechanical or electric tools).
A TL15 rating means that the door of the safe can resist entry for a net assault time of 15 minutes with hand tools, mechanical or electric portable tools, grinders, picking tools, drills, or pressure devices. Most business owners prefer class TL30 or higher, that is, a safe that’s time-tested to resist entry for at least 30 minutes or more.
3 Which safe lock is best for you?
There are many different kinds of safe locks, including combination dial, redundant, electronic, and biometric.
4 What sort of safe should you have?
- A depository safe (also called a drop safe), is popular with retailers and restaurants. You drop cash, receipts, keys, and other small items into this safe through a little door at the top, which won’t allow access to the main safe compartment. You open the door by inputting the correct code.
- An office safe is another common safe used by restaurant owners and retail businesses. Freestanding or bolted onto the floor, it usually has a higher fire rating. This safe can’t be opened by dropping it repeatedly.
- An in-floor safe is hidden in concrete for extraordinary security. One drawback is that it offers minimal fire protection, since it doesn’t have a fire board for dissipating heat. If you need to protect documents or cash, choose a burglar-fire safe, a freestanding composite-fire safe, or a high-security burglar-fire safe, which has a 1- to 2-hour fire rating. Anchor it properly with bolts in your concrete floor.
- A wall safe is well concealed. You can hide it behind a picture frame, for example. However, a wall safe isn’t actually your most secure choice, because it’s attached to the wall studs, which means it can be pried out by an experienced thief. Take into consideration that this safe’s only fire protection is limited to the sheetrock in the wall.
- A high-security safe will include a number of barriers to prevent drilling. Additional locking mechanisms will deploy if a criminal attempts to force the safe open. A maximum security level costs a great deal more, but depending upon your circumstances ~ if you have a jewelry store, for instance ~ then it’s definitely smart to keep the heart of your business well secured.
- A media or data safe is for effectively guarding your business information. It’s essential to protect your electronic devices from fire and theft. Computer disks, drives, and all other digital media are sensitive to fluctuations in temperature, so decide upon a safe whose interior won’t exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit, or go above 85% humidity.
5 Do you want fire protection?
Besides standard classifications for commercial safes, there are formal fire ratings. No safe is totally fireproof; but there are numerous levels of fire resistance. Safes are tested and certified according to how long they’re able to safeguard your valuables that are inside from destruction by fire. A fire rating of 1 hour or more is ideal. During a fire, safes rated to protect paper stored inside can’t grow any warmer than 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
A safe providing optimum fire protection along with major theft protection will have the safe’s door and walls made of steel, encased in a layer of composite material as solid as concrete. There must be a fire seal on the door, to block out most moisture from getting inside the safe, minimizing corrosion and rust. If a fire occurs, the fire seal will expand, sealing out smoke and flames, and also keeping water out of the safe (since water could be sprayed on the safe to extinguish the fire).
If you have a safe with a low-to-moderate level of fire resistance, it actually won’t provide very much theft protection. If you want both theft protection and fire resistance, then you’ll need an exceptional-quality composite-fire safe, a burglar-fire safe, or a top-security TL-rated fire safe.
6 In the end, how do you choose the right safe?
There are so many points to look for before you purchase your commercial safe ~ more than what we’ve reviewed above. Where you decide to put your safe is important, too. To avoid being scammed, do your homework, gathering your information only from reputable sources. If you’re in Roswell, Georgia, then consider hiring a mobile professional safe technician on staff at Locksmith In Roswell GA.
Aricle source here: IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO PURCHASE A COMMERCIAL SAFE, HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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