Here at Tru-Max Security, we do a lot of lock work and installations. However; I wanted to take this time to also mention that we install, repair, and change the combination of safes. Whether it is a home safe with and electronic pin pad; maybe a large fridge safe, we can help you.
The services we provide for Safes are installation, maintenance, and education. In this article you will find several helpful notes about safes and the types, classification given to them. Many people don’t know that there are various degrees and types of safes. There is much more to them then being heavy and bulky.
Purchasing a safe through us; allows you the peace of mind. In knowing that you have a safe that will not only fit your needs of security and protection, but will also functionality, ease of use, exactly what you are looking for and installed professionally and correctly.
Types and Classifications:
Burglary Ratings:
This classification is for attacks such as:
Drilling, hammering, and abuse that the safe can withstand and hold up against someone seriously trying to break in. To get you’re locked up wealth.
- “B” Rate Safe:
A safe with at least a 1/4-inch body and a 1/2-inch door. These safes face no testing and the presence of a locking device on the box gives them the “B” rating.
- RSC (Residential Security Container):
This is an Underwriters Laboratory™ (known as U.L.™) security rating (Underwriters Laboratory™ is the best known of about 500 non-biased independent testing laboratories). The safe must withstand five minutes of rigorous prying, drilling, punching, chiseling, and tampering attacks and must be tested using specific common burglary tools to prevent access to the contents.
- “C” Rate Safe:
This is defined as a 1/2-inch thick steel box with a 1-inch thick door with a lock on it. It must have hard plate and a relocking device. As before, no tests are given to provide this rating.
- “E” Rate Safe:
This rating is an insurance rating. It is normally a safe similar in construction to a TL-15, yet has not been tested by an independent testing company. It is normally a composite or plate safe.
- “ER” Rate Safe (E Revised) – U.L.™ TL-15 Rate:
“ER” is an insurance rating – Safes given a U.L.™ TL-15 rating have all passed standardized tests defined in UL© Standard 687 using the same tools and usually the same group of testing engineers. The label requires that the safe be constructed of 1-inch solid steel or equivalent. The label means that the safe has been tested for a net working time of 15 minutes using “…common hand tools, drills, punches, hammers, and pressure applying devices”. Net working time means simply “when the tool comes off the safe the clock stops”. There are over 50 different types of attacks that can be used to gain entrance into the safe. Usually they will try only two or three – based on what they know about the product, and they know a lot.
- “F” Rate Safe – U.L.™ TL-30 Rate:
“F” is an insurance rating – The tests given for this rating are essentially the same as the TL-15 tests except for, you guessed it, the net working time. They get 30 minutes and a few more tools to help them gain entrance. Keep in mind these engineers have the manufacturing blue prints and can disassemble the safe being tested before the test begins to see how it works. They know their stuff.
- G&A Rate Safe – U.L™ TL-30X6 Rate:
G&A is an insurance ratings – The tests for these safes are essentially the same as the TL-30 test except that the safe is tested on all 6 sides, including the floor of the safe. Again, the engineers can disassemble the unit prior to testing and have access to the blueprints to see how the safe is built and how it works.
Fire Ratings:
The Classification has to do with the safes ability to withstand a fire. Protection your goods and locked up wealth in the event of a fire.
- 1/2 Hour – U.L.™ class 350 Rate Safe:
This safe has been tested by the Underwriters Laboratory™. The unit is heated for one-half hour to reach an exterior temperature of 1550 degrees. Because paper will begin to char at approximately 410 degrees, the unit being tested must maintain an interior temperature of less than 350 degrees during heat-up and cool-down testing in order to earn its rating. At U.L.™ after the safe has hit the test time, the safe is removed from the oven and hoisted 30 feet (equal to 3 flights of a building) and dropped onto concrete rubble. It is allowed to cool and then picked up and placed back into a 2000 degree F preheated oven. This is called the explosive test. It is done to see if the door will blow off. It remains in the oven and the contents of the safe must remain unharmed.
- 1 Hour – U.L™ class 350 Rate Safe:
To earn this rating, the safe is heated for one hour to reach an exterior temperature of 1550 degrees, then put through the cool down test. Like the 1/2 hour test, the safe must maintain an interior temperature of less than 350 degrees throughout the test. At U.L.™ after the safe has hit the test time, the safe is removed from the oven and hoisted 30 feet (equal to 3 flights of a building) and dropped onto concrete rubble. It is allowed to cool and then picked up and placed back into a 2000 degree F preheated oven. This is called the explosive test. It is done to see if the door will blow off. It remains in the oven and the contents of the safe must remain unharmed.
- 2 Hour – U.L™ class 350 Rate Safe:
The safe is heated for two hours to reach an exterior temperature of 1550 degrees, then put through the cool down test. During the complete process, the interior of the safe cannot go above 350 degrees. At U.L.™ after the safe has hit the test time, the safe is removed from the oven and hoisted 30 feet (equal to 3 flights of a building) and dropped onto concrete rubble. It is allowed to cool and then picked up and placed back into a 2000 degree F preheated oven. This is called the explosive test. It is done to see if the door will blow off. It remains in the oven and the contents of the safe must remain unharmed.
Data Safes:
These Safes are used to protect your personal Data. Information about you in this digital age we live in. These types of safes are usually climate controlled and house hard drives and external boards.
- 1 Hour – U.L.™ class 150 Rate Safe:
This test is done to protect computer data for one hour. The inside of the safe remains below 150 degrees for the entire test both in the oven and cool down period.
- 2 Hour – U.L.™ class 150 Rate Safe:
This is a test done to protect computer data for a two hour period. The inside of the safe remains below 150 degrees for the entire test both in the oven and cool down period.
- 1 Hour – U.L.™ class 125 Rate Safe:
This is a test done to protect computer data for a one hour period. The inside of the safe remains below 125 degrees for the entire test both in the oven and cool down period.
Many safes are a mixture of the first two types we have discussed above. Being a burglary safe and a fire safe, there are down sides to this. One of them being that if you chose one that is of a lower burglary then it will not hold up to attacks by drilling. Or if you get a burglary safe that does not hold up in fire it will be ruined and will have to be forced open.
If you do find a safe or have forgotten your combination. Tru-Max Security can open it for you by sending one of our safe technicians. Who are professionally trained and prepared to tackle even the largest of vaults. We will explain the process in with we will use to open the safe and in many cases. A quick repair and the safe, lock and drill point will be covered. So it is like we were never there.
Maintenance:
Many customers think that owning a safe is simply installing it and forget it, type of locking system. This is never the case safes must have regular maintained to operate correctly and properly. If your safe is not used frequently you should be having it checked every 3 years. Oiled, batteries changed and checked for operation.
A lock can occur the longer you wait. Like most locks if a safe starts to act up and is not operating the way it should. Leave it open do not close the door and call us 613-591-0909. There is a change the longer you wait the better a chance that this maybe the last time you are opening that safe.
Why take the chance when a quick call and a painless service call and we can insure your safe will keep your property safe for years to come.