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An electronic
fire safeis one that has some type of electronic locking mechanism
and is rated for fire safety of the contents. A fire safe can be purchased with
a traditional mechanical locking mechanism, but an electronic lock is much more
convenient. When choosing an electronic
fire safe, there are a number of factors
to consider.
First is the type of electronic lock. There are basically two types - the electronic
keypad and the biometric scanner. With an electronic keypad type, the combination
to the safe is entered on a standard numeric keypad, in much the same way as
you enter a pin number at the ATM or grocery store. A biometric electronic
fire safe has a fingerprint scanner as the unlocking mechanism. You simply place
your finger on the scanner for about a second and the safe opens. The biometric
scanner type provides the best of both security and convenience.
The second, and possibly most important factor is the fire rating of the electronic
fire safe. There are two types of fire ratings - one for paper, and one for
media. This is due to the fact that while paper will begin to burn at a certain
temperature, media, such as floppy disks or CDs, will begin to melt at a much
lower temperature. In addition, media cannot withstand the effects of high humidity.
The ratings safes designed to store paper documents are specified at 350 degrees
F - the rating is the number of hours that the safe can remain in a fire situation
without the internal temperature rising above 350 degree F. This is the temperature
at which paper would start to burn. The rating for media safes is determined
in a similar manner, except that the internal temperature that is used is only
125 degrees F - a much lower temperature. In addition, media safes are designed
so that the humidity inside the safe does not reach more than 80% during fire
conditions.
The third factor is the size and shape of the electronic
fire safe. Safeandvault.com
has a large variety of different sizes and shapes available. Different sizes
of 1 or 2-hour electronic
fire safes are available, with 1 or 2 hour fireproof
ratings. In addition our 2-hour fireproof safes are also burglary rated for
the maximum in security. The 2 hour fireproof and burglary rated safes also
include a glass relocker mechanism (if someone attempts to tamper with the lock,
it breaks a glass-enclosed spring that relocks the safe) for added security.
As you can see, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing an
electronic
fire safe. You'll need to decide on the type of electronic lock,
the burglary and fire rating that you need, and the amount of storage that you
need in order to determine the size and shape of the safe. In addition, you'll
need to decide whether or not you will be storing electronic media in the safe.
If you are be sure to choose a model that has a media fire protection rating.
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